On December 4th [
http://sunearth.gsf…TSE2002.html ], for the second time in as many years, the Moon's shadow will track [
http://sunearth.gsf…T02animate.html ] across southern Africa bringing a total solar eclipse [
http://www.mreclips…] to African skies. Reaching Africa just before 6:00 Universal Time [
http://aa.usno.navy…docs/UT.html ], the narrow path of totality - corresponding to the path of the Moon's umbra or dark central shadow - will run eastward through Angola, Namibia (Caprivi Strip), Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa's Kruger National Park [
http://profjohn.com…], and Mozambique. Moving out across the Indian Ocean it will ultimately cross onto the Australian continent at sunset (around 9:10 UT [
http://www.csiro.au…]). Observers directly in this path could catch at most a minute or so of the eclipse at its total phase, but at least a partial eclipse will be visible over much of Africa, Australia [
http://astronomy.sw…], some parts of Indonesia, and eastern Antarctica. While watching [
http://www.mreclips…TSE01galleryA.html ] last year's June 21 eclipse, astronomer Fred Espenak recorded a series of exposures used to construct this dramatic composite image. The sequence follows the 2001 geocentric celestial event from start to finish above a thorny acacia tree [
http://www.blueplan…acacia_tortillis.htm ] near Chisamba, Zambia.
Explanation
On December 4th [
http://sunearth.gsf…TSE2002.html ], for the second time in as many years, the Moon's shadow will track [
http://sunearth.gsf…T02animate.html ] across southern Africa bringing a total solar eclipse [
http://www.mreclips…] to African skies. Reaching Africa just before 6:00 Universal Time [
http://aa.usno.navy…docs/UT.html ], the narrow path of totality - corresponding to the path of the Moon's umbra or dark central shadow - will run eastward through Angola, Namibia (Caprivi Strip), Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa's Kruger National Park [
http://profjohn.com…], and Mozambique. Moving out across the Indian Ocean it will ultimately cross onto the Australian continent at sunset (around 9:10 UT [
http://www.csiro.au…]). Observers directly in this path could catch at most a minute or so of the eclipse at its total phase, but at least a partial eclipse will be visible over much of Africa, Australia [
http://astronomy.sw…], some parts of Indonesia, and eastern Antarctica. While watching [
http://www.mreclips…TSE01galleryA.html ] last year's June 21 eclipse, astronomer Fred Espenak recorded a series of exposures used to construct this dramatic composite image. The sequence follows the 2001 geocentric celestial event from start to finish above a thorny acacia tree [
http://www.blueplan…acacia_tortillis.htm ] near Chisamba, Zambia.
Explanation
