People in Vietnam will get the chance to see a partial eclipse of the sun tomorrow, according to a source in the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Those living in the northern province of Cao Bang will get the clearest view of the eclipse between 4 and 5 p.m. when 73.2 percent of the moon will cover the sun.

In Hanoi, between 5:30 and 6:30 pm people can watch 67 percent of the moon cover the sun.

Those living in the southern and central provinces will be hard pressed to view the eclipse unless they stand at high places and the sky is clear that day.

”People shouldn’t look directly into the sun during an eclipse because it can damage their eyes,” said Nguyen Duc Phuong from the Vietnam Association of Space.

The best way to safely view an eclipse is to use X-ray film, welder’s glasses or through a glass of water mixed in ink.

The total eclipse of the sun, which last two minutes and 27 seconds, is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the earth. The path of the moon’s umbra shadow begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Artic, Central Russia, Mongolia and China, according to NASA.

A partial eclipse is seen within a broader path of the moon’s penumbral shadow in places like northeast US, most of Europe and Asia .

The last eclipse in Vietnam took place on March 29, 2006.

Scientists expect a total eclipse of the sun on July 22, 2009, which may be visible if the weather is clear.

The next eclipse is being considered as the longest one in the 21st century at six minutes and 39 seconds.

Source: VNA