The eclipse of the 11th of August 1999

Where ?
For the main part of the country, the eclipse will only be partial but in the southern part of the country, the eclipse will be total, as in the northern part of France and above the Channel on a strip about 110 km wide.
Length of the eclipse ?
The duration depends on the location. It will be longer on the central line, and will decrease symmetrically on each side of this line. The duration can go up to 2 in 20 sec. The eclipse will take place around mid-day.
Precautions :
The August 11th eclipse will be easily observable. It is necessary, or else dangerous, not to use astronomy glasses or telescopes to watch all the phases and the totality of the eclipse. It is essential to foresee a sufficient eye protection for the day of the eclipse. Just looking in the Sun's direction, without protection, even during a solar eclipse can cause irreversible damage to the retina. During a solar eclipse, one must protect his eyes during the partial phases. During the totality, the Sun is completely hidden by the Moon. You can then, during this phase, and only during this phase, watch the "show" without eye protection. But if a fraction of the solar disc, as small as it may be, stays visible before or after the totality, the eyes must be protected at all times. Many nonefficient protections exist for watching an eclipse, for example :

* Sun glasses : are great for looking at a luminous landscape but not for watching an eclipse. They won't hold back the ultra-violet and infrared rays.
* photo negatives.
* CDs : most let much too much light through and aren't sure.
* Floppy discs.

The best is to use glasses made for the occasion !

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Last modifications: 3 July'99