Nigeria to experience solar eclipse on Sunday

Nigeria will experience a partial solar eclipse on Sunday the 3rd of November; an astronomical event that will have the earth thrown into temporal or partial darkness as the moon blocks the sun’s rays from reaching the earth.

The Director-General of Nigeria Space Research And Development Agency (NASDRA), Prof. Seidu Mohammed, made the fact known when he briefed newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.

Briefing journalists on what Nigerians should expect, Mohammed said the eclipse will come in three phases; a partial eclipse at about 1.00 pm when the moon will touch the edge of the sun, the maximum eclipse shortly before 3.00pm when the moon is expected to be closest to the center and shortly after 4.00pm when the moon will leave the sun’s edge.

He however advised Nigerians not to panic unnecessarily as nothing untoward would happen on that day.

“These things are natural phenomena; Nigerians should not be afraid; the agency has responsibility to the nation, hence the reason for the early warning signal,” he said.

Mohammed said that the partial eclipse would not affect the airspace but advised Nigerians not to think that the world would come to an end because of the occurrence.

Prof. Opara Fidelis, Director, Centre for Basic Space Science, said that different parts of the country would witness the eclipse at different times of the day.

Fidelis, however, advised Nigerians to wear sunglasses to view the occurrence, adding that the glasses would protect their eyes from damage that might arise.

As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun.