Earth Watch Report

Hundreds evacuated as Indonesia volcano erupts

by Staff Writers Jakarta (AFP) Nov 03, 2013

A volcano in western Indonesia erupted twice Sunday, hurling red-hot ash and rocks up to seven kilometres into the air and forcing more than 1,000 people to flee their homes.

Mount Sinabung on Sumatra island erupted in September for the first time in three years, forcing thousands to flee their homes, and has been erupting intermittently ever since.

Early Sunday it hurled a column of ash seven kilometres (four miles) into the air, then erupted again in the afternoon.

Police and troops began evacuating residents from villages in a three-kilometre area around the volcano after the first eruption, said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

"1,293 residents living around Mount Sinabung were evacuated to safer areas," he said.

"The number of evacuees will rise."

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Villagers walk on a road covered with volcanic ash from Mount Sinabung's eruption in Mardingding, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 4, 2013. The volcano erupted Sunday, unleashing volcanic ash high into the sky and forcing the evacuation of villagers living around its slope. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Mount Sinabung spews volcanic ash as it erupts as seen from Simpang Empat, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. Officials raised the volcano's alert status to the second-highest level after the 2,600-meter (8,530-foot) -high mountain erupted early Sunday. (AP Photo/Ade Sinuhaji)

A hand print is seen on the hood of a car covered with volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Sinabung that falls in Tiga Nderket village, North Sumatra, Indonesia,Monday Nov. 4, 2013. The 2,600-meter (8,530-foot) high volcano has been erupting since Sunday, unleashing volcanic ash high into the sky and forcing the evacuation of villagers living around its slopes. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqj0bnU858g&w=560&h=315]

Published on Nov 3, 2013

The CELESTIAL Convergence | http://thecelestialconvergence.blogsp...

November 03, 2013 - SPACE - A rare "hybrid" solar eclipse, hailed as "the most interesting eclipse of the year", has swept across parts of Africa, America and Europe on Sunday.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth casting a shadow on the Earth. It's a rare event because this is a hybrid type. During a total eclipse, the Moon fully covers the Sun, whereas in the annular variety the Moon doesn't totally block out the Sun, leaving a halo of sunlight visible around the Moon.

A hybrid eclipse usually starts and ends as an annular event, although it appears as a total eclipse in the middle.

According to NASA, this Sunday's eclipse is even more unique as it starts annular and ends as a total eclipse.

Thanks to the round shape of the Earth, lucky enthusiasts in West Africa have a chance to observe a total eclipse, while others in Europe and in the US will only see the sun partly obscured.

Doctors warn, however, that during the eclipse viewers shouldn't look directly at the sun, unless they use special welder's glasses or are watching the phenomenon with a pinhole camera. Plain sunglasses won't protect the naked eye well enough.

The eclipse begins about 1,000 kilometers east of Jacksonville, Florida, with an annular eclipse visible for four seconds at sunrise.

The greatest part of the eclipse is expected to take place over the Atlantic Ocean, about 330 kilometers southwest of Liberia, at 12:47 GMT, lasting one minute and 39 seconds.

A state on the west coast of Central Africa, Gabon, will get peak viewing of the total eclipse sweeping over a path some 60 kilometers wide. At its peak, the sun will be blocked out for about one minute.

"The eclipse will then continue across Africa through the Congo until it passes through northern Uganda and northern Kenya, ending in southern Ethiopia and Somalia," the International Astronomical Union said. In northern Kenya, the eclipse will last about 10 seconds.

Depending on the weather, partial phases of the eclipse will be visible in southern Europe, including parts of Spain, Italy and Greece.

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Rare solar eclipse in America, Europe and Africa

Watch footage of the eclipse filmed in Washington DC, Nairobi and Lagos.

A rare solar eclipse allowing a view of the Sun that is totally or partially blocked by the Moon has taken place.

It was first visible in the southern United States, before sweeping east across the Atlantic Ocean and the African continent.

The US space agency, Nasa, said the greatest total eclipse occurred over the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the best views was in northern Kenya, where tour companies organised trips to view a total blackout.

Local myths there attribute the event to the Moon eating the Sun.

Men and women from the Turkana tribe in Kenya took part in a ceremony ahead of the eclipse

Partial views were available in eastern North America and southern Europe.

Halo

This solar eclipse was a rare occurrence in that it was "hybrid" - switching between an annular and total eclipse.

In a total eclipse, the Moon completely covers the sun, while an annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is at its farthest from the Earth and does not block out the Sun completely, leaving a halo of sunlight still visible around the Moon.

The eclipse event began about 1,000km (620 miles) east of Jacksonville, Florida with an annular eclipse visible for four seconds at sunrise.

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From http://www.spaceweather.com/:

REMARKABLE SOLAR ACTIVITY: There haven't been any strong solar flares in days. Nevertheless, some impressive activity is underway on the sun. For one thing, an enormous wall of plasma is towering over the sun's southeastern horizon. Stephen Ramsden of Atlanta, Georgia, took this picture on Nov. 11th:  [of course, I have to ask...how did Earth get into his pic?]

"Solar forums all over the world are buzzing with Sun-stronomers proclaiming this to be the biggest prominence that many of them had ever witnessed," he says.

Remarkably, though, this is not the biggest thing. A dark filament of magnetism is snaking more than halfway around the entire sun: SDO image.

From end to end, it stretches more than a million km or about three times the distance between Earth and the Moon. If the filament becomes unstable, as solar filaments are prone to do, it could collapse and hit the stellar surface below, triggering a Hyder flare. No one can say if the eruption of such a sprawling structure would be Earth directed.

"I cant help but wonder what could possibly come next since we are still over a year away from the forecasted Solar Maximum," adds Ramsden. "There's never been a better time to own a solar telescope than now!"