The off-shore Kinmen Islands will be the first part of Taiwan to witness an upcoming annular total solar eclipse. Preparations for this rare event are already underway.
Telescopes big and small are being transported from Taiwan proper to the off-shore Kinmen Islands. That’s because Kinmen will be the first place in Taiwan to glimpse a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse set to darken the skies at 2:44 pm on June 21.
Kinmen county official Tsai Song-hui recommends that people use a solar filter to protect their eyes. This is a safer way of viewing an eclipse, as the filter can dim the intensity of the sun.
In addition to Kinmen, Penghu, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Hualien and Taitung sit directly in the path of the total eclipse. Other areas of Taiwan will see the event as a partial eclipse.
To celebrate the occasion, a pastry chef in the eastern county of Hualien has created special sun-shaped desserts.
Taiwan has been lucky when it comes to eclipses. There was another one in 2012. But that luck is ending with this upcoming event. Once this eclipse is gone, the next of its kind won’t be visible in Taiwan until the year 2215! So be sure not to miss the spectacle this time around!