By Markus Faigle | Volunteer Project Director
This photo is just too adorable and we want to share it right away. We got it with the following email on August 29:
“We [in Madagascar] will have a total eclipse of the sun on Sept. 1st from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Our work currently at the Ministry of Health is to sensitize people to protect their eyes by wearing special glasses for that. It's funny some people told us why this eclipse will take place now and not in June or July. Some preachers claim that it is an announcement of the end of the era as mentioned on the Holy Bible, or a prediction of bad news. We will just have to wait and see.
Zahana bought hundreds of special eclipse glasses for our kids in our schools, both in Fiarenana and Fiadanana. This is an excellent “teachable moment” for our teachers to talk about astronomy and the celestial bodies. We sent our “Santa” to deliver the glasses and explain to them in person that we will meet again after the eclipse. We also wanted to emphasize and encourage the villagers (or their parents) to learn the facts, so they don’t sell all their belongings out of fear. See you after the eclipse”
Dr. Ihanta, Founder of Zahana
PS: On Sept. 1, the moon will pass in front of the sun, creating a brilliant ring of sunlight visible from areas around the southern Indian Ocean. When the moon creates a ring of sunlight during an eclipse instead of completely blocking the solar disk, it's known as an annular eclipse or "ring of fire" eclipse.
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