KUCHING: The Sultan Iskandar Planetarium (PSI), Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research Sarawak will be holding a public viewing event for the partial solar eclipse on Sunday (June 21) at the PSI foyer here.
The event will begin at 3pm and open to the public.
“A partial solar eclipse is a phenomenon that occurs when the moon moves in front of the sun and its shadow falls on the surface of the earth.
“The last time this phenomenon occurred was on December 26 last years, which was an annular solar eclipse witnessed in several locations in Malaysia, including Serian,” said PSI in a statement yesterday.
For the solar eclipse this Sunday, the moon will cover 14 percent of the surface of the earth when passing in front of the sun.
PSI advised members of the public who were planning to view the partial solar eclipse to use special eye protection to prevent permanent eye damage which could occur when viewing the sun with the naked eye.
“The partial solar eclipse will begin at 3.13pm with maximum visibility at 4.17pm, and it will end at 5.11pm. The phenomenon will last 1 hour and 58 minutes,” they said.
They said that the partial solar eclipse would also be seen throughout Sarawak, Sabah, Peninsular Malaysia, and Brunei.
“The planetarium will provide a special telescope to view the sun as well as distribute special eye protectors during the viewing activity,” said PSI.
Visitors who wish to participate in the viewing event at the planetarium are advised to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the government, that is, wearing face masks when in public, practising one metre of social distancing, and washing hands regularly.
