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zero
Rear Admiral
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 4566
Location: Texas
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 Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:16 pm Sky-Watchers Await Solar Eclipse on Friday |
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___ | Quote: | By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer
Sky-watchers from the South Pacific to the Americas will witness the first solar eclipse of 2005 on Friday when the moon blots out part of the sun.
It will be a partial eclipse rather than a total one, in which the Earth is cast into darkness. But it will be the last partial solar eclipse visible from the continental United States until May 20, 2012.
Solar eclipses occur when the Earth, sun and moon line up in such a way that the moon casts a shadow over Earth.
Friday's eclipse will last from a few minutes to over an hour, depending on one's location. In much of the continental United States, people will see what looks like the moon taking a bite out of the sun, with the bite bigger over the South.
In Central America and the northern portion of South America, the sun will be reduced to a narrow ring of fire.
Astronomers warned people not to stare directly at the sun without eye protection.
"It's neat to see the moon take a bite of the sun," said Tom Fleming, an astronomer at the Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "Each eclipse is different because I remember who I was with and where I was when I was watching it."
The path of the eclipse will stretch about 8,800 miles through a corridor beginning near New Zealand and extending across the Americas.
In the United States, people living north of a line extending from southernmost California to central New Jersey will see no dimming of the sun at all.
The maximum eclipse visible from the continental United States will be in Miami, where nearly half of the sun's diameter will be covered at 6:20 p.m. EDT.
For a while, the sun will be blotted out completely as the eclipse moves across the open Pacific, but it will be visible only to people at sea.
The next solar eclipse will be Oct. 3, crossing the Iberian Peninsula to Africa.
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zero
Rear Admiral
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 4566
Location: Texas
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:22 pm |
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I love eclipse's!!
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Captain Patrick
Commodore
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 2421
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:24 pm |
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killer. Got to see that.
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Leo Wyatt
Sweetest Angel
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 19045
Location: Investigating A Crime Scene. What did Quark do this time?
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:28 pm |
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I love to see it as well. Be awesome 
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zero
Rear Admiral
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 4566
Location: Texas
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:31 pm |
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I remember my first eclipse was in 6th grade, And my MEAN teacher would not let us see it unless we cut a little hole in the middle of a piece of paper or soemthing. Basically.. It didn't work, so I didn't get to see it.
Oh and I saw this other one, But I think (if i remember correctly) it was at night. Or evening. That was amazing. But then I started to hear the coyotes so I had to run inside. 
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Jeremy
J's Guy
Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 7823
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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| Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:37 am |
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There was a full eclipse here sometime a few years ago. Where I am in Scotland though meant you didn't see a total eclipse. Was still really cool.
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:03 am |
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I remember that. We used my uncles welding mask to watch. Not that it was totally necessary, 
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 1229
Location: The Other Side
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| Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:51 pm |
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To those who will be watching:
Since this is a partial eclipse, be sure not to use eye protection or you might miss part of it.
-------signature-------
"History is made at night! