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Partial Solar Eclipse Tonight
grouchomarxist writes "There is going to be a partial solar eclipse tonight. It will mainly be visible by people in the southwest of the United States. People in Mexico will have the best view, there it will approach a full eclipse." Space.com has a nice page on it too. Enjoy this solar event!
There will not be another one until 2012, so you might want to check this one out.
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It's happening close to sundown. Unfortunately, I'm in the southeast US, and won't get to see any of it.
EGearman
Atomic batteries to power! Turbines to speed!
I, for one, don't believe that science can predict when such an event will occur. And certainly not hours in advance.
Actually, doing so can burn your retina so fast you won't know you are blind. Your retina has no pain receptors, so that's why its especially important not to look. In some cases, blindness set in slowly over a period of up to 6 hours after viewing an eclipse. It's better to poke a pinhole in a piece of paper, and then look at the shadow the paper casts on the ground. You should see the eclipse fairly well and safely... provided you are west of the Rockies anyway.
Why do I M2 everything negatively?
Because nerds get laid at least as often as solar eclipses, so all you guys call in sick for tomorrow an go get some nanny...
What about us Western Europeans? When do WE get a solar eclipse? Why does America have to MONOPOLISE everything?! Why can't Americans learn to share their damn astronomic phenomena instead of greedily keeping them for themselves?! This ABSOLUTELY TYPICAL OF DUBYAHS FACIST REGIME, monopolise the solar eclipses, soon you'll have a monopoly on 10 km radius asteroid strikes and nearby supernovas as well!
I love stuff like this.
to my three-year-old:
"You better be good boy, or Daddy's going to destroy the sun!"
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actually some people will have a chance to see the amazing annular eclipse which is much more interesting.
i saw the full eclipse last year (in bulgaria) and will definitely have my smoked glass for tonight's (50% only, where i'm at) eclipse!
Will I be able to see this in the North East (Montreal)? The article doesn't say, but I'm hoping to see a partial.
What time would it be at?
S
It's night where you are, Einstein, but somewhere else it isn't night, and the people who happen to be there will see the eclipse.
- Have a picture
Tonight there's a Solar Eclipse?
The world really is coming to an end.
A rather spectacular image from a 1992 annular eclipse (the name given to this type of eclipse) can be found at APOD today.
Yes, like most nights, the earth will eclipse the the sun tonight. The earth's shadow will sweep across the surface of the planet, covering an area of about half the earth's surface at a time.
This eclipse is visible from all parts of the earth starting around nightfall. Depending on your lattitude the eclipse will last up to 17 hours.
By the way, it's safe to look at this eclipse all you like, with no filters at all.
Everyone knows that damage is done to the soul by bad motion pictures. -Pope Pius XI
I looked at my first solar eclipse years ago through my telescope. It was bright and spetacular - but since then, non of them have looked nearly as good as that first one :)
follow the link here for more info and a nice map of what you expect to see the eclipse time is ~6PM PST, which mean the sun is FAR from set -- at the bay area, anyway, the sun does not set till ~9 and don't stare at it! 2 good ways to look at the eclipse 1) bioculars / telescope reflected on paper 2) get a bucket of water, tint the water (ink, whatever) and look at the reflection (used to do this in low-tech China)
My life in the land of the rising sun.
They say it's BAD, real BAD to look directly at an eclipse. Personally, I think it's an old wives' tale.
It's always bad to look at the sun. But people tend to stare at it more during an eclipse (duh), so that's why it comes up.
I live in Denver, where the sun is still dark red from all of the smoke moving through town. Should make for an incredible sunset.
Teenagers these days don't have as much sex as they want each other to think they do.
What if I am looking through my UV protectant 12-shade welding goggles? I'll be lucky to see anything at all. In comparison, the arc from welding is way brighter in the entire spectrum than the sun is. I can get a UV burn from my welding equipment in less than an entire when I'm not wearing a coat.
So, it's safe, right?
You can't legislate goodness. Let each to his own destiny, by will of his freely made choices.
I always post this, but the best eclipse web site is at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html
Four fifths of all our troubles in this life would disappear if we would just sit down and keep still. -C. Coolidge
The pupil dilates as the light dies. This means the first beads of sunlight as the eclipse ends shining around the moon comes straight through a wide-open eye tracking across the retina like a magnifying glass onto paper. It is easy to look directly at those first beads for too long (a glance won't hurt though).
See my journal, I write things there
Nah, there's no greater risk, if you were prone to staring at the sun all the time.. the problem is that the media and everyone (even Slashdot!) tells you that the sun and moon are going to be doing something worth watching on this particular day, and so a MUCH larger amount of people are going to be looking at the sun. It's not any more dangerous, but more people will be taking the risk.
