All of South Africa will see a partial solar eclipse on Monday Jan 26th, 2009, from 7 - 9:30am.

The two-and-a-half-hour long eclipse will be well worth watching, but you will need eye-protection.

The next similar eclipse for South Africans will be in 2016.

Participants: groups watching the eclipse (let us know if you want to be added to the list)

Where to get eclipse viewers

List of towns

• Anywhere in South Africa - in town, at school, at home . . .
• The Sun will be over in the east when the eclipse starts - make sure your view won't be blocked by buildings or trees.
• If you are on the street, make sure that no-one is in danger from cars.
• If you have a tree nearby, you can watch pinhole projections of the eclipsed Sun on the ground.
• Find a place with passers-by, share your eclipse viewers with them - it's very rewarding!

You need eclipse viewers to protect your eyes

Get eclipse viewers

• Starts about 7am, ends around 9:30am, Monday January 26th.
• See the map above to get the correct times for your town.

What do we need?

• Eclipse viewers - to protect your eyes.  These can be shared - people will watch for just a few seconds at a time.
• A sheet of white paper to watch pinhole projections of the eclipse on the ground under a tree.
• A tennis ball (the Earth) and fizzpop (the Moon) - hold the fizzpop two metres from the tennis ball, and try to get the shadow of the fizzpop on the tennis ball.  This is an eclipse - for people on the Earth in the shadow of the Moon, the Moon blocks our view of the Sun.

Get eclipse viewers

Pinhole projection is a safe way to watch the eclipse - hold a sheet of paper in the shadow of a tree as above.

Try pinhole projection artwork during the eclipse.

Worksheet explaining pinhole projection here (110k pdf)

Some very nice experiments to understand pinhole projection from SA's Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

Try eclipse pinhole-projection artwork during the eclipse - it's cheap, it's fun and it's educational

Looking at the Sun at any time - during an eclipse or on any other day - is bad for your eyes.  The bright light damages the delicate sensors in your eye, and the invisible heat (infrared) will "cook" them. 

The best eye protection is properly-constructed "eclipse viewers" - these are fitted with filter material that blocks light, heat and ultraviolet. 

Do not use:

• binoculars or a telescope - these magnify the harmful effects of the sunlight, and can cause instant blindness;

• telescope fitted with a cheap "eyepiece" solar filter - large (expensive) filters should be fitted to the objective end of the telescope, by an expert;

• ordinary sunglasses - these do not block heat.

The eclipsed Sun can be magnified and projected onto a screen using a telescope or binoculars, but children (and adults!) will try to look through the eyepiece directly at the Sun - which will blind them.

This technique should only be used in a very controlled environment, or by experts who know how to make it physically impossible to look through the eyepiece.

Johannesburg city centre 2001

Hillbrow 2004

Braamfontein, 2006