By Emmanuel Elebeke & Susan Onuorji

ABUJA—National Space Research and Development Agency, NARSDA, has warned Nigerians not to risk their health by viewing the annular eclipse that will occur today with naked eyes.

A statement from the Head, Media and Corporate Communications of NARSDA, Felix Ale, said that the agency had set up a viewing centre for the annular eclipse.

The eclipse will be experienced between the hours of 7:15 am and 10:03 am, with slight variations in actual timing across the country.

He explained that the agency arranged the viewing centre to enable members of the public, pupils and students from various schools view the eclipse, using specially designed viewing instruments provided by the space agency.

The eclipse will be experienced at varying obscurities, with the southern part of the country having the highest degree of obscurity of 80 percent, while the north would have the lowest obscurity of 45 percent.

He said in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, there would be partial eclipse, with an obscurity of 60 per cent, adding that the first contact would come at about  7:17am, with maximum eclipse at  8:32am  and end at  10:00am.

According to him, Lagos will experience its first contact with the eclipse at  7:15am, with a maximum eclipse occurring at  8:32am  and end at about10:00am.