Whoever stated that signature sizes should be limited to one hundred and twenty characters can just go ahead and kiss my
O(* ) O
Incredible isn't it.
I'm in the Los Angeles area and own a Canon XL1 MiniDV camcorder with a 16:1 zoom. I was thinking of going up to a nice high point in my area and videotaping the eclipse, using a portable battery and a 9" Sony TV to compose and focus the image. I would then use my camera's manual exposure controls to taste based on the image on the Sony.
If I just go out and start shooting the sun, is this going to damage my camcorder if I use its built-in neutral density filter?
I will be synchronizing my camera's internal clock to Pacific Bell time - will that be good enough to match the time predictions?
I don't think I will have time to buy a filter, but viewing the eclipse through the adjacent monitor should work.
Am I nuts to do this in view of the possibility of blowing out the CCDs of a very expensive camcorder, or should I not worry about it?
Many thanks for any ideas.
D
This morning my MessagePad 120 informed me that an eclipse was going to happen today. Just one more thing that my PDA does that yours doesn't. :)
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I plan on trying to capture it with my digital camera. Hopefully the LED screen doesn't have enough power to blind me :) (Or, if it does, I'm going to sue the FUCK out of Sony ;)
"Mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent present in every electron." -Freeman Dyson
It is a bad idea to look directly at the sun without
l
protecting your eyes in some fashion.
It is possible to look with the naked eye if the
viewers eyes have already had a chance to adjust to
the brightness of the day, and the exposure is
kept short. (Something I experienced as a less
clueful youth)...
BUT, Even then some minor damage is likely to occur,
with symptoms that may not show up until later on
(something I am probably going to learn about as I get older).
IMO, the likelyhood of damage from looking at an eclipse is
made greater because the viewers eyes do not have the natural
feedback of ambient daylight to adjust to before looking in the
direction of the Sun. Instead they will probably try to adjust
to the lessening of reflected light in the environment, and
the effect you will get would be similar to someone turning on a
very bright light when you are in a darkened room; without
the benefit of being able to close your eyes.
Thru google I found:
http://www.hermit.org/Eclipse/what_observe.shtm
which appears to be a pretty good sight for advice on properly
viewing an eclipse. (I do disagree that even looking at a
total eclipse can be safe, because humans don't have very good
timing for knowing when to look away again from totality).
I too am looking forward to seeing this eclipse if I can, but
please do be careful...
From Space.com as noted in the original article, 14-shade welding goggles are said to be adequate. IANAW so I'm not sure if 12 is darker than 14 or not. Also they mention that even with these shades, you should not look at it for more than 10 seconds anyway...
This is funny. I got a degree in astronomy and did a few years of volunteer work at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. I'm always amazed at how often this question is asked. I remember as a kid being deathly afraid to look up during an eclipse thinking that there were some evil death rays that only came out during an eclipse that would turn me into a zombie or something [I think that was a bad movie I saw once...]
The answer is no, the sun is no worse for your eyes during an eclipse, it's just that most people (Galileo excluded) aren't stupid enough to look at the sun when the moon's not partially in front of it so there's no need to warn them on a daily basis.
obligitory warning: Oh and by the way...please don't try to prove me wrong (or right) by looking at the sun today or any other day. It ain't good for your eyes.
Four fifths of all our troubles in this life would disappear if we would just sit down and keep still. -C. Coolidge
This particular eclipse is an Annular, where the Moon's shadow is somewhat smaller than the Sun's disk. From the right location, it appears as a bright ring around a dark Moon. I've not seen one, but I've heard some Umbraphiles say "I wouldn't cross the street for an Annular Eclipse."
A well-crafted lie appears unquestionable - Dama Mahaleo
Since this eclipse is at dusk, won't the damage be less since the sun isn't as bright?
"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." -- John Ashcroft
Okay, so when you look at the sun on a normal day, and I mean when you glance up at it and look away as quickly as possible, it leaves an afterimage that lasts for a short while, but no permanent damage is done, right? Wouldn't it stand to reason that in an eclipse, since the moon is covering up most of the sun, you would be able to look at it longer without doing any damage?
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Maybe somewhat longer. But complicating matters is that your pupils may dialate to compensate for the lower light levels, letting in more light again. I don't know the numbers, so I couldn't give details.
I have #12s and they seem to work ok. keep_it, you're right
about not looking too long anyway, welding goggles don't
filter all the UV that you need filtered, although they do
take care of most of the visible spectrum, and one can still
damage one's retina. RETINA DAMAGE IS PERMANENT. I KNOW.
Note that it also does NOT mean you can use welders goggles of
any kind to view thru binoculars or small telescopes.
SB
It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
Crazy. The corneal burn on a humans eyes from looking at a welders arc at close range can last 6-8 hours for even a fraction of a second of exposure. If you looked at it for more than 4 or 5 seconds, I'd imagine you'd have lifelong damage.
