Ring cycle: Antarctica, Australia, NZ to get annular eclipse

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2008

PARIS (AFP) — A handful of scientists and visitors in Antarctica will get a rare treat on Thursday with an annular eclipse of the Sun, while Southeast Australia and New Zealand will get a partial view, websites reported on Thursday.

An annular eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth.

Because of a minute difference in distance because of celestial mechanics, the Moon does not cover the solar face completely, as in a total eclipse. As a result, the Moon appears as a dark disc, with a dazzling, ring-shaped corona around it.

For those watching from the fringe of the track, the Sun is partially obscured, as if a bite had been taken out of it.

Thursday's eclipse runs from 0138 to 0611 GMT.

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