Solar Eclipse

[pompeyfan]

There will be a solar eclipse on Monday August 21st. For our American members, the eclipse will be total in 14 states across the middle of the country, the first time since 1918. In the UK, the eclipse will only be partial, 4% of the sun covered I understand. It will start at around 1940 BST(depending on what part of the UK you live)with partial cover at 2004(8.04pm)ending at after the sun has set, which is 2012 so will be very low in the sky when 4% covered.

I know some members do not like cruising, but several companies are offering eclipse cruises such as Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. Oasis of the Seas for example is offering a total eclipse cruise.

There will hopefully be some great pictures in the gallery. Other parts of the world that will see a total eclipse as far as I am aware include North and East Asia, North and West Africa, much of South America, parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Arctic unless of course members have better information.

[pompeyfan]

More details of this rare astronomical event here https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...GMQQA88QkQyoJQ

[Gulpers]

it's beginning to feel as though we have experienced a solar eclipse for the last three weeks!

[BobClay]

I've been out tonight trying to observe the Persied meteor shower. Alas a bright three quarter moon and broken cloud cover pretty much screwed that up.

I think probably typical of the summer we're having.

[pompeyfan]

Originally Posted by BobClay

I've been out tonight trying to observe the Persied meteor shower. Alas a bright three quarter moon and broken cloud cover pretty much screwed that up.

I think probably typical of the summer we're having.

I was lucky seeing quite a few. The moon plus broken cloud made viewing harder, but the moon was behind my bungalow, which helped. The Perseid meteor shower is debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle.

[pompeyfan]

The eclipse of the sun is today. Here in the UK it will be a partial eclipse with the sun setting during the eclipse. However, it will not matter because it will almost certainly be cloudy, typical UK weather when something worth seeing. At present, I can hardly see next door, let alone the sun

Hopefully, our members in the USA where it will be a total eclipse in 14 states will have better weather

[Dave McGouldrick]

A little late in finding this....

[Naytikos]

It started about an hour ago, BUT we have overcast skies due to the remnants of tropical storm Harvey so can't see it at the moment.


Never mind we had a total eclipse a few years ago so been there, done that, and the T-shirt wore out.

[pompeyfan]

They are showing it on BBC World News as I type as it passes over US states some have already had totality.

[BobClay]

Well from here in North Cornwall I got to see a small part of it. A small bite out of the Solar dial at about 7-O-clock. Just visible between layers of clouds on the seaward horizon, so dulled that I could look at it through binoculars, which normally would be an absolute NONO.

A nearby black cat was interested in something going on in the hedge, and after a while it gave me the evil eye which caused the Sun to hide behind the cloud, or so it seemed to me. So I left him to it, I figure some hedge bound creature was about to be eclipsed forever.

[Naytikos]

I wasn't expecting to see it so didn't set up a camera. Lo and behold the cloud thinned just before 1400 l/t so all of my young house-guests were able to observe the 55% maximum obscurity through my welding helmet!
Pity about the camera, though; I got some very nice photographs of the total eclipse we had a few years ago: but they are prints. Referring to the 'other thread' I am still seeking a way to turn negatives/prints into a digital format.

[BobClay]

The Sun is well off its peak but there is a colossal sunspot just moving into view over the eastern limb. Far bigger than the Earth it demonstrates there's life in this cycle yet ....

http://www.spaceweather.com/images20...cu7rejd6vjf331