Yes, a 14 is quite a bit darker than a 12. Must be pretty bright sun; cuz with my welding goggles on outdoors I can barely see around me.
You can't legislate goodness. Let each to his own destiny, by will of his freely made choices.
Umm... just look at it through at T-15 arc welding filter... sheesh.
"Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.
According to my newspaper, it's going to be a partial eclipse with 54% coverage of the solar surface. That's enough to make it "mainly" viewable here in Eugene, OR.
I imagine it will be interesting, even in Seattle. (Provided it isn't raining)
"Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.
I have to assume this is a joke, but I suppose it answers my question.
You're close; I edit my video productions with Final Cut Pro. Same platform, more sophisticated software.
D
They must filter UV because that is what causes sunburns, which is primarily what also causes damage to the eyes. I can weld for 8 hours straight without any eye sore at all. If I do it without wearing my leather welding gloves or coat for even an hour, my arms will be red, warm, and burning by the next day. Just goes to show how much UV welding arcs put otu.
You can't legislate goodness. Let each to his own destiny, by will of his freely made choices.
Even though less light gets into your eye during an eclipse, the surface brightness (brightness/unit area) of the sun that isn't covered up is the same as always. So your pupil dilates to let more light in, but that light is still bright enough to do permanent damage.
...until the MPAA blocks free eclipses too?
Thanx alot chris d. First you tell everyone the lone gunmen died, spoiling it for those on the west coast. Now you tell everyone about an eclipse that hasn't yet happened on the west coast for a few more hours. You could have let them discover the sudden disappearance of the sun with total surprise, rather than spoil it for them.
/. used to handle time sensitive stories in the good ol' days (of last weekend) :-)
You should follow the fine example set by Hemos when he waited until closing time to announce the Festival of Inappropriate Technology this past weekend in London. That was how
the AC
We've had a simulated solar eclipse for the last week. Fscking rain
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
I can look directly at the sun - big red ball, not all that bright. Who needs smoked glass when you have smoked air?
80,000+ acre wildfire out of control. Smoke up to 30,000 feet spreading across Colorado to Nebraska to South Dakota (visible on satellite). Completely out of control, nothing we can do but hope for a weather change. They pulled the crews from in front of it, calling it suicidal to fight this thing from in front. Humidities as low as 5%. Winds 25-35 gusting to 45 fanning the fire and keeping hte slurry bombers and tankers from fighting it effectively. Problem is fuel: timber here has less moisture (10%) than kiln dried lumber due to drought.
Peronal note: I worked at the Lockheed rocket engine plant (boosters). And it is in the way of this fire at Waterton Canyon facility. Thats a bad mix: 200 ft wall of flames advancing at 5-10 MPH and tons of rocket fuel in bunkers nearby. Bad combo.
40,000 people evacuated as of 4PM mountain time. Rained ash (like snow flurries) here at my house.
:-/
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Um, do you know that for a fact or are you just making an unfounded guess?
I'm no optics expert, but I've never read any sort of warning not to point digicams at intense light.
Some quick hunting on google:
- 'CCDs
... don't suffer from "burnout" or "trailing" in bright light.' (Link) - 'A solar eclipse has huge contrast, and digital photos suffer from the "bloom" effect of the CCD, where super-bright pixels bleed like crazy into their neighbours.' (Link)
The second in particular seems to indicate there's nothing harmful about using a digicam to capture an eclipse, you just won't get a good image. I'm pretty handy with Photoshop though, so I still intend to try"Mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent present in every electron." -Freeman Dyson
Nighttime - when you pass into into the earth's shadow that is caused by the sun.
Everyone knows that damage is done to the soul by bad motion pictures. -Pope Pius XI
For any who're curious to see: I pulled out the binocs, a white sheet of paper and the camera to snap off a few frames of the eclipse as seen from the southern part of San Jose, CA.
The pictures can be found here.
The URL is http://people.qualcomm.com/karn/pv/daylife.html
Legend has it that after Columbus wore out his welcome with the natives in Jamaica, they stopped bringing his crew food, and even jailed a couple of them for improprieties with native girls. Knowing a lunar eclipse was coming, Columbus threatened that his God would destroy the village if they did not release the men and bring his crew food. The natives laughed at this, but Columbus said that his god would show his power by eating their moon that night. After about an hour of the eclipse, Columbus announced that God would return the moon to the sky if the natives promised to bring them food and release the men. Of course, he got what he asked for.
That is the link to the Astronomy Picture of the day, which has since changed.
The ring of fire can be seen here
----
Open mind, insert foot.
Yup. You look at seven, eight or more total eclipses, you might go blind!
CEE5210S The signal SIGHUP was received.