Slashdot Mirror
Total Solar Eclipse
The Grey Mouser writes: "Just got word that a live video feed from the first total solar eclipse of the 21st century will be broadcast over the web tomorrow.
The transmission will be available from 11.35 to 13.35, 21 June UTC (that's EDT+4). A great way to start the work day. Check
out www.live-eclipse.org for more details, and the video stream tomorrow. Looks
like Real, Quicktime, and WMP formats are available. Here's hoping for clear skies over Madagascar and Zimbabwe!" The summer solstice is today, so there's about 15 hours of daylight to enjoy (in my latitude anyway) - turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.
Many people living in the part of Western Civilization, that will experience scientific facts, have no access to reality. I wonder how many of em will loose their common sense because of this (wondering how the HELL was everything created). Hopefully they have some Book of Genesis to explain this.... and no, I'm not kidding. I know they think the world was created by a God... oh well.
Well...
I know these words... They appear to be English... Yet when strung together like that their meaning eludes me...
The problem is not that the sun is more damaging during an eclipse- it's that it is damaging by the same ammount, only there's less light that would cause you to turn away. You can comfortably stare into an eclipse for hours, but it will cause the same damage that staring into the sun would cause. Staring into the sun for hours is just a lot more uncomfortable.
The summer solstice is today, so there's about 15 hours of daylight to enjoy (in my latitude anyway) - turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.
WHAT!?!?!?!!? And ruin a perfectly good uptime? I'll go outside, and maybe even tan a bit, but I'm NOT shutting Ol' Reliable down! (Michael, you should know better than to suggest these crazy things.)
-Derek
There are time zones, you see. Natures way of making sure that it isn't the same time of day everywhere at once.
ObNitpick, but I am pretty sure that it was the rail industry which created timezones. Standard physics explains why it can't be the same time everywhere at once, not timezones. Timezones help people cope with the fact that it can't be the same time everywhere. :-)
Of course there's no scientific basis for the solstice...
Solstice n. 2. POINT ON THE ECLIPTIC either of the two points on the ecliptic when the sun reachest its northernmost or southernmost point relative to the celestial equator.
That's only celestial mechanics...no science at all...
-- need more time?
There are time zones, you see. Natures way of making sure that it isn't the same time of day everywhere at once. Africa (and Europe) being substantially east of the USA, is 12 hours or so in advance of most of the USA. Noon thursday, Cental african time, happens on your Wednesday evening. Take the time zones into account and you won't be late to the party.
Sigh. In fact, most of Europe is between five and seven hours ahead of EDT, not twelve. Africa, being south of Europe, is the same. So, noon thursday, central african time, is thursday morning EDT. IIRC, EDT+12 is in China, and crosses through India as well.
Is arithmetic really so challenging? The eclipse occurred around noon EDT, which would be afternoon there.
No, they won't.
And you don't necessarily lose your sight just by looking. It's just really bad for your eyes.
Also, these kinds of things are part of ancient lore, they have happened to all civilisations for a long long time. I'm sure people will probably just stay indoors.
If you missed the Live coverage You can view it here http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/
There is no
They made them to sell lots of money to the millions of people that flocked to cornwall for the eclipse (heh!). basicly like looking through a black plastic bag.
The last time there was a total eclipse visible here in Illinois, I made my own glasses by removing the plastic from some 3D glasses and replacing it with 5.25" floppy disk material.
The summer solstice is today, so there's about 15 hours of daylight to enjoy (in my latitude anyway) - turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.
Ok, just in case anyone doesn't realize this, today the sun's light is it's most direct (in the northern hemisphere, above the tropic of cancer), which means that it is easier to get a severe sunburn than at any other time of the year.
I highly recommend that everyone consider putting some light sunscreen on even if you're only going to be in the sun briefly. Coppertone now makes a very nice oil-free sunscreen in SPFs 15 and 30 (and 45, but we all know that there's no such thing as SPF 45, right) which I recommend if you're going into work in short sleeves.
