The first solar eclipse of 2010 will occur in the Maldives on 15 th January 2010

An eclipse of the Sun (or solar eclipse) can only occur at New Moon when the Moon passes between Earth and Sun. If the Moon’s shadow falls upon Earth’s surface, we see some portion of the Sun’s disk covered or ‘eclipsed’ by the Moon.

First Solar Eclipse of 2010

The first solar eclipse of 2010 will occur at the Moon’s ascending node in western Sagittarius.

Annular Eclipse

An annular eclipse will be visible from a 300-km-wide track that traverses central Africa, the Indian Ocean and eastern Asia.

Partial Eclipse

A partial eclipse will be seen within the much broader path of the Moon’s penumbral shadow, which includes Eastern Europe, most of Africa, Asia, and Indonesia.

Annular Path of 2010 Solar Eclipse

The annular path of the 2010 solar eclipse begins in westernmost Central African Republic at 05:14 UT. Because the Moon passes through apogee two days later (Jan 17 at 01:41 UT), its large distance from Earth produces an unusually wide path of annularity. Traveling eastward, the shadow quickly sweeps through Uganda, Kenya, and southern Somalia, while the central line duration of annularity grows from 7 to 9 minutes.

2010 Solar Eclipse

For the next two hours, the antumbra crosses the Indian Ocean, its course slowly curving from east-southeast to northeast. The instant of greatest eclipse occurs at 07:06:33 UT when the eclipse magnitude will reach 0.9190. At this instant, the duration of annularity is 11 minutes 8 seconds, the path width is 333 kilometers and the Sun is 66° above the flat horizon formed by the open ocean. Such a long annular duration will not be exceeded for over 1000 years (3043 Dec 23).

First Solar Eclipse of 2010 in Maldives

The central track continues northeast where it finally encounters land in the Maldive Islands (07:26 UT).The capital city Male experiences an annular phase lasting 10 minutes 45 seconds This is the longest duration of any city having an international airport in the eclipse track.

First Solar Eclipse of 2010 in India & Northern Sri Lanka

When the antumbra reaches Asia, the central line passes directly between the southern tip of India and northern Sri Lanka (07:51 UT). Both regions lie within the path where maximum annularity lasts 10 minutes 15 seconds quickly sweeping over the Bay of Bengal the shadow reaches Burma where the central line duration is 8 minutes 48 seconds and the Sun’s altitude is 34°.

First Solar Eclipse of 2010 in China

By 08:41 UT, the central line enters China. The shadow crosses the Himalayas through Yunnan and Sichuan provinces Chongqing lies directly on the central line and witnesses’ duration of 7 minutes 50 seconds with the Sun 15° above the horizon. Racing through parts of Shaanxi and Hubei provinces, the antumbra’s speed increases as the duration decreases. In its final moments, the antumbra travels down the Shandong Peninsula and leaves Earth’s surface (08:59 UT).Copyright © 2004 & 2007 Ibrahim Mohamed! Inc. All rights reserved.e-mail:ibumohd@gmail.com

Please help the world - Cop 15 Opening film

Copyright © 2004 & 2007 Ibrahim Mohamed! Inc. All rights reserved.e-mail:ibumohd@gmail.com

DN! "Would You Commit Murder?" With CO2 YOU ARE.

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Garden-Spot

Garden-Spot
Originally uploaded by i b u

World’s first ever underwater cabinet meeting concludes in the Maldives

World’s first ever underwater cabinet meeting concludes in the Maldives
Originally uploaded by m o d e

Politics in the Maldives will sink to a new low later this month, when the nation's cabinet holds its first meeting underwater.

The country, a collection of atolls and islands in the Indian Ocean, stands less than two metres above sea level, and as climate change causes seas to rise it will probably be the first nation to sink beneath the waves.

Under the threat of that looming watery Armageddon, President Mohamed Nasheed has announced plans to hold a cabinet meeting under the sea, ahead of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen this December.

Ministers clad in wetsuits and shouldering compressed-air tanks, will meet about 20ft (6m) underwater on 17 October. They will communicate through hand gestures, according to Aminath Shauna, an official from the president's office.

"It is to send a message to the world. The intention is to draw the attention of the world leaders to the issue of global warming and highlight how serious are the threats faced by Maldives as a result," she said. "If we can stop climate change, the lowest-lying nation on earth will be saved." The gathering will take place off the island of Girifushi, which lies about 20 minutes' journey by speedboat from the capital, Male. One minister has already had to pull out: scuba instructors said the education minister was not fit enough to take on the dive.

After his election last year, Nasheed raised the possibility of buying a new homeland for the country's 396,000 residents with the hundreds of millions of dollars that tourists spend.Earlier this year, he announced that the Maldives would stop using fossil fuels by 2020. The president is also committed to converting an atoll into a UN-protected biosphere to preserve the unique wildlife and fauna found on the 1,100 islands. Officials say that underwater meetings should not become future fixture of Maldives democracy. For this meeting, the documents will be sheathed in water-proof plates pinned to the table. "If it were to go on the paperwork would be very, very challenging," said one official.

• This article was amended on 8 October 2009. The original said that the ministers would be using oxygen tanks. This has been corrected.
Photos

350 & Maldives at 24th Oc tober 2009

350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis.

Its mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.

Its focus is on the number 350--as in parts per million (ppm), the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. The current level is 389 ppm.

On 24^th October 2009 350.org is cordinating an International Day of Climate Action in order to unite the public, media and political leaders behind the 350 goal. By having actions all around the world that day, 350.org plans to send a clear message to the world leaders (who will be meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark this December to craft a new global treaty on cutting emissions) that 'the solutions to climate change must be equitable, they must be grounded in science, and they must meet the scale of the crisis.'

• "350 Maldives 2009" event organized by ECOCARE Maldives in affiliation with the Scouts Association of Maldives will be hosting number of events including:
  

  - 350 Balloon's floating in midair with the number "350" lit on it
  

  - Maldivian cultural music session with awareness programs
  

  - Ground 350 motor vehicles (cars and motor bikes)
  

  - Cut down energy consumption of the capital island Male' by 350KW
  

• "350 Prayers" - 350 people reciting Quran and praying to God to save our environment

• "Below 350" - An underwater demonstration by scuba divers and snorklers joining hands to show their support to reduce atmospheric carbondioxide to safer levels

• "Operation Life Raft 350" – a raft made from empty PET water bottles to be rowed from Male' to Hulhule, trying to create awareness in ways to reduce, reuse and recylce in order to achieve the 350 balance.
  

In addition, the Maldives Photographers Association together with the Maldives Science Society is planning to send 350 unique postcards to 350 world leaders and personalities who will be attending the Copenhagen conference (COP15).

These actions from the Maldives will be part of more than 1400 currently registered actions from 111 countries happening on 24^th October 2009.

If an international grassroots movement holds the world leaders accountable to the latest climate science, we can start the global transformation we so desperately need.

Photos