times Nigerians witnessed an eclipse in the 21st century

Eclipses are supposedly canonical events that don’t happen often, but they have happened at least three times in Nigeria recently.

Before we talk about the times Nigeria has experienced eclipses, let’s just look at what an eclipse is.

What is an eclipse?

An eclipse is an astronomical event where one celestial body moves into the shadow of another. The most common type is a solar eclipse, where the moon casts its shadow on Earth, blocking the sun's light. Less common but still observable are lunar eclipses, where the Earth casts its shadow on the moon.

These eclipses can be seen from anywhere on Earth where the moon is above the horizon. The moon may turn dark or red during a lunar eclipse.

Nigerian eclipses

On March 29, 2006, a total solar eclipse was experienced in eight states in Nigeria, including Ibadan, Abuja, Minna, Lagos, Kaduna, Abeokuta, and Katsina. It was very brief, it lasted for not more than three minutes.
On November 3, 2013, a partial eclipse was visible in some cities in Nigeria in the north, central, and South west. Cities like Abuja, Ilorin, Kaduna, and Lagos experienced this partial eclipse.
On July 27, 2018, a lunar eclipse occurred in Nigeria. According to the National Space Research and Development Agency, the lunar eclipse in Nigeria began at 6:44 p.m. as a partial eclipse and progressed to a total eclipse at 7:30 p.m. It was only fully visible in Lagos.