If you're specifically sunbathing today, be very careful, and limit your exposure to a fraction of what you would, say, in mid-July.
Be safe, and enjoy!
--
Aaron Sherman (ajs@ajs.com)
Are you kidding? That's what we have wireless laptops for! :-)
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I couldn't get anything out of the link above but the BBC have a page of information about the eclipse, along with a link to a live webcam. Broadcast starts at 13:30 BST (in about 5 minutes time at time of posting)
Saw the last one visible from the UK from an old DC-3 over Alderney. Spooky stuff..
The eclipse was just starting when this got posted. The site is heavily slashdotted, but the BBC and other news sites already linked to the feed. If you can get through, there are some cool shots of the whole sky in a fish-eye lens, and telescope shots of sunspots.
News for nerds, after the fact
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
Folks, heed my warning: stay away! This is not pretty.
Right now, there's a couple of asian women singing bad Jazz. They have a synth and a vocalist (and someone in the background running sound). To say the least, this is not what I was hoping to see when I clicked on the feed.
I thought you might like to be warned!
--
Key to financial independence: Spend less than you earn. Save and invest the difference. Do it for a long time.
Actually, there's a three-month long "day" spanning either side of the solstice... The sun just rises, drops really close to the horizon, then starts going up again ad nauseum. Better than the three months of darkness in wintertime though. No wonder the Finns are all alcoholics.
Wah!
Who modded this up? This AC is a real dick. Maybe Michael's grammatical skills aren't the best, but I understood that he was talking about the northern hemisphere by mentioning the summer solstice.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
They interupt the broadcast every once and a while with advertising. What the hell.
Ok, let me explain something 'cos you guys seem to be a bit lacking.
There are time zones, you see. Natures way of making sure that it isn't the same time of day everywhere at once. Africa (and Europe) being substantially east of the USA, is 12 hours or so in advance of most of the USA. Noon thursday, Cental african time, happens on your Wednesday evening. Take the time zones into account and you won't be late to the party.
You may think it's happening tomorrow, but it finished hours ago (I write this at 5:37 pm Thursday, SOuth African time). Better luck next time.
My Karma: ran over your Dogma
StrawberryFrog
in Chicago. Here is a cool weather site if anyone is interested:
Weather Underground
Jason
However good the video you're watching is, this is better:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse
Peace out.
- Adam
And spend some time in the traffic jams before and after viewing it. Bonus points for being back home when the stock exchange opens. Then spend the rest on the afternoon on the phone with your broker pleading him to finally give you your shares... And the next day brag to your friends that you not only had located the only cloudless spot in a 50 mile radius but also made $25.000...
Hopefully, this close Mars does not have the same effect on the Linux shares as the moon, when it is unusually close to the earth.
Then why did the powers that be make such a fuss about the issue during the 1999 eclipse in Europe? Why did they produce tons of funny-looking eclipse-goggles and spend millions in sensibilization campaigns, if there was no danger?
The way I heard it is that the natural blink reflex of the eye is triggered by overall luminosity, whereas damage comes from luminosity concentrated on one point. Partially obscured sun means less visible surface of it, and hence less overall luminosity. The protecting blink reflex is not triggered, the iris stays wide open, but the small parts of the sun that stay visible still have the same luminosity per surface. No problem during totality though.
Black, like the eclipsed Sun. But beware of the red influence of Mars....
During one of the previous eclipses, Red Hat shares rose by over 1500% in just a couple of days. Buy buy buy!
Just did... now my face is red and swollen, I can barely make a facial expression and my nose is covered with a sticky yellow fluid.
Back to the nerd cave I say! If there ever comes a next time I must remember sun screen.
In order to get the full experience, you also have to hook your computer to the the dimmer switch for the lights in the room.
--Ty
sure. By staying our of the sun, you're denying your skin the opportunity to synthesize vitamin D, essential for keeping calcium in your bones. So you won't get skin cancer, you'll just become osteoporotic by the time your 40th birthday rolls around. :)
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Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
www.teslabox.com
You can e-mail me directly if you are serious about taking this thread further. I'd love to... the extent of your derogatory frame-bait must be humilating on an open forum.
