Annular eclipse on January 15

An annular (ring-like) eclipse will occur on Friday, January 15, 2010, according to Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco). This eclipse will be visible in African countries (Kenya, Somalia, etc), Indian Ocean, India, Sri Lanka, Bay of Bengal, Myanmar and China. Though the annular eclipse will not be visible in Pakistan, partial eclipse may be observed through the entire country.
The eclipse will begin at 09.05 hours and end at 15.06 hours. However, annular eclipse will begin at 10.14 hours and will continue till 13.59 hours. Suparco has warned people not to look at the sun without wearing proper eye shielding material as a solar filter (standardised wielding glass, UV protected glass, or intensive dark X-ray film), otherwise it could result in permanent blindness. Timings of visibility of partial eclipse for major cities of Pakistan are as under:

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Timing for Partial Phases (PST)

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City                                                    Maximum

                                                    Obscuration

                Beginning      Maximum     Ending of Solar Disk

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Islamabad       11:28 hrs    13:01 hrs    14:26 hrs         26%

Lahore          11:24 hrs    13:03 hrs    14:32 hrs         32%

Peshawar        11:25 hrs    12:57 hrs    14:21 hrs         24%

Quetta          11:05 hrs    12:42 hrs    14:12 hrs         24%

Karachi         10:48 hrs    12:36 hrs    14:17 hrs         32%

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