Annular solar eclipse moves across Myanmar

YANGON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The longest annular solar eclipse of the millennium moved across Myanmar on Friday beginning in Sittway city in the west at 01:15 p.m. (local time), according to the Meteorology and Hydrology Department.

    The longest duration of the eclipse in Myanmar was 8 to 12 minutes region wise reaching its maximum with 80 percent of the sun obscurity by the moon in Nay Pyi Taw and 60 percent in Yangon at between 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m..

    The eclipse started to move out of Yangon sky towards the northeast at 3:20 p.m..

    The eclipse, which crossed Myanmar, ended at 4:45 p.m., lasting for 3:30 hours, the sources said.

    The eclipse entered from Sittway, Myanmar's Rakhine state in the west, and moved towards the northeast covering Shwebo, Mandalay and Monywa in the central part, and Pyin Oo Lwin and Lashio in the east and northeast, the sources added.

    In Yangon, a lot of people, young and old, wearing special sun glasses, were curious to watch the partial eclipse when it started.

    　Viewed from the location at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the partially obscured sun looked blazing with strong rays spreading out from the outline of the moon.

    The weather in the former capital was a little cloudy without rainfall.

    Air temperature fell slightly during the eclipse with little effect on daily activities.

    The millennium's longest annular solar eclipse started from central Africa and moved across the Indian Ocean, southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar and is moving towards China where the eclipse will end.

    Astronomers in Myanmar said after witnessing the solar eclipse this year, the country will only see again such solar eclipse on July 22, 2085.

    Myanmar experienced similar event on Oct. 24, 1995 with 88.33 percent seen.　

Editor: Li Xianzhi