ARE YOU AN ECLIPSE CHASER? WITNESS A SPECTACULAR EVENT ON TINIAN.

June 10/11th 2002 (June 11th Tinian local date/time).

On the morning of June 11th 2002, an interesting natural phenomenon will be visible from the Northern Mariana Islands - an annular solar eclipse.

Many people will have seen solar eclipses at some point in their lives. Usually, these solar eclipses are partial, with less then 100% of the Sun's disc being covered (a total eclipse occurs when 100% of the Sun's disc is hidden by the Moon).

An annular solar eclipse might be regarded as an unusual type of partial solar eclipse. At the point of maximum eclipse a ring (annulus) of sunlight surrounds the Moon, which appears to pass in front of the Sun.

The reason the eclipse will not be total, is that the Moon will be too far from the Earth on June 11th 2002 to completely hide the Sun. Its greater distance means that it will appear slightly smaller in the sky then the Sun.

An annular eclipse can only be witnessed if the observer is located within a narrow track that crosses the Earth's surface from west to east. For this event, the annular eclipse track starts in the Pacific Ocean on the morning of June 11th. After crossing the International Date Line the eclipse track reaches the Pacific coast of Mexico near Puerto Vallarta where observers at sunset on June 10th (local time) will see the Sun as a 'ring-of-fire' if weather conditions permit. On either side of this track of annularity, a partial eclipse will be seen. More information of the eclipse track can be found at the NASA eclipse website.

Tinian and Saipan will be two of the best places on Earth to witness this rare phenomenon. Both islands can expect visits from amateur astronomers travelling from around the World to witness this event.

Warning: Since the Sun will not be completely obscured, observers will need to protect themselves using filters procured from a reliable source. Observing the Sun without adequate protection can lead to permanent eye damage.

Contributed by Michael Gill, a British information technology expert who is also an amateur astronomer specializing in solar eclipses.

See also news article in Saipan Tribune.

Send mail to tinian.dynasty@vzpacifica.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: August 10, 2001