How to Safely Observe tomorrow's Sunday Solar Eclipse

As people all over the world prepare  with great excitement for the solar eclipse, which will occur this Sunday, November 3, 2013, it is necessary to alert our people to the significance of the cosmic event and prepare them on how to safely observe it.This very event is a solar eclipse, otherwise known as eclipse of the sun, which occurs when the moon passesbetween the sun and the earththus casting the moon’s shadow either partially or wholly on the surface of the sun. It is essentially a natural phenomenon already demystified by science, even though religious and traditional believers often attribute supernatural significance to it.According to an article onSpace.comentitled: “How to Safely Observe Sunday’s Solar Eclipse”:(Please make sure you read the emboldened below)“Here is a helpful reminder for new eclipse chasers: be safe. A fraction of a second of magnified, unfiltered sunlight will sear your eye’s retina irreparably. Imagine a horrible sunburn on your eyeball. Your eye cannot grownew layers and (peel off) the (burnt) ones like your skin tissue can, so staring directly at the sun is dangerous without the protection of safety equipment used by veteran sky watchers and astronomers.”We are appealing to governments to deploy their media and orientation outfits to mount a massive civic education of the populace because it will not do if after the eclipse we have a new batch of avoidably blinded citizens. The private media, religious and advocacy groupsshould also key into this public enlightenment.It is time that the specialised glasses needed to observe eclipses are made readily available, while corporate organisations and social groups should organise observation centres and inviteinterested citizens to come and safely participate.For the avoidance of doubt, the eclipse is likely to be partial in the Southern parts, from Calabar to Lagos, while in the central areas like Abuja and Kaduna; it is likely to be a full eclipse.We call on youth people and students to allow the momentum of the eclipse to fire their renewed interest in science and technology, especially space research. They must get ready to join their peers from other parts of the world to become equal stakeholders in these areas in future.