So far I just adore our discussions.
Domini(e) is a synonym for clergyman, which symbolises humility and understanding.... but of course, you knew that too.
My surname is Van Wyk, and I'm from French/Dutch decent.
Nazis come from Austria/Germany.
I don't know much about Nazis etc, but my girlfriend tells me it was quite rough.
(She is a Christian Jew)
Just a bit of info: The English invented concentration camps to kill thousands of innocent women and children in South Africa when they fought the Afrikaners. (This was long before apartheid) The Nazis just followed the example.
My great-grandmother was in one. She survived.
And of course America was formed by the criminal element leaving England. Hmmm...
But don't take my word for it... I'm sure you have much reference material. You seem to need it.
The truth is sometimes more interesting than flame-bait.
My computer is powered by Microsoft... which is pretty much the same thing. (It being an American invention and all...)
You clearly seem intelligent, judging from your writing style, and since I cannot belive that anyone intelligent would actually say those things, I'm asuming you are having fun (although not quite at my expense). It would be cool if you could ask me real questions and make acusations that *are* applicable.
:)
I'm not going to check replies to this post anymore, but will reply to mail.
We are having a 70% eclipse here in South Africa,
and my friends and I are planning a party!
Any good ideas for movies?
I have these already:
Mermaids,
Last temptation of Christ,
Little Shop of Horrors (A clear winner?)
hehe...
It's everyone's favourite editor, Michael, who posted the story, not CmdrTaco. Maybe he's more of a hippy than the rest of them. Or maybe he's just picking safe topics that'll stop people criticising him like he's a Katz substitute. Didn't work though - soooo many posts warning that sunbathing today is pretty dangerous, and folk such as yourself picking on his beliefs. Poor guy; you're gonna give him a persecution complex : )
And waddaya mean "there is no more scientific justification for a Solstice than there is for the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus or Atlantis"? Who's been bringing me all the chocolate eggs, presents, and, um, fish?
- Mars is really close to the Earth.
- It's a solar eclipse.
- It's the summer solstice.
I guess today's our best chance to find out if those druids were onto something : )Wait, suddenly I have a thirst for human blood....
--
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I like to watch.
Or maybe it was the lighting before that. There you had the sun in plain view, but everything was far less bright than it normally is in direct sunlight. It just feels wrong.
The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.
--Henry Kissinger
Virtually every CRT monitor sold nowadays is certified for radiation levels far lower than was common before the scare.
The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.
--Henry Kissinger
If the moon is at apogee during the solar eclipse, you get a rare event called an annular eclipse. During this event, the moon is apparently smaller than the sun, so even during the pinnacle of the event, you will still see the photosphere of the sun as a ring around the moon.
--
Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
At three o'clock. And he was sailing the Arctic.
The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that, it's all learned.
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
Of course, this is also the day that if you're standing on the north pole, the sun will rise, circle around you, and set in the same place.
If you are standing on the geographic North Pole, the sun does not appear to rise and set over the course of the day. It is at approximately the same elevation all day, with the elevation varying slowly over the year. For half the year that elevation is above 0 deg and visible (it is now at the highest point), for the other half it is below the horizon all day.
Dara
"What ever happened to the "Computer monitors emit UV and cause cancer" scare back in the early 90's"
Not sure, but those LCD screens are getting cheaper and cheaper...
I think cnn is obfuscating the truth there (and not for the first time).
Actually, its the wrappers which some tea bags come in. They are sort of silvery plastic, and can be used to look through, a little like using a compact disk.
It was my understanding that it was the cheapest way to watch without going blind - not sure why the police are stealing them - perhaps they want their cut?
If the news is anything to go by, they`ll have their work cut out for them, stopping all the looting and panic when it all goes dark. Apparantly there are several cults located in Africa which predict the end of the world whenever this sort of thing happens.
A good day to stay indoors?
