China to witness longest total solar eclipse in 500 years

A total solar eclipse. Photo by: NASA

China will see the longest total solar eclipse in 500 years on 22nd July 2013 tomorrow, according to the Chinese scientist Wang Sichao. The prime time of the total eclipse is expected to begin from 9 a.m to 9:38 a.m of Beijing Time, according to Sichao, who is an astronomy scholar. Total solar eclipses are one of Nature's grandest events. In general, as seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and when the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun.
 
The total eclipse will last up to six minutes, or the longest one that can be seen in China in almost 500 years from 1814 to 2309. According to the scientist who is currently working as a researcher at Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory, the viewers in parts of 11 provinces in China's southwestern, central-southern and eastern areas, such as Tibet, Hunan and Jiangsu, will be able to witness the total solar eclipse, while in most parts of Shanghai, viewers can see the spectacular phenomenon. For viewers in other provinces, including Beijing, they can observe a partial eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is caught between the sun and the earth while each of them moves along their fixed orbits. In a total solar eclipse, the sun, the moon and the earth are directly aligned as the sun swings into the cone of shadow cast by the moon.

According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences which is the national academy for the natural sciences of China., the next total solar eclipse that can be seen in China will fall on 20th March at the year 2034. But it can only be seen remote provinces, such as Tibet and Qinghai. It cannot not be compared with the upcoming one, in terms of duration and number of cities that can see the eclipse. The last total solar eclipse visible in China took place on 1st Aug 2012 last year. China is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.35 billion. Ancient Chinese scientists made significant advances in science and technology. Among the earliest inventions by Chinese inventors were the famous abacus or the "shadow clock".