Long eclipses occur around June when the Earth is at its furthest point from the Sun
Tomorrow, June 21, 2001 at 16:12 minutes an extremely long solar eclipse will begin, which will be seen mainly in a narrow strip in the southern continent of Africa.
The duration of the eclipse is 4. minutes and 36 seconds, an extremely long duration that is possible around the month of June when the Earth reaches the greatest distance from the Sun in its orbit.
The eclipse will also occur at the peak of the sun's periodic activity, so it will make it possible to observe the corona that surrounds the sun. Thousands of researchers, astronomy enthusiasts and tourists are crowding a narrow strip in the southern continent of Africa, where it will be possible to observe the eclipse in its entirety.
The eclipse will initially be visible in the southern Atlantic Ocean. After a few minutes the shadow will cover a 193 km wide strip in Angola in Africa. It will pass through Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and end in the Indian Ocean.
The last total eclipse occurred in 1999. In 2000, the Earth was outside the Milka plane, so only two partial eclipses occurred in the polar regions. Remember, in August 1999 the eclipse covered a densely populated area in Europe, Turkey and India.
A major eclipse will take place on December 4, 2002 and will be visible again in southern Africa, Antarctica, Indonesia and Australia.
