Chasing the Moon’s Shadow
The National Outreach Coordinators (NOC) of Brunei Darussalam, Timor Leste and Vietnam and the National Astronomy Education Coordinator (NEAC) Indonesia under the global network of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Office for Astronomy Outreach & Office of Astronomy Education will organize several public astronomy outreach activities in Timor Leste. The main aim of this project is to raise the general awareness about the universe and the safe ways to enjoy the total eclipse of the Sun.
In collaboration with Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO (TLNCU) and The National University of East Timor (UNTL), the expedition team is made up of ArisanAstro, The Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD), Sumatera Institute of Technology (ITERA) and VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Astronomical Association (HAA) will travel into Timor Leste heading to Dili on the 16th April 2023.
Our team consists mainly amateur astronomers is expected to be at the path of the totality in Com, Lautem, to observe the Total Solar Eclipse phenomenon on April 20, 2023. The team will also distribute 1,000 pieces protective solar eclipse glasses, and disseminate important messages to take this unique opportunity to develop public’s interest in science as well as the safety precautions should be taken during eclipses.
Above: April 20, 2023, Hybrid Solar Eclipse narrow path where the red line represents annular at the two ends, and changes to totality in between which will only be observable on land from the North West Cape area in Western Australia, East of Timor-Leste and the Indonesian islands of Biak and Kisar. For many regions in Southeast Asia and Australia will experience partial solar eclipse (Photo by Heavens-above)
Protect Your Eyes
Warning
⚠️NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN DURING SOLAR ECLIPSE AS IT WILL INSTANTLY CAUSE SEVERE EYE INJURY
Looking directly at the Sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase (“totality”) of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon entirely blocks the Sun’s bright face, which happens only within the narrow path of totality.
Click on the heading tabs to find out on simple methods to safely view the Sun. Always protect your eyes when observing the Sun during the solar eclipse by indirect viewing techniques such as:
◾Pinhole projection;
◾Binocular/telescope projection; and
◾Proper use of solar eclipse glasses.
Pinhole Projection
One of the easiest ways to safely watch a solar eclipse is to use 2 sheets of cardboard and make your own simple pinhole projector. Find out more on DIY simple card projector here.
Alternatively, cross two hands so your fingers make a waffle pattern during the eclipse. The tiny holes between them will act like pinhole projectors to create a pattern of tiny crescent Sun images in the shadow above (Photo by Skyandtelescope.org)
Binocular Projection
Put your binoculars/telescope on a short tripod, uncover one side, and point them toward the Sun. Then put a white card near the eyepiece to see a projected image of the Sun (you’ll need to focus for a sharp image). By moving the card farther away, the Sun’s image gets bigger but somewhat dimmer. Add a shield around the binocular’s main lens to create a larger dark projection area on the card.
Solar Eclipse Glasses
The American Astronomical Society recommends that the only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed, partially eclipsed, or annularly eclipsed Sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or handheld solar viewers (right).
Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the Sun; they transmit thousands of times too much sunlight.
Solar viewers must be verified to be compliant with the transmission requirements of the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard.
Instructions for the Safe Use
by American Astronomical Society
- Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched, punctured, torn, or otherwise damaged, discard it.
- Always supervise children using solar filters.
- If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on. Put your eclipse glasses on over them, or hold your handheld viewer in front of them.
- Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright Sun. After looking at the Sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the Sun.
- Do not look at the uneclipsed, partially eclipsed, or annularly eclipsed Sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
- Similarly, do not look at the Sun through a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays could damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.
- Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device; note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.
- If you are inside the path of totality on April 20, 2023, remove your solar filter only when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets quite dark. Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright Sun begins to reappear, replace your solar viewer to look at the remaining partial phases. Note that this applies only to viewing without optical aid (other than ordinary eyeglasses). Different rules apply when viewing or imaging the Sun through camera lenses, binoculars, or telescopes; consult an expert astronomer before using a solar filter with any type of magnifying optics.
- Outside the path of totality, and throughout a partial or annular solar eclipse, you must always use a safe solar filter to view the Sun directly.
