Pics of the Longest Solar Eclipse of the Century

Vinod writes "Yesterday thousands of people around Asia witnessed the longest solar eclipse of the century. Although it was not clearly visible in some parts due to overcast weather, thousands of people gathered to view this spectacular event. Yesterday's solar eclipse lasted for 6 to 7 minutes, making it the longest solar eclipse of the century. Here is a collection of 33 beautiful images of the solar eclipse from around the world."

Comments

Where are my superpowers?

[Helmholtz]

I thought eclipses were supposed to cause super powers ... or was it that they took them away? *shakes fist*

Re:Where are my superpowers?

[Fleeced]

And surely, that last eclipse on Heroes was the longest, rather than this one - certainly more than a few measly minutes! Not to mention the global coverage! (And please don't complain about spoilers... after the decline since season 1, you can't possibly complain)

boston dot com

[bigdaddyhame]

these pics look much bigger nicer over at boston.com's The Big Picture, where they were posted yesterday and no doubt scooped and scaled for your link.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/07/the_longest_solar_eclipse_of_t.html

Re:boston dot com

[interkin3tic]

these pics look much bigger nicer over at boston.com's The Big Picture, where they were posted yesterday and no doubt scooped and scaled for your link.

To TFAs credit, they didn't just steal the images and scale them: they also did some editing. Specifically they left out the picture of people, including several gross old men, getting into the ganges.

Old man nipples and cherrios don't make for a good morning for me.

Re:boston dot com

[interkin3tic]

Even things that aren't even remotely, slightly sexual, but show *gasp* skin, are seen as vile, and need to be hidden from sight.

OR I was making a joke about how ugly old man nipples are. Sexual? You're either perverted, can't read, or have never seen old man nipples.

God I hate anonymous trolls.

Multiple sunglasses

[MyLongNickName]

the dude with four pairs of glasses looking at the solar eclipse. Is that even safe? I understand most sunglasses don't even block the dangerous rays and make it even worse to look toward the sun as your eyes are more dilated and the harmful rays burn your eyes even more.

Comments?

Must be a Slashdotter

[jayme0227]

I'm guessing that the guy with 3 pairs of sunglasses over his regular glasses must have been a slashdotter. Where else would you find such ingenuity (and such nerdiness)?

Whoever you are, I salute you, my friend.

Re:Must be a Slashdotter

[Anonymous Coward]

Especially a solution that, as pointed out earlier in the comments, actually isn't very effective in protecting your eyes. Yep, definitely a slashdotter.

Re:Solar eclipse glasses

[Anonymous Coward]

Why would we joke? I imagine them to be amazingly effective at protecting your eyes, and rather affordable. After all... they're made of lead!

Re:"Longest this century"

[thisnamestoolong]

Ok we don't need to make this personal (although I've got to admit that seeing the word 'dicklicker' did make me laugh), but yes, you are correct. We can figure out with a great deal of precision the relative position of the Earth, Sun, and Moon many centuries in advance, so this will indeed be the longest solar eclipse that the Earth will see this century.

Re:Oh really?

[funkatron]

Even tho it's early in the century, it might well be the longest eclipse of the century. I imagine that the calculations to predict eclipses and their duration would be relatively straightforward by modern standards. You probably wouldn't even need to take relativity into account.

Re:What glasses are those?

[Sockatume]

One of the big chemical companies is churning out a mylenised film that makes for an effective pair of eclipse glasses. It's a really bad idea to look directly at the sun during an eclipse because the iris expands in response to the low mean light level and provides little to no protection from the high peak light level when the photosphere is visible. Wearing the mylenised glasses doesn't make your iris expand any wider, but it does cut down that peak light level dramatically.

Re:What glasses are those?

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, during totality, looking at the sun (or rather, the moon and the solar corona) completely unfiltered is a Not Bad If You Know What You're Doing Idea. But you're supposed to look away as soon as totality ends, and it's easier to recommend nobody looks at all than to try educating people on the difference between total, partial, and annular eclipses, and the different stages of a total eclipse.

And since the introduction of arc welding, suitable thin films have been used in lenses for welding helmets. It's my understanding that these are frequently peddled in disposable holders for viewing solar eclipses.

Re:Oh really?

[eln]

They failed to take into account the meteor that will strike Earth in 2027, knocking it into a different orbit, and therefore changing the timing and characteristics of future eclipses. VH1 is really going to regret running that "I Love the Solar Eclipses of the 2000s" show so early.

Re:Oh really?

[commodoresloat]

That "whooshing" sound you hear overhead is not the sound of another solar eclipse.

Re:Lunar Shadow

[Samgilljoy]

Religion doesn't have to make sense; it just has to keep you in your place. Then again, governments use the same tactic: "There's a threat, an invisible threat, your freedom must be restricted. See? You weren't harmed by the threat only I can see. I saved you. Now, go back to work."

Re:"Longest this century"

[ekimminau]

No. Actually, the longest of the century: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros136.html

Re:What glasses are those?

[wandazulu]

Well, the pictures did show some runners in the night...