By Rashidat Oladele
A professor of geography at the University of Lagos, Professor Alabi Soneye has forecasted another solar eclipse to occur in October.
The University don disclosed this in a statement he issued to douse the anxiety generated by a viral video predicting total darkness over the Earth in April.
Prof. Soneye confirmed that the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, dubbed ‘The Great North American Eclipse’ by some media, will take place at the Moon’s ascending node on Monday, April 8, 2024.
He said, however, that April 8, 2024, Eclipse will only be total over some parts of Mexico, the USA, and the southern part of Canada, adding that its longest duration of totality will be about 4 minutes, 28 seconds around northern Mexico.
The don explained that the eclipse will be witnessed ‘partially’ around South America, the Carribbean, Oceania, and the western part of Europe, including the United Kingdom.
Prof. Soneye, who disclosed that the eclipse will be accompanied by cloud cover and precipitation in the form of rain and snow, said it will have no significant impact on the use of the atmosphere, including air flights.
Explaining the solar eclipse phenomenon, Prof. Soleye said it occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, thereby obscuring the image of the sun for a viewer on the Earth.
He said it becomes ‘total’ when the Moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the Sun’s, thereby blocking all direct sunlight and turning daylight into darkness.
According to him, the eclipe occurs only across a narrow path on the surface but with a partial Eclipse being visible over a surrounding region of thousands of kilometres.
Prof. Soleye forecasted that a final solar eclipse for the year 2024 will occur on 2nd October.