July 22 solar eclipse

Tomorrow's total solar eclipse is considered to be the longest in the 21st century and won't be surpassed until June 13, 2132.

Totality will be experienced by countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China as the Moon's umbra (the darkest part of the Moon's shadow) traces its path across Southern and Eastern Asia and then curves towards the Pacific Ocean. There the maximum duration of totality will reach 6 minutes 39 seconds.

A partial solar eclipse will be seen in the Philippines as the Moon's penumbra blanket's most of Southeast Asia and north-eastern Oceania.

In Davao, the partial solar eclipse will begin around 9:00 AM, reach maximum 10:40 AM, and end around 11:00 AM. However, Davao will only witness the moon covering 28% of the sun.





This total solar eclipse will be the second longest that will happen in my lifetime. The first one was in July 11, 1991 and that lasted 6 minutes 53 seconds.

It is not advisable to observe the solar eclipse directly; X-ray films, sunglasses, smoked glass, photographic negatives should not be used in viewing. A pinhole camera is a much better option.

Tomorrow's solar eclipse is the second in a series of three in a month. The first was a lunar eclipse on July 7. The third is another lunar eclipse on August 6 which according to NASA won't be visible to the naked eye.

Visit NASA's webpage about the July 22 total solar eclipse for more information.

Live web coverage are available from the University of Dakota SEMS, LIVE! UNIVERSE (Japan), and Taiwan Webcast Group Webcast.

[Sources: GMA News, NASA, Wikipedia]