Burma to see longest solar eclipse of 21st century

Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:31 Myint Maung

New Delhi (Mizzima) - Residents of central Burma are poised to witness the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century, according to the Astrology Research Organization.

On January 15th, throughout middle Burma, including Monywa, Shwebo and the popular tourist locations of Pagan, Nyaung Oo, Poppa, Mandalay and Sagaing, the spectacle of the moon passing between the sun and earth will be readily visible.

Astrological events such as eclipses are of great importance to many Burmese, a country with a rich history of turning to the heavens in explanation of worldly events.

"After a solar and lunar eclipse, we have to see the omens, such as an earthquake or rain. Only after seeing and judging these omens, can we predict the future. If it rains after a solar eclipse, all the evils will be washed away. We also have to see the color of the sun at the time of the solar eclipse. We cannot simply, randomly and arbitrarily judge,” Burma Astrology Research Organization spokesman Kyaw Myint told Mizzima.

"Shwebo and Monywa will be the closest places in the line of the solar eclipse,” he added. “Mandalay will also see this eclipse fully, while people in Rangoon will only see a partial eclipse. This solar eclipse will first be seen in Sittwe in Burma and then pass across a line of Shwebo, Monywa, Shan State and into China. There will be both good and bad effects from the solar eclipse.”

According to the Astrology Research Organization, the solar eclipse will start at ten o'clock in the morning and culminate between three and four in the evening, Burma Standard Time.

"In Burma, we will see the solar eclipse at just past 10 o'clock in the morning and it will end at three to four o'clock in the afternoon. So we will not see a totally black object rising and setting in our country. Those countries in which such a sighting will be seen will have bad effects from the solar eclipse," explained Kyaw Myint.

The eclipse will be visible across the Indian Ocean, southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma and China.