THE annular solar eclipse, which was fully witnessed yesterday in Rujewa and Wanging’ombe in Mbeya and Njombe regions respectively, attracted thousands of Tanzanians and international visitors who witnessed the historical event that lasted for
People started flocking the site,
identified by scientists as the best for viewing the event, early in the
morning where they bought special spectacles and other devices for
viewing the event. It started at around 10:15 am when part of the sun
was covered by the moon, thus causing it to go dim.
Describing the event to thousands of
people who gathered at Rujewa village, the Lecturer and Astronomy Expert
at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT), Dr Noorali Jiwaji, had
earlier told the gathering that the process could take about three hours
- from 10am to 2pm.
He explained that the situation resulted
from the normal rotation of the sun, earth and moon adding that the
annular solar eclipse occurs when the three planets are on the same axis
with the moon at the centre, thus covering almost 97 per cent of the
sun.
“This is a historical phenomenon
although it has been witnessed by a few people. I viewed a similar event
for the first time in 1978 at Lembeni in Mwanga District in Kilimanjaro
Region and it had never happened again in our country,” Dr Jiwaji
remarked.
The crowd around waited anxiously as
early as 7am, looking for the first signs of the rare spectacle that has
when it happened before unravelled the wonders of astronomy, that
branch of science dealing with the study of stars, planets and other
objects in the wider universe. Then it happened as the crowd in
attendance buzzed with excitement and fascination.
At around 11:53am, the sun was covered
by 97 per cent thus changing the sun’s disk to a ring as the weather
became cold. The situation lasted for few seconds but as the moon
continued to move, the weather in the area returned to normal.
Dr Jiwaji further said that when the
sun’s disk changes to a ring, normally the weather also changes and the
sun goes dim. He, however, repeatedly warned viewers to use special
devices for viewing the event because the sun’s rays had adverse health
impacts.
Some people in Rujewa confirmed to have
witnessed the event for the first time in their lives, attributing the
big turn up to the sensitisation campaigns conducted by theirleaders in
the village.
Rujewa High School Headmistress, Ms
Olipa Mbupa, said the event was important for students in the village to
vividly learn what they have been taught theoretically in class.
According to her, she had witnessed a
solar eclipse in the 1970s while she was young and she couldn’t remember
how it looked like and that was why she was encouraging more students
to take part in the event since it was crucial to their studies.
“By recognising the importance of this
event, we have allowed our students from Form One to Form Six to come
and witness this historical event because we believe that it will help
them in their studies,” Ms Bupa said.
She added that the event was not only
crucial for students but also their teachers because only a few of them
had witnessed solar eclipse.
Mbeya Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr
Amos Makalla, said that the event has been so special in his area
because it opened up various business opportunities to residents as the
visitors needed services such as transport, food and accommodation.
He said that the annular solar eclipse
has also promoted Mbeya Region because visitors also explore various
investment opportunities in the region.
“This event has attracted many people,
including scientists, researchers, students, teachers and other people
to witness how the sun’s disk change to a ring and it has been
beneficial to students who have been learning about solar eclipse
theoretically,” Mr Makalla told reporters. He, however, said the
astronomical event has also helped to promote domestic tourism as most
of the people who witnessed the event were ordinary citizens.
The solar eclipse was also partially
observed in other regions. From Mwanza, MOSES MATHEW reports that the
city experienced a partial solar eclipse for at least two hours, joining
the rest of the country to witness a presumable rare scientific
occasion.
The incident started at 11:00am to
13:00pm where different areas in the city witnessed a blurred light,
symbolising the act of total solar eclipse that was fully witnessed in
Njombe and Mbeya. However, many people were seen carrying out their
normal activities despite glancing at the rare spectacle as it was
unfolding.
Mwanza City residents Fabian Ntobi and
Felix Rugemalira, who were interviewed by the ‘Daily News’, said they
were surprised though how the solar eclipse that was expected in Mbeya
Region could also be felt or seen in the region.
“We still remain ignorant of this rare
occurrence until someone tells for sure what it means apart from those
theories we learned in Geography during primary school days,” he said.
From Arusha, MARC NKWAME narrates that
despite heavy clouds that hung in the atmosphere, residents of this
northern Tanzania city also had their fair share of solar eclipse
sightings. The dark clouds almost plunged the city into some kind of
temporary darkness.
Meanwhile, in efforts to promote tourism
sites in Southern Highlands, Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) yesterday
opened the new gate at Ikoga, which will be used by tourists in Songwe,
Mbeya and Njombe regions to visit Ruaha National Park without going to
Iringa.
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