Tibetan astronomical almanac calculates solar eclipse on July 22

　　BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhuanet) -- July 22 would see a total solar eclipse, according to the calculation by Tibet's astronomical almanac researchers in January of 2008.

　　The result is quite close to that as announced by the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

　　Duoge, a researcher with the Tibet Astronomical Almanac Institute, calculates astronomical events on a sand table. The Tibetan astronomical almanac has a history of two thousands years. The usage of a sand table is unique to the Tibetan ethnic group. (Xinhua Photo)

　　Gongga Renzeng, a 68-year-old Tibetan astronomical almanac expert with the Tibet Astronomical Almanac Institute, calculated with his colleagues the occurrence and places where the solar eclipse could be observed.

　　The research findings were published on the Tibetan Astrometeorology Reckoning in September, 2008.

　　Gongga said, "The solar eclipse is to begin at 8:05 a.m. on July 22 and end at 10:30 a.m. People in most parts of Tibet, Sichuan's Gyantse and Chengdu, Yunnan's Deqin, Shanghai and Hangzhou will be able to view the spectacular phenomenon."

　　The institute compiles the Tibetan calendar every year and has forecast many astronomical events in Tibet. The calendar not only serves as a book to guide the Tibetans in their production and life, but also provides important references for meteorological departments in the region.

　　A researcher with the Tibet Astronomical Almanac Institute reads the whole process of the total solar eclipse on the Tibetan Astrometeorology Reckoning. (Xinhua Photo)

　　The calendar, which was first compiled in 1916, has an annual average circulation of 100,000, with the record high of 300,000. Besides Tibet, it is also sold to other Tibetan-inhabited areas in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and India, Nepal and Bhutan.

　　Gongga Renzeng has been involved in the astronomical almanac for 50 years. He said that the Tibetan calendar, with a history of 2,000 years, is a systematical summary of the Tibetan people's experiences in production and life.

　　He added that the compilation of the calendar for 2010 has been finished and that the calendar will be published soon. It will contain forecasts for two astronomical events: a partial lunar eclipse will occur between 2:55 and 3:59 on January 1, 2010; and a partial solar eclipse will happen between 17:20 and 17:50 on January 4, 2011.