Oman's total solar eclipse to last for only 50 seconds

Muscat: People in Oman who want to watch the moon completely cover the sun during today’s eclipse will need to be quick, as this phenomenon will only last for 50 seconds.
This phenomenon during which the moon completely covers the sun is called an annular eclipse, and is expected to begin 52 seconds past 9:38 am on Sunday morning, before reaching its peak 18 seconds past 9:39 am. This annular eclipse will end 43 seconds after 9:39 am. At the peak of the eclipse, the shadow of the moon will cover 98.3 per cent of the sun’s surface.
The annular eclipse will also only be visible to people living in a small strip of land in the country. The rest of Oman will have to do with a partial eclipse. The eclipse is expected to pass over Sur, Mudhaybi, Manah and then Adam, before exiting Oman over the Dhahirah governorate and moving in the direction of Saudi Arabia.
Tomorrow’s eclipse is expected to begin at 8:14 am, and will end at 11:20am, a duration of three hours and six minutes, and the Astronomical Society of Oman, also known as Falak Oman, has provided some guidelines on how to observe the eclipse.
“Practise using your safe astronomy equipment,” said the organisation. “Supervise and train your children to use them prior to the eclipse. Check the solar filters and glasses before using them. Make sure it is free from any scratches or damages. If you wear eyeglasses, put eclipse glasses on top of them before looking at the sun. Do not remove the eclipse glasses while viewing the sun directly. Do not look at the sun through any optical devices unequipped with a special filter. Do not use eclipse glasses to see the sun through any optical device.”
Falak Oman have also listed a number of symptoms people need to be on the lookout for while observing the eclipse, and must stop attempting to view it the moment they experience any of them. Symptoms include blurry vision, difficulty in distinguishing colours, sensitivity to light, pain, wavy or distorted vison, headaches and blind spots in one’s vision. People who experience these conditions over an extended period of time are requested to visit a doctor immediately.
“Do not look at the sun directly at any time during the eclipse,” added the society. “It may cause permanent damage to the retina of the eye. Normal sunglasses are not a safe way to look at the sun directly. Even if more than one pair of sunglasses are worn together, glasses specified for this purpose should be used.
“An eclipse is an astronomical event that is worth your attention, and your eyes also deserve protection,” they said. “Be sure to use safe means to view the eclipse to avoid the sun’s harmful rays.”