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Solar Eclipse, As Seen From Mir

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the check-out-the-pretty-pictures dept.

David Schick writes "This cool picture was the Astronomy Picture of the Day from the Goddard Space Flight Center on August 30. Apparently, someone on Mir had a chance to take a snapshot of the solar eclipse over Europe. Kudos to Brian B. Riley on the AMSAT-BB mailing list for finding this cool nugget. " Check out the image archive while you're there. Several little files that meet Rob's First Rule of Art [?] .

73 comments

  1. Mirrors? by JeffHiggins · · Score: 1

    Anyone care to post a mirror?

    Thanks!
    Jeff Higgins
    www.hal9000.cc

    --
    - el jefe -
    www.hal9000.cc
    1. Re:Mirrors? by Telsa · · Score: 2
      I haven't checked how many of these carry the entire back catalogue (which is _well_ worth it), but the first two certainly do:

      I got this list from the info page on the main site. I've just tried 'em out, and the Swiss one appears to be down but the rest are there.

      These all point to the picture of the day (which is of Earth, though it doesn't look like it!), of course: you'll have to head to the archives to find the eclipse picture. They've been carrying loads of eclipse pictures recently, and they're beautiful.

  2. Definitely a sight to see by Accipiter · · Score: 2
    A picture like this really puts the size of the earth into perspective. From the ground, it appears that a whole hemisphere is eclipsed from the sun, but seeing the actual coverage area puts things into perspective. Seeing pics like these also makes me envy the astronauts.

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

    --

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
    (If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't. :P)

    1. Re:Definitely a sight to see by Brett+Viren · · Score: 1

      That should be ``... envy the cosmonauts'', eh?!

    2. Re:Definitely a sight to see by Accipiter · · Score: 2
      Not exactly. The cosmonauts were cooped up in a space station that was falling apart. Nevertheless, they deserve my respect because:

      A) they stuck it out for so long, and
      B) They're in space and I'm not.

      Thanks for the point. I agree, but my comment wasn't about the photo in particular. I envy [all space travellers] because they get to see phenominal views with that picture being an example. :)

      -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

      --

      -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
      (If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't. :P)

  3. You wouldn't think... by ForceOfWill · · Score: 1

    ...that it would be that fuzzy. The drawings you see in textbooks always show a completely dark circle inside a slightly dark circle, though this view does make more sense, if you think about it.


    --

    --
    Seeing is believing; You wouldn't have seen it if you didn't believe it.
    1. Re:You wouldn't think... by zmooc · · Score: 1

      Hmm seeing the fuzziness I suddenly understand the flashes that can be seen at the beginning and the end of the total eclipse.

      --
      0x or or snor perron?!
    2. Re:You wouldn't think... by wynlyndd · · Score: 1

      Since you said "makes sense", I assume you know the reason but for other readers who may not know, the fuzziness is caused by the atmosphere scattering light. Only the very center where the least light scatters into from outside the edges of the shadow is the totality complete. This same scattering is the reason why the Hubble was built and that some of the best ground-based telescopes are built high on mountains above as much atmosphere as they can and away from the light-scattering effects of dust and pollution (and light pollution).

      --
      "Dogs and cats, living together...it's mass hysteria!"
    3. Re:You wouldn't think... by __aaswyr5774 · · Score: 2

      There's also angular diffraction from light interacting with the object (moon) itself. However, scattering from the air and diffraction from the moon isn't what we're seeing here. In this case the largest part of the effect is because the source (sun) and the object (moon) are the same size as seen from the screen (earth).

      If the sun were instead a point source, then the shadow would be much sharper. Since it and the moon are the same angular size, though, the center of the shadow gets complete blockage of the sun, a quarter of the way out from the center you get mostly complete blockage, etc. This continues all the way out to the edges where the moon is only nibbling away at the sun's disc, and the shadow on the Earth is correspondingly minimum.

      (And they said my Physics degree would be useless :-).)

  4. Bad weather by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can see, how bad the weather was. Thank god, we had a little luck and could see the corona and a lot of protuberances through the clouds for some minutes.

    That was really an experience that was worth the adventure to get there (8 hours in completly overfilled ICEs).

  5. two words: by apocalypse_now · · Score: 1

    TOO COOL.

    mental note: build space station; take pictures of eclipses from said space station.
    --
    Matt Singerman

    --
    Matt Singerman
    http://matt.vegan.net/
  6. You were in the south of Germany? by Jacco+de+Leeuw · · Score: 1

    ICEs are German bullit trains, so I assume you were in the South?

