Cloudy sky obscures annular eclipse in states

The much awaited partial solar eclipse, also known as the annular eclipse, finally occurred on Thursday as predicted, though was obstructed by a cloudy sky for much of the time, which made it difficult to clearly see the rare occurrence by viewers in some parts of the country.

The eclipse was captured in Lagos at about 8.35 a.m. though it was expected to have been seen in the city as at 7.14 a.m. with a peak at 8.26 a.m.

At about the same time, viewers in the nation’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, gathered at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASDRA) to view the sight.

Some spectators, who were mostly students, gathered at NASRDA, Abuja, to catch a glimpse of the annular eclipse. They were given solar glasses to observe the phenomenon.

In Abuja, the moon was spotted overlapping the sun with a dark cloud, making the entire spectrum turn dark at about 8.47 a.m.

Other cities in the country where the eclipse was viewed included Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Sokoto, Anyigba in Kogi State, Kano, Osogbo, Benin City.

The annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line, but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun.

This will make the Sun appear as a very bright ring, surrounding the dark disk of the Moon, thereby causing partial or total darkness on the earth.

A previous eclipse occurred in Nigeria in 2013, and another annular solar eclipse is expected to occur in 2018.