What, apart from the bit about the time between sunrise and sunset being longer than any other day of the year?
There's no justification for Wednesdays, Thanksgiving or Christmas, but solstices and equinoxes are a physics thang.
TomV
Dave Conrad aka Dr. A. van Code
Well a friend of a friend of a friend told me
Good mfences make good neighbors.
New Agey? Did you bother to pay attention to the topic? It's an eclipse, stupid! Something every solar scientist creams his jeans to experience (since about 70% of eclipses can only be seen from the ocean, making it rather difficult to set up a stationary observatory). If you're just a beginner, check http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/soho/index2.html. If you know what I'm talking about, you already know where to look.
The fact that it's solstice time also means something scientific: a more direct picture. We'uns about as close as we gonna gets, and what better time to study the corona (or start working on your skin cancer)?
The solstice is also about the only time of year Finns ever talk to each other. W-A-Y up north in Finland, there's a party goin' on (has been for a couple weeks) and will keep going on because at 2a.m., it's still light out. And at 4a.m. And 5a.m. Big fun for another few weeks. It's weird.
I'll respond (read: feed the trolls), but your post ain't worth wasting mod points on.
woof.
Flaming Taco around here is getting to be like flaming Micro$oft: Almost everyone's doing it, those who don't are chastised, and no one pays attention to the point of the matter!
God bless those pagans.
Like sex? Read and write about it! Indecent Blogging
The Sys Admin has a very weird idea about locking down the network
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This
Don't you already have a nice tan from the glow of your monitor??? C'MON!! I thought you were a computer nerd!
If they turned that gawd awful music off they could probably get more people connected to their video stream! I mean..bongos..they are an instrument..but no one said you had to play them the whole song!
Its the added music man..I mean, we're looking for quality here!! ;) I bet your mountain thingie doesn't come with music.
Are you a moron? ANY time the moon passes between the earth and sun, it's an eclipse. The moon is always "full". None of it goes away just because you don't see it in the sky... When it's not considered "full", the shadow of the earth is on it...
Well, perhaps it's better that they have an audio stream - that way they can pay for the streaming with an audio ad "This lunar event was proudly brought to you by Joe's!"..
:)
Yes... Much more preferable to have an audio stream - it will avoid them having to superimpose "EAT AT JOE's" in bold, bright flashing lights over the corona
HelpGeeks - don't bother visiting, it's not worth it! Really!
Work? turn off the computer?, go outside?, get a tan?
:)
A geek craves not these things
HelpGeeks - don't bother visiting, it's not worth it! Really!
NO. If the shadow of the Earth is on the moon that is called a ECLIPSE as well.
Moon phases are that way because the sun is shining on that side of the object.
A eclipse of the sun ALWAYS occurs during a new moon, it is impossible otherwise.
BASIC PHYSICS AND COMMON SENSE
Also, its EXTREMELY SAD, that once again this Slashdot thread is completely polluted with STUPID (read NOT FUNNY) high rated posts. (Especially the OLD, RECYCLED once.) It's sad. Perhaps 'something funny' is the highest order reason a slashdot moderator can handle?
I got to see a very high quality clip of the event on the CNN. It brought tears to my eyes, but I don't expect it did that for you simps. But if you don't understand what is going on, you group an eclipse together with going to McDonalds and ordering a 10% beef hamburger.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_U.S._Election_c
At least check out the stream for the great local music, an occaissional cough into the mic, or a conversation in a language no one can understand. I think they just gave a camera to locals and just told them to point it at the "great yellow light in the sky".
Ah-ha! And everyone one scoffed when I bought a monitor with phenomenaly high levels of radioactive emissions! Now who'll get the best of both worlds? I'll get to stay inside and get a tan! Ah-ha!
Wait... I'm missing the point, aren't I?
And by changing the bgcolor value to #FFFFFF you have a live feed of a closeup of the sun.
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This message has been ROT-13 encrypted twice for higher security.
See here. Appearently Nigeria is not in the total zone.
Here is an even better map with some more information.
