Nigeria To Witness Solar Eclipse On November 3

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has predicted that Nigeria will witness a partial solar eclipse on November 3, 2013. Speaking at a press conference, yesterday in Abuja, on the anticipated solar eclipse, which will hit most states around noon, the director-general of the agency, Prof. Seidu Mohammed, said it is a natural astronomical event with no significant negative implication, urging Nigerians to remain calm as the eclipse will not hinder normal activities. Mohammed said, “Nigeria is within the penumbra region where you’ll have partial eclipse on November 3, 2013. As an astronomical agency, we have taken time to inform Nigerians of the eclipse, which will take place on Sunday, because it is our duty to keep the nation informed of such developments. We urge Nigerians to remain calm as there is no need to panic. “November 3rd will be like any other day; it will not hinder signal from the satellite, so mobile signal will not be affected, our internet and other facilities will be operating and it will not even affect flights; nothing out of the ordinary is expected to occur apart from a shadow bend which will be felt just at the time we predicted. We have predicted the starting time and when it will end, which is around 4pm in most cities.” In his presentation, the director, centre for basic space science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Fidelis Opara, explained that an eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer as seen from the earth. He explained that solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, and the moon fully or partially blocks the sun. Giving prediction of the time the eclipse will hit some of the states in Nigeria, Opara said the eclipse will begin in Abakiliki by 1. 06pm and end by 4.09pm; Ibadan will start by 12.52pm and end by 4.01pm; Port Harcourt starts 1.03pm to 4.09pm, Enugu starts 1.04pm to 4.07pm; Lagos starts 12.50pm to 4.01; Kano begins 1.07 to 4.01; Abuja begins 1.03 to 4.03 while Uyo begins by 1.06pm to 4.09pm. The eclipse which will affect different African states and other regions of the world will start around 11.38am to 2.55pm in Accra, Ghana. Other locations to witness the partial solar eclipse includes Hamilton, Bermuda, New York, New York, U.S.A, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Monrovia, Liberia; São Tomé, Sao Tome and Principe; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Port-Gentil, Gabon; ibreville, Gabon; Yaoundé, Cameroon; Brazzaville, Congo; Kinshasa, Congo Dem. Rep; Bangui, Central African Republic; Juba, South Sudan; Kigali, Rwanda; Kampala, Uganda; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Nairobi, Kenya and Mogadishu, Somalia