During the course of 2006, a number of celestial phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses, meteor showers and planets, among others, will be visible, most with the naked eye. In part 1 of this series, equinoxes and solstices were discussed. Depending on where you live, you can mark your calendar and plan on taking advantage of some of these other visible celestial phenomena, local weather conditions permitting. In this article, part 2 of a three-part series, upcoming full or partial lunar and solar eclipses in 2006 will be discussed.

Full or Partial Solar and Lunar Eclipses

Solar Eclipse

During a solar eclipse, the moon moves between the sun and the earth. The light from the outer part of the suns atmosphere, called the corona, becomes visible during a total solar eclipse. The maximum duration of a total solar eclipse is about seven and a half minutes, but these are rare.

A total eclipse of the sun will occur on March 29, 2006 that should be visible in Asia and Africa.

On September 22, 2006, a partial eclipse of the sun will occur that should be visible from the northern coast of South America and the Atlantic Ocean.

Many solar phenomena can only be studied during a total eclipse of the sun. Among these are the elements of the suns corona and the bending of light rays passing close to the sun because of the suns gravitational field. The great brilliance of the solar disk and the suns brightening of the earths atmosphere make observations of the corona and nearby stars impossible except during a solar eclipse. The coronagraph, a specially constructed photographic telescope, does allow direct observation of the edge of the solar disk and corona. Scientific observations of a solar eclipse are extremely valuable, especially when the eclipse path travels across large areas of land permitting a number of observation points along with extended observation time. These observations may provide information on how minute variations in the sun affect earths weather, and how predictions of solar flares can be improved.

Solar Flares

Solar flares are another phenomena that are much more highly visible during a solar eclipse. Phenomena that accompany flares are rearrangements of the disruptions in the earths magnetic field, intense bombardments of X-radiation and radio waves, and the ejection of high energy particles that can reach earth, disrupting radio communications and causing displays similar to the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis.

The GRO

The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, a satellite spacecraft that weighs almost 16 metric tons, as much as a fully loaded 18-wheel semi-tractor trailer, was deployed by the space shuttle Atlantis on April 7, 1991. GRO also has its own propulsion system. It studies Gamma rays emitted by the sun and Black holes and can gather especially valuable data during a total solar eclipse. GRO dropped into the earths atmosphere and burned up on June 4, 2000.You can see what it saw during its nine years of operation and can keep up with other heavenly happenings, astronomy news and events at these websites:

http://hubblesite.org/

http://adswww.harvard.edu/

http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html

http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/cgro/index.html

http://www.spacetoday.org/DeepSpace/Telescopes/GreatObservatories/Compton/Compton.html

Lunar Eclipse

Lit up by the sun, the earth casts a long, conical shadow (called the Umbra) into space. A Total Lunar Eclipse occurs when the moon passes completely into the shadow of the Earth. If the moon moves directly through the center of the Earths shadow, the moon is obscured for about 2 hours. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a part of the moon enters the umbra and is obscured. A partial eclipse can range from near total, when most of the moon is obscured, to a minor eclipse, when only a small portion of the earths shadow is seen passing across the moon. The earths circular shadow passing across the face of the moon was the first indication of the shape of the earth in ancient times.

So be sure to mark your calendar for those upcoming celestial phenomena which might possibly be visible in your area this year. The part 3 article, the final part of this series, will be concerned with the planets and planetary phenomena. Until then, keep looking to the skies.