I looked into the abyss, and the abyss looked into me--and we both winked.
I was in the north of Scotland then, up around 57 degrees. Warm, sunny, 2 oktas cloud cover...
It was pretty strange, the colour temperature of the light stayed really blue as the eclipse progressed but got dimmer and colder. At totality, the sun was still pretty bright, but noticeably less so than even 15 minutes before. If I'd thought about it, I'd have taken my lightmeter to work with me...
Although the birds didn't go to their nests and roost, they did become more "subdued", and of course the D*MN MIDGIES came out!
What, other than the Earth being at apogee? I think a quick course in Basic Astronomy would do you some good...
i'm in south africa. here in johannesburg, we got a partial eclipse ... not that grand really ...
it was a nice an glorious sunny winter day and things began to dim a bit as the sun was "not as bright as usual". it lasted for a at least an hour.
however it was work as usual ... occasianally, we went to the sunny end of the office to see how things are going. but, it was work as usual. I can't wait till the end of next year, i here the north end of our country will have a total eclipse. I'll be sure to be arround :)
!include cool_sig.htm
From your link:
"One serious sunburn can increase the risk by as much as 50%"
Okay. Hmm.
1. What is a "serious" sunburn?
2. What are the baseline risks to begin with?
3. Can other types of skin burns (From hot oil, etc.) cause cancer? (Yes, I know USED motor oil "has been found to cause cancer in rats", but I don't swim around in it like the rats do either)
Also, it says:
"1 out of 7 people in the United States will develop some form of this cancer during their lifetime"
Again, defined by whom?
I am not saying there isn't a risk, but I sure would appreciate references for the sources. Until I can get reliable and credible information, I will not be scared into beleiving there's a crisis.
What ever happened to the "Computer monitors emit UV and cause cancer" scare back in the early 90's?
Enjoy!
loved the Bonnie Tyler reference!
sulli
RTFJ.
I'm sitting in Lagos, Nigeria. Anyone know how good the eclipse will be here?
My blog
Some friends and me were discussing the event. The question "how do you know when a total solar eclipse is going to occur?" was raised. One of the girls, and she was not kidding, said "well, a total solar eclipse happens only if there is a full moon."
I am selling 5cm high plastic replicas of Everest if anyone is interested. Why take the risk of climbing the real thing, when you can get the experience from your home in comfort and safety?
Phil
They made them to sell lots of money to the millions of people that flocked to cornwall for the eclipse (heh!). basicly like looking through a black plastic bag.
/TV/ with the goggles on, but most people had the brains to realise what is safe.
AS the previous poster said, the danger is nothing to do with looking at the sun (I do it every day driving west at night/east in the "morning"). The danger is when you look when its dark, your pupils are dilated, to let more light in for more detail. When the sun emerges after totality, your iris is open wide, and you get a lot of sunlight in - causing the problems. The "hysteria" in 99 was media induced, most people ignored it (and the cloud didnt do much). You still got the people frightened to go outside, or even looking at the
Gotta go, make bzImage just error 2'ed
Southern chilie has about 3 hours of daylight today, and north Norway has another couple of months :)
I remember the August 99 eclipse, very wierd, but you have to be there to appreciate it, in the space of a couple of minutes it goes from light to pitch black and back, the wildlife gets confused, and its very freaky. Goes windy and cold too.
Of course, British weather being what it is meant that we had about 3000 metres of cloud cover. Made it spookier in some ways.
Can't. Work won't let me.
*tugs on chains binding him to desk*
Dang, I really need to use the restroom too....
*eyes plant in corner of office*
LFS. Have you built your system today?
Just remembered one of the greatest lines from the Simpsons' episode, "Who Shot Mr Burns, Part 1".
Mr Burns: Have you ever seen the sun set at noon?
Sailor dude: Argh, once, when i was sailing around the north po...
Mr. Burns: (interrupting) Oh shut-up you!
Yes, my girlfriend is a BitchX
Heard on the radio on the drive in this morning, Mars is going to be the closest to earth it has been in some large number of years.
