Chasing the China Total Solar Eclipse 2009!

This summer, those of us living in China have the spectacular chance to see a total eclipse of the sun, a truly rare opportunity because the moon completely covers the sun, leaving a colorful ring around it called a Corona (meaning crown). Thousands of people from the rest of Asia and all over the world will be coming to China to witness the phenomenon. If you have never seen a total solar eclipse, then this is your chance to see this China solar eclipse 2009 from several major cities.

Photo: wikipedia

The only time that a total solar eclipse occurs is when the moon is close enough to the earth and this time it will visibly traverse half of the globe. It is imperative that it be a “New” or Dark Moon in its primary phase, meaning it is not visible from Earth because its elliptical longitude is the exact same as the sun. This 22nd July will be the only solar eclipse of this kind this year and remarkably, instead of the usual 200 Km spectrum of visible areas, there will be 254Km, providing a magnificent area from which to view the eclipse from Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Suining and Yichang. You have plenty of options to choose from if you want to go and see it yourself. The eclipse will also be visible for a full 6 minutes and 39 seconds, which is the longest visibility period of the 21st century.

Related link: Where to Watch the Shanghai Solar Eclipse

The China solar eclipse 2009 is the only total eclipse this year, the next will not occur until July of 2010 but it will not be in Asia, but instead around South America and the Southern Pacific. So this year, take advantage of the fact that it will be on our side of the hemisphere. This eclipse will be visible first over India near the cities of Mumbai and Ahmadabad, crossing over India and Nepal and Bangladesh and the northern tip of Myanmar into China and appearing first over Chengdu and Chongqing before heading east over Wuhan and Nanjing to Suzhou and Shanghai lastly before leaving China. After this the final places to see the eclipse are in Japan, in Toshima and Akusaki.

Path of Total Solar Eclipse of July 22, 2009 through China

Tips for viewing the total solar eclipse:
If you want to see the total solar eclipse, you have to plan ahead a bit. There are eclipse chasers who literally traverse the world year after year chasing the eclipse, like the 2008 one visible in Xinjiang and near Xian. For This year’s China solar eclipse 2009, the general eclipse starts just before midnight at 23:58:18 (Jul 21) and ends at 05:12:25. Here are some tips for viewing the eclipse.

1.First and foremost, don’t look directly at the sun. If you do, make sure that you have special viewing glasses, normal sunglasses will not work.

2.Making a pinhole viewer by using two pieces of cardboard and cutting a small in one. Turning your back to the eclipse, hold both sheets up so that the holed cardboard is closer to you. In this way, the light will shine through the holed cardboard onto the 2nd piece and you can clearly see the eclipse safety with no chance of ruining your vision permanently, thus an obvious added benefit to this method.

Photo: elsie esq

So this summer, take advantage of your location in Asia for this amazing phenomenon. Make sure if you are planning to see China’s Solar Eclipse 2009 to book ahead because many other people will be trying to do the same thing. However, because of the range of cities for viewing, there is a much bigger variety. You can either join eclipse tours of look for more information yourself online. Good luck and enjoy the total solar eclipse!

When and where to view the total solar eclipse in China:

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Related links

Where to Watch the Shanghai Solar Eclipse
Once in 500 Years: China’s July Solar Eclipse