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Sunday, October 2, 2005

SOLAR ECLIPSE: On October 3rd

SOLAR ECLIPSE: On October 3rd, the moon will glide in front of the sun, producing a solar eclipse visible from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The eclipse won't be total, but rather annular, meaning that the moon won't be big enough to completely cover the sun. Observers along the narrow path of annularity (the red line in the map, below) will see a ring of fire encircling the moon--spectacular!


Click to view a full-sized animated map

On either side of the red line, the eclipse will be partial; the sun will look like a crescent--thin near the path of annularity and fat far from it. Fun activity: Look for crescent-shaped sunbeams dappling the ground through the leaves of trees. It works for dogs, too!

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