If it's clear tonight, an average telescope should be able to pick up the polar ice caps.
Of course, this is also the day that if you're standing on the north pole, the sun will rise, circle around you, and set in the same place. Weird day all over the place.
Yes, my girlfriend is a BitchX
on cnn.com...cops confiscated something like 1500 fake 'protective sunglasses' for watching the exlipse made with, get this, tea bags. 'Street Kids' are credited with the crimes. I bet they chop your eyes balls out for something like that over there...who knows. anyways:o lar.eclipse/
http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/06/21/angola.s
"Pussy: You spend 9 months trying to get out of it, and the rest of your life trying to get back in..."
I lost my concept of community when my community lost all concept of me.
<head>
<title>Total Solar Eclipse Live Feed</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#000000">
</body>
</html>
====
Codeala - Just another mindless drone
In Oslo (norway) you can see the eclipse live at the IMAX theatre. Too bad I have to work, that would be bether than streaming on my PC.
"If you keep an open mind people will throw a lot of garbage in it."
> turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.
What? You think I want to get cancer -- let alone fall behind the constant stream of exciting news and events from the world of science and technology??
I'm sorry, but I'm smarter than that! ;-)
--
"I'm not downloaded, I'm just loaded and down"
To avoid occular damage, please do not look directly at him, during this event or otherwise.
Here's hoping for clear skies over Madagascar and Zimbabwe!
AC's cheerfully ignored
Anyway, 1 minute into this real player crashed in a heap and then I couldn't reconnect.
Conclusion? The feed was solar powered :-)
Yes, I'm still very bitter about missing my (probably) one and only full eclipse in 1979, as my luddite parents were CONVINCED that looking directly at an eclipse would burn your eyes out. The trick is to look away BEFORE the sun re-emerges, so that the sudden glare doesn't blind you!
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
We'uns about as close as we gonna gets
Nope, sorry. Actually, the Earth is furthest away from the sun right now. Solstice is when the Northern Hemisphere is most inclined towards the sun, giving maximum possible daylight. 11th Grade Astronomy is a wonderful thing.
"What are we going to do tonight, Bill?"
www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance
Perfect. A streaming site showing a cool live event, and we have to make it suffer the /. effect so nobody gets to see it!
:)
You can accomplish anything you set your mind to. The impossible just takes a little longer.
UTC doesn't have daylight saving time so EDT=UTC-5 not 4.
Printed without permission from www.m-w.com (Merriam Webster, the dictionary people.)
Main Entry: solstice
Pronunciation: 'säl-st&s, 'sOl-, 'sol-
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin solstitium, from sol sun + -stit-, -stes standing; akin to Latin stare to stand -- more at SOLAR, STAND
Date: 13th century
1 : either of the two points on the ecliptic at which its distance from the celestial equator is greatest and which is reached by the sun each year about June 22d and December 22d
2 : the time of the sun's passing a solstice which occurs about June 22d to begin summer in the northern hemisphere and about December 22d to begin winter in the northern hemisphere
Read a book!
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
You can see converage from a local South Florida community college's expedition at profjohn.com
I heard bad things can happen!
This is the only time that you can see the corona, which is why astronomers get so excited when a solar eclipse is about to occur.
to all you pagans out there. Anybody know any songs?
spacefem.com
The message is dated 21. and says "tomorrow". Buhu I missed it...
How am I supposed to get any work done at work today? I've never seen a full eclipse so I guess there will be really bad problems with the server today, might have to take it down for awhile, hope no one minds. You people sure are making it tough on me. Oh well, I am Jack's complete lack of suprise.
Yeah, it's a bad day for vampyres, all around...somebody pass the SPF 4k...;)
Be part of the world's largest collaborative work of art: http://www.paintthemoon.org
See http://stardate.utexas.edu/resources/ssguide/sun.h tml
It is exciting to see a solar eclipse for 15 minutest, and then spend the balance of the time exploring a very interesting continent.
Too bad I couldn't go.