Don’t miss once in a lifetime opportunity to watch eclipse

MUSCAT: Free protective glasses are being given at five Oman Oil stations across the country to people who wish to watch the eclipse on Thursday morning.

In Muscat, people can get these glasses at Al Khuwair 33 service station, as well as the ones in Amerat and Mabella. Solar eclipse glasses are also available at Sohar service station and Dhofar service station.

“Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity!” said a statement from Oman Oil. “Pick up your free solar eclipse glasses at five selected service stations today and watch the eclipse at Ras Al Ruwais.”

People who intend to watch the solar eclipse tomorrow morning are requested to follow a list of precautions laid out by the Ministry of Health, so that their eyes are not harmed during the event.

“If you plan to watch the solar eclipse, practice using your astronomy equipment,” said the Ministry in an advisory. “Supervise and train your children before the event. Check the solar filter before using it. Make sure it is free from any scratches or damages.

“If you wear eyeglasses, put eclipse glasses on top before looking at the sun. Do not look at the sun through any optical devices unequipped with solar filters,” added the Ministry.

Ahead of the eclipse, which will begin at abut 6:30 am on the morning of Thursday, December 26, the Oman Astronomical Society worked with the Nadwa Translation Centre to translate warning messages about the eclipse into 10 different languages, so that both locals and expats in the Sultanate could fully understand them without any difficulty.

These languages include French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, German, Bangla, Spanish, Tagalog and English, and with this being the traditional tourist season in Oman, translating these awareness messages into these languages would also help many of the visitors to the country, in addition to the Omani citizens and expatriates, many of whom hail from South and South East Asia.