RASC SPOTLIGHT
Chasing the annular solar eclipse to Oman
Above:
Sunrise, December 26,
2019 at Adam, Oman with
the Moon moving in front
of the solar disk.
(Stephen Bedingield)
Left:
Annular eclipse at second
contact (C2) showing a
chromospheric arc and
beads of photospheric light.
(Stephen Bedingield)THROUGH TIME'S LENSStamp of approval
March 10, 1890. One hundred and thirty years ago, he RASC
(then the Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto)
became incorporated. hat status allowed us then, as it does
now, to be more than an informal group of friends with an
interest common to ourselves.By Stephen BedingieldMy wife Lynn and I — both members of the
RASC, eclipse chasers and avid travellers —
journeyed to Oman in the Arabian peninsula
to observe the December 26, 2019 annular
solar eclipse.he total solar eclipse of 1905 had been the last
to cross Oman, so naturally the local popula-
tion had little experience observing eclipses.
herefore, prior to our trip we communicated
observing advice to Omani amateur astrono-
mers through our contact, Mr. Al-Kindy,
an active amateur observer in Muscat.During our trip, we distributed certiied solar
ilters and engaged with interested individu-
als. he public was well aware of the coming
spectacle. Coverage was in the newspapers
and, according to our guide, Friday sermons
in the mosques endorsed proper eye safety for
viewing the eclipse.Locating ourselves at Adam — the last oasis
before an expansive 600 kilometres of desert —
the Sun would be in partial eclipse at sunrise.
In the early dawn, we easily observed brighter
stars at one or two degrees altitude. he sky
was exceptionally clear.he Sun rose, piercing the horizon with two
sunrise points. Forty-seven minutes later,
the annularity phase began.A mere six months later, June 21, 2020,
another annular eclipse will cross Oman.his was our fourth annular eclipse, having
previously travelled to Arizona, Reunion Island
and Patagonia to observe them. Unlike total
solar eclipses, such as the August 2017 eclipse
across the United States, annular eclipses do
not attract the tens and hundreds of thousands
of eclipse-chasers. Yet annular eclipses are
interesting in their own right, especially when
observed at sunrise or sunset.Eclipse travel is not solely about observing
eclipses, whether annular or total: it’s about
the journey through new lands with new eyes,
becoming citizens of the world.SKYNEWS • MAR/APR 2020