Solar Eclipse Tonight in Asia<P><EMBED name=flashObj pluginspage=http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash src=http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/flash/syndicatedVideoPlayer.swf width=400 height=334 type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowfullscreen="true" seamlesstabbing="false" flashVars="vid=solar-eclipse-2009-nasa"> <IMG style="WIDTH: 327px; HEIGHT: 335px" height=422 src="http://i27.tinypic.com/2lazqy1.jpg" width=327></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=宋体>A <B>solar eclipse</B> occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses. Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any location because during each eclipse totality exists only along a narrow corridor in the relatively tiny area of the Moon's umbra.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=宋体>A total solar eclipse is a spectacular natural phenomenon and many people travel to remote locations to observe one. The 1999 total eclipse in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place> helped to increase public awareness of the phenomenon, as illustrated by the number of journeys made specifically to witness the 2005 annular eclipse and the 2006 total eclipse. The most recent solar eclipse occurred on January 26, 2009, and was an annular eclipse. On July 22 2009, the next total solar eclipse will occur.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN style="mso-ansi-language: EN"><FONT face=宋体 color=#000000 size=3>In ancient times, and in some cultures today, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes. Total solar eclipses can be frightening for people who are unaware of their </FONT><A title=Astronomy href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomy"><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext"><FONT face=宋体 size=3>astronomical</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=宋体> explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear in the middle of the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.</FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
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