Our Journey
🔭Our Main Outreach Activities
Come celebrate this celestial event at our outreach with informative public engagement sessions on the solar eclipse, safe observation techniques and other astronomy activities, by amateur astronomers for the people of Timor Leste!
└─Stargazing Sessions
Date: TBC
Time: TBC
Venue: TBC (Dili & Com)
Description: What’s up in the sky? Join us to explore the Timorese night sky with the unaided eye to learn the constellations, and peek through our telescopes to observe the bright deep sky objects such as nebula and star clusters. Watch the Milky Way’s core visible after midnight and if you are luck, catch the shooting stars of Lyrids meteor showers. Or just meeting us to communicate about astronomy and solar eclipse observing tips!
└─Astronomy Workshop for Students & Educators
Date: Wednesday, 19th April 2023
Time: Morning
Venue: TBC
Description: Educators can use this eclipse opportunity to teach children about astronomy and physics by explaining how eclipses work and what causes them. At the workshop, teachers learn about the alignment of the Earth, Sun, and Moon; how moon phases and eclipses occur; and how to guide students on safely observe the solar eclipse with hands-on activities.
└─Solar Eclipse Observation
Date: Thursday, 20th April 2023
Time: 8.00 pm – 3.00 pm (UTC+9)
Venue: Com, Lautem
Description: The Moon will hide the Sun for more than 1 minute from this location. Experience the Moon’s shadow moves on the horizon, then the sky goes very dark, bright stars and planets are visible during the day, temperatures drops, and birds and animals often go quiet.
└─Scientific Research & Experiment
Date: Thursday, 20th April 2023
Time: 7:30 pm – 3.00 pm (UTC+9)
Venue: Com, Lautem
Description: Total solar eclipse isn’t just a chance to see a cool natural phenomenon, it’s a rare opportunity for all kinds of scientific experiments. The ITERA professional researchers will setup instruments and carry out data collections during the eclipse day.
└─Online Live Streaming
Date: Thursday, 20th April 2023
Time: 11:30 am – 3:00 pm (UTC+9)
Venue: Com, Lautem
🔴 Live Streaming URLs: https://www.facebook.com/vietastro
Description: The VietAstro is planning to broadcast the event live if the internet connectivity is permitting. If you can’t be on the Total Solar Eclipse side of the planet, you can watch our streams of the eclipse online. The links will be updated here.
Alternatively, in case of technical issues that prevent us from broadcasting live from Timor Leste, you may want to view the Ningaloo Total Solar Eclipse from Australia hosted by the Gravity Discovery Centre.
└─International Seminar on the Total Solar Eclipse in Timor Leste
Date: Friday, 21st April 2023
Time: 8.30 am (UTC+9)
Venue: Auditorium of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, UNTL at Hera Campus, Dili
Description: 3 presentations from the team on the findings of solar eclipse phenomena, sharing of regional astronomy development and the importance of Starry night skies.
When & Where can I see the Total Eclipse of the Sun in Timor Leste
Eclipse time occurrence and the maximum observable eclipse differ for different locations. For example, Timor-Leste could observe a 97% (partial) to 100% (total) of the Sun being blocked by the Moon during solar eclipse on April 20, 2023. The total solar eclipse could be witnessed from Lautém, Viqueque, some areas of Baucau, and a small area of Manatuto.
Use the table below to find out the time of the totality and magnitude of the eclipse for different districts in Timor Leste:
Buy Solar Eclipse Glasses in Dili, Timor Leste
Equip yourself with the CE & ISO certified solar eclipse glasses for the upcoming Solar Eclipse in Timor-Leste on April 20th, 2023. The solar eclipse glasses will significantly reduce the harmful radiation of infrared and ultraviolet from the Sun. To purchase, contact Bobby Barreto Tassy via FB Messenger or WhatsApp at +670 75601619.
