2009新通用大学英语.pptVIP

Welcome Back to Our Lovely Campus Solar eclipse Kinds: total solar eclipse日全食 annular solar eclipse 日环食 partial solar eclipse日偏食 Process: first contact初亏 second contact 食既 mid totality食甚 third contact生光 fourth contact复圆 annular solar eclipse partial solar eclipse Across Asia many people have just witnessed the natural wonder that is a total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth align in such a way that our view of the Sun is totally obscured by the Moon. This weeks total eclipse could be seen in eastern India before slowly moving across Burma, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Japan, and the Pacific Ocean. Yesterday, when it reached eastern China, people flocked into the streets to witness the astronomical wonder. As daylight disappeared and the sky quickly darkened, those watching were left far from disappointed. Cities such as Shanghai were plunged into darkness during what is thought to be the longest total eclipse of the 21st century. It lasted 6 minutes and 39 seconds. Total solar eclipses of such a long duration are very rare events, they happen but once in a lifetime. Shao Zhenyi, an astronomer at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory in China explained:Well have to wait a few hundred years for another opportunity to observe a solar eclipse that lasts this long, so its a very special opportunity.But while millions celebrate this phenomenon, it should be remembered that total eclipses have not always been such treasured events. Many cultures traditionally believed that a total eclipse was a bad omen or a supernatural event. Some believed tha