    I thought the weather was especially bad there? Nothing but rain in Stuttgart...

    --
    -------
    Warning: Slashdot may contain traces of nuts.
    1. Re:You were in the south of Germany? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The south of Germany is bigger than just Stuttgart. :-)
      I was near Karlsruhe, ~60km away from Stuttgart.

  7. What part of the Earth? by Jacco+de+Leeuw · · Score: 1

    I can't really make out what part of the Earth is depicted here. Damn clouds ;-)

    And those two dots in the background, that can't be stars, can they? I'd think it's space junk. Heck, perhaps it's debris from Mir itself... ;-)

    --
    -------
    Warning: Slashdot may contain traces of nuts.
    1. Re:What part of the Earth? by kabloie · · Score: 1

      I don't think they are stars, either. Earth is very bright. Reflections from lights inside Mir is my guess. But they are really small, so I am unsure!

      So long Mir :(

      -kabloie

    2. Re:What part of the Earth? by Accipiter · · Score: 2
      The website says the Eclipse was on August 11th of this year. That would mean the shadow you see is probably over parts of Europe or Asia.

      http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap9 90810.html - This is a link to a diagram of the Eclipse's path.

      -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

      --

      -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
      (If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't. :P)

    3. Re:What part of the Earth? by Sanex · · Score: 1

      It is probably Europe as the Middle East had better weather. The clouds covered most of Central Europe from England in the North West (though Land's End seemed to have a mostly clear sky, and Stone Henge had a better view than in Stuttgart, Germany) to Austria and parts of Hungary. Romania had a good view with almost clear skies I think.

      We had the MIR pictures on Live during the Eclipse in Denmark and I suspect in other European countries as well.

  8. I agree by jflynn · · Score: 1

    Yup, it would be nice, but I don't expect to get a ride to orbit soon.

    But why not a webcam in space? Ideally, turn over one of those older and obsolete spy satellites for public use, and work out some equitable and efficient means of selecting view targets thru a web page.

    Jim

    1. Re:I agree by Masem · · Score: 2

      Didn't Al Gore initiate a plan for a permanent satelite in space that would transmit images to a web site 24/7?

      --
      "Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
      "I can see my house from here!" - ST:
    2. Re:I agree by Accipiter · · Score: 3
      Are you kidding? Al Gore invented space.

      -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

      --

      -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
      (If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't. :P)

    3. Re:I agree by lost_packet · · Score: 0

      Al Gore is an alien!

      --

      BLOCK STRUCTURE breathing apparatus required for special maneuvers!!

  9. yes yes by Mudhiker · · Score: 1

    I will volunteer my talents to such an endeavor!

    Man that pick is cool. It just went onto my desktop.

    --
    "I want peace on earth and good will toward men." "We're the U.S. government. We don't do that sort of thing!!"
  10. Themes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What is the probability that this image will find its way to themes.org?!

    1. Re:Themes by Telsa · · Score: 1
      See the info page I gave the url to (in the reply to the "mirrors?" subject) and you'll find the conditions for doing that: if it's a NASA image then it's public domain. If the copyright belongs to someone, they hyperlink the name so you know who to ask permission of. I've had mixed success with this: one person either doesn't read email or didn't reply (wail! I used the pic for a theme but I haven't uploaded it anywhere) but another time I've had a reply within five minutes saying "Go for it".

      The Mir one would be excessively sweet as a theme, yes. There's some even better ones in the archives, too :)

  11. My socks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    > And those two dots in the background, that can't be stars, can they?
    > I'd think it's space junk. Heck, perhaps it's debris from Mir itself... ;-)

    No, it's not. What you see are two of my white socks! They just disapear sometimes (especially the right ones), now I know what happen: The rotation+the magnetic fields inside my washing machine opens up wormholes and they're transfered up into space..

    *That's* why you should not wash pets in a washing machine.

  12. Imagine.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    ..a cluster of these eclipses, you could darken a significant part of the world! hehe.. had to throw that in.

    1. Re:Imagine.. by Mudhiker · · Score: 1

      Oh, by cluster you must mean a Beo-*WHAP* [user slapped upside the head by self-moderation instinct.]

      hehehehehe ;-)

      --
      "I want peace on earth and good will toward men." "We're the U.S. government. We don't do that sort of thing!!"
  13. Actually..... by J4 · · Score: 1

    Service Electric Cable TV in eastern pennsylvania has a channel with 24/7 view of the earth from space. No sound, no commercials, just land, sea, and sky. Dunno if its live or canned, but it's nice.

