A year-end treat awaits Rombloanons as partial solar eclipse will be visible over the province on Thursday afternoon, December 26.
This astronomical event—annular solar eclipse—the fifth and last eclipse for the current year will be best viewed in Mindanao particularly in Balut, Batulaki, and Saranggani Islands, and Davao Oriental, in which the sun appears as “Ring of Fire”.
The annular solar eclipse happens when the moon at its farthest distance from the Earth passes in front of the Sun, while keeping the Sun’s outer rims visible during the maximum eclipse creating a “Ring of Fire”.
Reports from Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) state that the astronomical phenomenon starts at 12:43pm in Mindanao and 12:32pm in Manila, reaching the maximum eclipse at 2:30pm and 2:19pm in Manila, and ends at 3:57pm in Mandanao and 3:47pm in Manila.
In the Islands of Romblon, the predicted partial solar eclipse local circumstances show that the first contact or the start is at 12:35:22pm, maximum at 2:22:55pm covering 67.7% of the Sun’s visible disc, and last contact at 3:51:08pm.
While event provides a spectacular view for Rombloanon sky enthusiasts, it is advised that staring directly at the Sun naked eye or thru binoculars and telescopes is extremely dangerous and may cause blindness.
To observe the shape of the mid-eclipsed sun, it is recommended to use the pinhole projection technique by simply taking a sheet of paper then making a tiny hole in the middle of it, and projecting the sunshine passing through the hole on another flat bright surface.