📚Resources
The team has prepared quick information available in different languages about the Solar Eclipse in Timor Leste authored by Bonifasius Adi Nugroho & Luis Nivio de Fátima Soares. Feel free to download and spread them:
April 20 2023 Timor Leste Solar Eclipse Info Kit :
◾Tetun 🇹🇱 Click Here to View
◾Portugese 🇵🇹 Click Here to View
◾Indonesian 🇮🇩 Click Here to View
◾English 🇬🇧 Click Here to View
Timor Leste Total Solar Eclipse Official website
Timor-Leste Eclipse (eclipsetimor.com)
An Initiative by:
National Outreach Coordinators (NOC) of Brunei Darussalam, Timor Leste and Vietnam
IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach
www.iau.org/public/noc/
National Astronomy Education Coordinator (NEAC) Indonesia
IAU Office of Astronomy for Education
www.astro4edu.org/naec-network/
In Collaboration With:
UNESCO Timor Leste National Commission (TLNCU)
natcomunesco.gov.tl
The National University of East Timor (UNTL)
untl.edu.tl
ArisanAstro
The Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD)
www.bruneiastronomy.org
Sumatera Institute of Technology (ITERA)
www.itera.ac.id
VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Astronomical Association (HAA)
www.facebook.com/vietastro/
For more information, e-mail us at: timoreclipse@bruneiastronomy.org or visit www.bruneiastronomy.org/timoreclipse
Expedition Team Member:
| # | Full Name | Affiliation | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HAZARRY Ali Ahmad | IAU OAO NOC Brunei Darussalam / Secretary General The Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam | Brunei |
| 2 | ADITYA Abdillah Yusuf | Researcher ITERA | Indonesia |
| 3 | ALFIAH Rizky Diana Putri | Researcher ITERA | Indonesia |
| 4 | Bonifasius ADI Nugroho | Team Consultant and Assistant of ITERA / ArisanAstro | Indonesia |
| 5 | Deni Okta Lestari | Researcher ITERA | Indonesia |
| 6 | GAGUK Yudiarinto | Amateur Astronomer | Indonesia |
| 7 | GianLuigi | Researcher ITERA | Indonesia |
| 8 | Hakim Luthfi Malasan | Researcher ITERA | Indonesia |
| 9 | Hendra Agus Prastyo | Researcher ITERA | Indonesia |
| 10 | ZULKARNAIN | Amateur Astronomer | Indonesia |
| 11 | DOMINGOS de Sousa Freitas | Vice Dean for Coorporation and Research Affairs, Chief of Cooperation Unit, Faculty of Engineerin, UNTL | Timor Leste |
| 12 | HercioIko | UNTL | Timor Leste |
| 13 | LIGIA Tomás Correia | Vice Rector, UNTL | Timor Leste |
| 14 | LUIS Nivio de Fatima Soares | IAU OAO NOC Timor Leste / Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO (TLNCU) | Timor Leste |
| 15 | VERONICA C. Moreira | Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO (TLNCU) | Timor Leste |
| 16 | HUYNH Phuong Loan | IAU OAO NOC Vietnam / VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Astronomical Association (HAA) | Vietnam |
| 17 | Nguyễn Anh Tuấn | VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Astronomical Association (HAA) | Vietnam |
| 18 | NGUYEN Tan Vu | IAU OAO NOC Vietnam / VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Astronomical Association (HAA) | Vietnam |
| 19 | Sr. Hoang The Nhiem | Vietnamese Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) | Vietnam |
| 20 | Sr. Thai Van Loi | VietAstro / Danang Astronomy Club (DAC) | Vietnam |
| 21 | Sr. Ton That Tai | VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC) | Vietnam |
| 22 | Sra. Doan Thi Ngoc Vi | VietAstro / Danang Astronomy Club (DAC) | Vietnam |
| 23 | Sra. Luong Thi Ha Phuong | VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC) | Vietnam |
| 24 | Sra. Luu Kha Huan | VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC) | Vietnam |
| 25 | Sra. Nguyen Thi Kha Ly | VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC) | Vietnam |
| 26 | Sra. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong | Vietnamese Astronomical Society | Vietnam |
| 27 | Sra. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy | VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC) | Vietnam |
| 28 | Sra. Nguyen Thi Thu Trang | VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC) | Vietnam |
| 29 | Sra. Tran Quoc Ha | Vietnamese Astronomical Society | Vietnam |
| 30 | Sra.Nguyen Phan Thuy Doan | VietAstro / Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC) | Vietnam |