    1. Re:Actually..... by Julius+X · · Score: 1

      Sounds like the NASA channel....usually they have a view of space, 'cept when there's a misssion or something, then they display details on that. It's pretty standard actually, a lot of cable systems I know of have it.



      Cliff Palmer, Jr.

      --

      -Julius X
      remove "-whatkindofspamdoyoutakemefor-" from email to send
  14. Hey what would happen...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What would happen if a big old comet like Hale Bopp hit the moon? Would there be any ramifications for Earthly geeks?

    1. Re:Hey what would happen...... by bigseanr · · Score: 1

      Well, for one we wouldn't have any tides on earth. People that live near coastlines would most affected.

    2. Re:Hey what would happen...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mars doesn't have an atmosphere because it no longer has any techtonic plate movement. The moon helps keep the innards of the Earth churning. Mars doesn't have anything like that therefore is a dead rock now. If a big enough comet disentegrated the moon we would probably end up like Mars quicker than if the moon were still there.

      Just my theory. Kinda tuff to prove such things :-)

    3. Re:Hey what would happen...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Mars doesn't have an atmosphere because it no longer has any techtonic plate movement. The moon helps keep the innards of
      > the Earth churning. Mars doesn't have anything like that therefore is a dead rock now. If a big enough comet disentegrated the
      > moon we would probably end up like Mars quicker than if the moon were still there.

      > Just my theory. Kinda tuff to prove such things :-)
      Nice, idea. But: The mars has lost his atmosphere because if its weak gravity and the "heat" inside the earth is produced by the radiation of uran and not by tidal forces similar to those that make Io
      so active.

      But I have to agree, that the moon is much more important for the earth than people have thought ~100 years ago.

    4. Re:Hey what would happen...... by shogun · · Score: 1

      You are of course assuming that Hale-Bope would totally remove the moon if it hit it. That is _slightly_ unlikely as the moon is several orders of magnitude larger than that comet, hence Hale-Bopp would aty most make a new large crater. Albiet it would alter the moons orbit slightly, but not enough to matter at all for us in the near future (several million (billion?) years)

    5. Re:Hey what would happen...... by kaniff · · Score: 1

      This in mind. Do you think having such a large sized moon is one of the things that helped life develop on Earth? Alien hunters should be looking for planets with large moons.

      Earth's moon is quite large compared to most other planets in the solar system.

      I'm just speculating.. anyone care to comment? I would think it might help keep things jumping and shaking, you know.. circulating the water. Causing rain. Et cetera.

      Ideas?

      kaniff -- Ralph Hart Jr

  15. What this really says to me... by Malacai[GDI] · · Score: 1

    It just brings home the fact that we are a small and arguably insignificant part of the universe.

    Humbling, no? So beautiful.

    Reminds me of a Radiohead song or three. hehehe

  16. I was there! by EZ-G · · Score: 1
    It was just as cool from the ground! I experienced it in Reims, France.

    A pity that it was over in 2 minutes :)

    1. Re:I was there! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was dark out for about nine hours here just last night. They are forcasting dark for this evening as well.

    2. Re:I was there! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > It was dark out for about nine hours here just last night. They are forcasting dark for this evening as well.

      Only someone who has *not* seen an eclipse can say something like that. It's a completely different kind of darkness. E.g. it's not "black", looks somewhat more purple-blue. It's really strange, you can't describe it. A must-see.

    3. Re:I was there! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I saw it in Munich. Have to agree about the difference between a total eclipse and plain nightfall. All the Germans around me started screaming and many of the women started crying when the "Ring of Fire" made itself known. Awesome.

  17. Moon shadows by dattaway · · Score: 2

    I remember seeing an eclipse in several years back. All of us at work were ordered outside to see it (my boss was cool.) There was a little light, enough to see, not like a sunset, but like a dim bulb for a sun. Shadows from anything showed up as cresents on the ground. The low light outside everywhere had a mystic look. The world was different that day.

  18. Eclipse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    When I was young (~5 years old I think) someone told me that there was an eclipse the next day and not to look at the sun or you might go blind. I was no paranoid that the next day I stayed inside and was afraid to even look outside the window thinking I would go blind!

    1. Re:Eclipse by rjreb · · Score: 1

      uummmm, you mean that's not true?

