Equinox Phenomenon Starts Saturday - ANGKASA

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Bernama) -- The whole world will experience the equinox phenomenon - which occurs when the sun crosses the equator - starting Saturday afternoon (March 21). Science Officer at the National Space Agency (ANGKASA) Mohd Zamri Shah Mansor said the phenomenon occurs when the sun crosses the equator to change its position from the Earth's Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere after six months in the Southern Hemisphere. "When this occurs, those at the top or near the equator, especially in Pontianak, Indonesia, will find the sun is vertically overhead at noon, depending on the local time. "When the sun is vertically above in the sky, people cannot see their shadows," he said at a press conference after the 'live streaming' Full Solar Eclipse at the National Planetarium here, Friday. During the equinox phenomenon, the whole world will experience day and night of equal length which is 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. Meanwhile, the Full Solar Eclipse was witnessed in the northern part of the Faroe Islands in the Norwegian Sea and took four hours and nine minutes starting at 3.41 pm and ended at 7.50 pm Malaysian time. "The phenomenon occurred at 8.41 am in the Faroe Islands and the peak occurred at 10.15 am. During this time (10.15am) the population around the area will experience darkness for 2 minutes," he said. Other than the Faroe islands, the phenomenon could also be seen in the Arctic Ocean from Greenland to Norway. A full solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and Sun and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun. "The phenomenon this time is the last full solar eclipse for the people of Europe before the next total solar eclipse which will be on Aug 12, 2026," he said. Enquiries can be made by contacting the National Planetarium online at (006) 0322734301/4303/5484 www.angkasa.gov.my or by visiting the website or Facebook of the National Space Agency. -- BERNAMA