Solar Eclipse Expedition to Taba
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A Month of Celestial Spectacles
On May 31, 2003, an annular eclipse of the Sun was visible from most of Europe, the Middle East, northern and central Asia, and northwestern North America. This was the third cosmic spectacle to be seen in the Egyptian skies in this last May. The other celestial showpieces were the long awaited transit of Mercury on May 7th and the total lunar eclipse on May 16th.
Splendors of Earth and Heaven
The path of maximum eclipse passed very close to charming Taba, a splendid tourist destination by the Aqaba Gulf, Egypt. The moment of greatest eclipse occurred shortly before sunrise, and the eclipse ended about an hour later.
Annular Eclipses of the Sun
Annular eclipses happen when the Moon is too far from the Earth to eclipse the Sun totally (on the eclipse day the Moon was over 400,000 km away), and thus the Sun shines through the phase of maximum eclipse like a “ring of fire”, or a big eye in the sky.
The ancient Egyptians who were fervent Sun-worshippers believed the Sun has an eye. Did annular eclipses inspire this belief in the “Eye of Ra”?
Chasing the Moon""s Shadow
Mr. Aymen Ibrahem, the Astronomy Specialist of the Planetarium, who was so fortunate to enjoy the transit of Mercury and the total lunar eclipse, in chase of the Moon""s shadow, traveled to Taba to observe the eclipse from as close as possible to the path of annularity.
Using special photographic equipment, he photographed the rising, partially eclipsed Sun that appeared like a blazing crescent coming up from the sea.