      --
      Pork is not a verb
    2. Re:Eclipse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      nope. i looked at one. no problems. note that you have tyo take quick glimpses..if your retina heats up by approx 1 degree you *will* go blind.

    3. Re:Eclipse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bummer...someone told me that once too. I was young then too. I wish I could have gotten to see it.

  19. Pity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We had a lovely sunny day in the north of France.

  20. http://www.spanner.org/eclipse.html by will · · Score: 2



    http://www.spanner.org/eclipse.html

  21. Damn cool by jonathanclark · · Score: 1

    Thanks for posting that one.

    It almost looks like a CG render. Hard to tell what is real and what is not these days.

    --
    -- Virtual Windows Project
  22. Wish there were an MPEG!/Next Image: Mitosis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
    Wouldn't it have been cool if there were an MPEG (or preferred video format) of this shadow moving across the earth?

    Also, at the bottom of that page is a link to the Next Pictue. Is it me or does this look interestingly like mitosis (or was it meiosis)?

  23. BBC had Mir video footage of the eclipse by philgross · · Score: 1

    One of the BBC's on-line video reports on the eclipse featured video from Mir where you could actually see the shadow moving over the earth. I'm not sure if it's still in their web archives.

  24. been my wallpaper for a while now.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I love this pic. It's been my wallpaper for the last week or two. Someday I'll get tired of it, probably when I find a better space pic.

  25. What took so long? by djfiander · · Score: 1

    My first reaction was "COOOOL", but the second one was, "what the heck took so long?" I mean, thirty years in space and somebody finally thought to take that picture?

    1. Re:What took so long? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, eclipses do not happen often. And there aren't very many people in space. And they orbit very close to the Earth, so they have to pass pretty close to see it (within, I would guess, a 300 mile radius of the spacecraft). Also, it should be noted that there are no human beings in space right now, which hasn't happened in over a decade.

      Also, there *are* pictures of eclipse shadows, many of them in fact. They are routinely taken by weather satellites. They are just not taken at close range or in color.

  26. Remember Io and Jupiter? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3

    I think was posted here on /. back in April, but I'll post it again in case you're interested. The Hubble Space Telescope took some very nice pictures of Io casting a shadow on Jupiter. This is the link to the story. Click on the picture to go to the download page.

    1. Re:Remember Io and Jupiter? by chazR · · Score: 1

      Ha. That was only a partial eclipse (As viewed from the Jovian surface). I believe that Earth is the only planet in the solar system that gets total eclipses.

      I was in the path of totality for the recent eclipse. We had 10/10 cloud cover and it was still awe-inspiring.

      See you in Africa for the next one.

    2. Re:Remember Io and Jupiter? by Rational · · Score: 1

      Actually, given the relative size of the sun as seen from Jupiter, it was probably a more than total eclipse. The Earth is the only planet for which the relative sizes of moon and Sun are identical, but you can bet anything than from, say, Pluto, the relative size of Charon is much bigger than the relative size of the Sun...

      --
      "Be nice, veer left, and never stop thinking" Iain Banks - Walking On Glass
  27. Mir over Paris during eclipse by anticypher · · Score: 2

    Did anyone notice that the Mir station actually flew over Paris just before the eclipse hit northern france?

    Just as Paco Rabanne claimed in his book on Nostradamus. Of course, nothing has happened, but I was actually slightly freaked out when I heard radio amateurs (HAMs) in france trying to contact the Mir 90 minutes before the eclipse. The Mir orbits the earth about once every 90 minutes, and its next pass put it near Paris just as the eclipse hit the west coast of France. Freaky!

    Just a bit of random, off topic rambling from...

    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
  28. Wrong colour... by chazR · · Score: 1

    I disagree about the colour. I'd say 'purplish green'.

    I tried to describe it to people who weren't in the path of totality and failed. It is unbelievably strange. I want to see another one. Africa anybody?

    1. Re:Wrong colour... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn straight. Africa, 500 miles off the coast on a boat. I'll be there. Eclipses are wierd powerful things.

    2. Re:Wrong colour... by dr00p · · Score: 1

      whell ... do U know when it will be ? the exact date ?
      I say the last one .. from Romania ... and . .after it wa s over ... I said .. I want to see it again !Damn ! it's beautiful ! :o)

  29. Saw something interesting... by greg_barton · · Score: 1

    ...when I blew up the pic to use it as my wallpaper. Check out the middle right edge of the shadow. There's what appears to be a perfect circle that's got to be hundereds of miles in diameter. What the heck is it? Or is it just an artifact of the pic? (It would be a strange artifact if it were.)

