Cloud obscures annular eclipse

October 3, 2005

Clouds obscured an annular eclipse for most sky-gazers across Europe and Asia Monday as the moon passed in front of the sun.

This was the fourth annular eclipse of the 21st century.

News media from Ireland to India reported cloudy conditions made viewing difficult as the moon appeared to be surrounded by a ring of fire, the BBC said.

An annular eclipse is less spectacular than a total solar eclipse because the sky does not go completely black.

If the moon happens to eclipse the sun on the near side of its orbit, it blocks out the star, creating a total eclipse. But if the moon eclipses the sun on the far side of its orbit, the satellite will not completely obscure the star, and a ring is seen.

The next total solar eclipse is March 29. It will traverse equatorial West Africa, the Sahara, the western Mediterranean, Turkey and Russia.

Rate this story - not rated yet

rank
1
2
3
4
5

view popular

Other News

Planetary Society plans new 'solar sail'

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

13 hours ago | 4.9 / 5 (7) | 0

(AP) -- Four years after its first solar sail ended up in the ocean instead of orbit, The Planetary Society announced Monday that by the end of 2010 it will try again to launch a spacecraft that will be propelled by the ...

Controversial new climate change results

Space & Earth / Environment

2 hours ago | not rated yet | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- New data show that the balance between the airborne and the absorbed fraction of CO2 has stayed approximately constant since 1850, despite emissions of CO2 having risen from about 2 billion ...

L-R: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet and John Cusack at the premiere of "2012"

NASA on crusade to debunk 2012 apocalypse myths

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

19 hours ago | 4 / 5 (1) | 3

The world is not coming to an end on December 21, 2012, the US space agency insisted Monday in a rare campaign to dispel widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie.

Antarctica glacier retreat creates new carbon dioxide store

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

23 hours ago | 3.1 / 5 (7) | 0

Large blooms of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are flourishing in areas of open water left exposed by the recent and rapid melting of ice shelves and glaciers around the Antarctic Peninsula. This ...

NASA satellites make a movie and get rainfall, wind info on Ida (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

19 hours ago | not rated yet | 0

NASA satellites are amazing examples of technology. The TRMM satellite peers into tropical cyclones and can tell how much rain is falling per hour and where. QuikScat uses microwave technology to measure Ida's ...