Capetonians get to see partial solar eclipse

	Partial solar eclipse -- Cape Town (Picture: Dr David Gilbank, SAAO; 66mm refractor, homemade solar filter, and iPhone 4 camera).
	Aliens? No, just excited Capetonians kitted out with special eclipse shades by SAAO to view the partial solar eclipse.

On 25 November 2011 Capetonians witnessed a partial solar eclipse. On this day about 4% of the sun's surface was obscured by the moon, a rare treat indeed as the partial eclipse was only visible from a limited area in the southern hemisphere and it was also the last partial solar eclipse of 2011.

The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) organised a special event for the people of Cape Town to see the eclipse. From 5:45am on Friday, over 103 people gathered around Cape Town Station. These ranged from the general public to astronomers, members of the media and dedicated sun viewers, all with one thing on their mind… to catch a glimpse of the partial eclipse. The response was phenomenal!

"Sometimes what we consider small or insignificant for astronomers and outreach practitioners can turn out to be BIG! This is what I learnt from the eclipse - as small as it was it excited the public and evoked emotions in adults that are normally associated with children," commented Sivuyile Manxoyi, manager of SALT collateral benefits.

SAAO, the national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa, is based in the suburb of Observatory in Cape Town. The main telescopes used for research are located at the SAAO observing station near Sutherland in the Northern Cape, a four-hour drive from Cape Town.