    1. Re:Saw something interesting... by Zugok · · Score: 1

      It's gotta be ring worm, classic text book example...

      seriously, yeah you don't have to enlarge it to see it, but it must be huge if it is not an artifact of the photo.

      --
      "I just can't sit while people are saying nonsense in a meeting without saying it's nonsense" J Watson, Sci Am 288:(4)51
  30. webcam in space? AMSAT P3D could do that by ikluft · · Score: 1
    Take a look at the Phase 3D amateur radio satellite, which AMSAT is preparing for launch. The on-board experiment from Hams at AMSAT Japan is a camera and Ham Radio video transmitter. It wouldn't be that tough for Hams around the world to arrange to auto-post snapshots on a web site when P3D is in the sky above them.

    Though P3D may be new to many Slashdot readers, Amateur Radio ("Ham Radio") operators around the world have been working on it for years. AMSAT reports that the satellite just passed the vibration and spin tests and the next step is to get it to the launch site, where it will fly as a secondary payload on a rocket with a commercial satellite to launch. It's something like the 33rd Amateur Radio satellite (not counting the Ham Radio stations on Mir and the Space Shuttles.) The launch date has not been announced yet - should be late thie year or early next year.

    Once P3D is up, all you need is a Ham Radio license and you can transmit to talk to people on it. Even the entry level licenses with no Morse Code requirements will do. For info on getting a US Amateur Radio license, check out the American Radio Relay League or an Amateur Radio club in your area.

    1. Re:webcam in space? AMSAT P3D could do that by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Speaking of ham radio, since MIR is more or less "abandoned," are the packet and voice repeaters still up (R0MIR, IIRC was the call)?

      Or are they taken down already... }}:-(

      (always in class, when MIR decides to fly over..., and missing a vital link between TNC->HT)

    2. Re:webcam in space? AMSAT P3D could do that by ikluft · · Score: 1
      > "are the packet and voice repeaters still up [...]?"

      No, they powered down all but the most critical systems before they left Mir.

      Their plans are to send another crew up later to prepare to de-orbit the station. Actually, they still hold out hope of finding funding to resume operation of the station. But they've got to do that before the next time the computer crashes, since no one's on board to reset it now. Otherwise, there won't be attitude control needed to dock with it, and won't be any way to pick where it burns up and impacts the Earth.

  31. Why eclipses are dangerous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ordinarily, there is no danger that you will look at the sun too long. The pain of the extreme amount of light hitting your retinae will force you to look away.

    But during an eclipse, you can look at the Sun as much as you want - which is a pity, because it's just as deadly to your retinae.

    So basically you *can* look at the Sun, but no more than you would normally. Children, lacking the necessary self-restraint, should be kept away from eclipses.

  32. Monolith attack by emerson · · Score: 1

    Anyone remember the film version of 2010? This picture looks a lot like the effects they created near the end, when the zillions of monoliths were starting to eat Jupiter. Well, except for the Jupiter part.

    Just a passing thought.

    --

  33. High Resolution Shots? by Evan+Vetere · · Score: 1

    Anyone know where I can get some really high-res versions of similarly "kick-yo-ass cool" astro photography? Just purchsaed myself an Epson 3000 and am dying to make something like this into a poster.

    1. Re:High Resolution Shots? by WizardChild · · Score: 1
      I followed a few links via the original post and came across a pretty cool computer simulated map of the known universe.

      You can get a high-res (2096x2604) gif via http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/~jgc/hubble.html

  34. Hm... by Redeemed · · Score: 0

    Moderators, please be kind, but it HAD to be said, and I've don't think I saw anyone say it for once... so...

    Yes, but does it run Linux?

  35. From the MIR point by MrJones · · Score: 1

    The MIR cosmonauts maybe have seen the eclipse
    many times the same day.
    The shuttle takes 90min to make a complete orbit.

    Anyway, APOD rulz
    Oliver

    --
    Get my e-mail after a captcha test in: http://tinymailt
    1. Re:From the MIR point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > The MIR cosmonauts maybe have seen the eclipse
      > many times the same day.
      Yes. IIRC they have seen it twice.

  36. Romanian TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If I remember correctly, the romanian TV had the rights for the transmission from MIR that day. Maybe they have something.... Cheers.