Nigeria Will Experience A Partial Solar Eclipse On Sunday, February 26, 2017

On the evening of Sunday February 26, the skies over most of Nigeria will be noticeably darker than usual. This will be the result of a partial eclipse, which is expected to unfold just before sunset, according to the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA). Dr. Felix Ale, Head of Media and Corporate Communication at NASRDA, who disclosed details relating to the expected eclipse on Thursday, said that various parts of the country would be affected to differing degrees by the phenomenon. Dr. Ale explained that the southern part of the country would experience the greatest degree of obscurity; cities such as Port Harcourt, Uyo, and Calabar would have obscurity levels of up to 33%. The extent of darkness attributable to the eclipse will however be lesser up north- areas like Kebbi appear set to be only slightly impacted by the eclipse with an obscurity level of about 9%. The South East, which is geographically closer to the belt in which the eclipse will have its greatest effect, will witness obscurity levels of between 28% and 30% from 4:45PM to 6:33PM. In the South West, the level of obscurity will peak at 23% between 4:42PM and 6:30PM. Sunday’s eclipse will be confined to the world’s southern hemisphere; people in countries such as Angola and Argentina are expected to observe the greatest extent of darkness when the event unfolds. Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, obstructing the sun’s light from reaching the earth. The extent of darkness witnessed depends on the degree to which the sun’s disc is obscured by the moon.