The total eclipse begins in Northern Canada's Queen Maud Gulf at 08:04 UT. Greatest eclipse, with totality lasting 2 minutes 27 seconds, will occur near the town of Nadym, (65°3848N, 72°1624E), in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Northern Siberia, at 10:21 UT. At 10:44 UT the eclipse track passes almost directly over the city of Novosibirsk, Russia, where totality will last 2 minutes 18 seconds. The eclipse track will move along the Mongolia-China border. Olgij, Mongolia will experience 1 min 36s of totality. Totality finally ends just northeast of Xi'an, China, at 12:38 UT.
The eclipse will be partial for viewers in the British Isles. Observers will see the solar disk covered by between 10% and 33% by the Moon. In London the partial phase of the eclipse begins at 08:33 GMT (09:33 BST). The maximum coverage of the Sun is at 09:18 GMT (10:18 BST ) when 12% of the Sun will be blocked. The partial eclipse ends at 10:05 GMT (11:05 BST). In Northern Ireland 20% of the Sun is obscured by the Moon at the maximum phase. The partial eclipse will last from 08:23 GMT to 10:04 GMT (09:23 - 11:04 BST). Maximum eclipse occurs at 09:12 GMT (10:12 BST). Scottish observers will get a better view. In Edinburgh 23.5% of the Sun is obscured; from Lerwick in the Shetland Isles, the Moon obscures 36% of the Sun.
Observing the Sun can be dangerous if you do not take the proper precautions. The solar radiation that reaches the surface of Earth ranges from ultraviolet (UV) radiation at wavelengths longer than 290 nm to radio waves in the meter range. The tissues in the eye transmit a substantial part of the radiation between 380 and 1400 nm to the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye. While environmental exposure to UV radiation is known to contribute to the accelerated aging of the outer layers of the eye and the development of cataracts, the concern over improper viewing of the Sun during an eclipse is for the development of "eclipse blindness" or retinal burns.
A partial solar eclipse would be visible in all six countries of the GCC grouping, including Qatar and Bahrain, on August 1, Friday, a Manama-based astronomer said. Bahrain News Agency (BNA) quoted the Bahrain Astronomy Society Chairman Dr Wahib Nasser as saying that residents of Bahrain and other GCC member states would be able to observe this partial eclipse between 1:43pm and 3:01pm or shortly following the Friday mass prayers on August 1.
In the wee hours of August 1, the moon and the sun will pass each other for a breathtaking full solar eclipse, but those living in the US won't be able to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon because of their location on the planet. San Francisco's Exploratorium science museum is broadcasting the eclipse to the masses, however, combining science and technology by streaming the eclipse on virtual world Second Life.
The Solar Eclipse that takes place on August 1, 2008, will be a total eclipse of the Sun with a magnitude of 1.039 that will be visible from a narrow corridor through northern Canada (Nunavut), northern part of Russia, western Mongolia, and China. It belongs to the so-called midnight Sun eclipses, as it will be visible from regions experiencing Midnight sun.
Avid skywatchers will be heading to the far north on August 1 this year to witness a total eclipse of the sun but an expert in Germany has warned people not to expect too much from the astronomical show. Several companies are offering tours to sparsely-populated regions in the path of the eclipse such as the Arctic or Mongolia's northern border, and tourists will be able to watch the phenomenon from charted ships or even aeroplanes which try to keep up as the eclipse zone sweeps across the globe.
On Friday, 2008 August 01, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes northeastern North America, most of Europe and Asia.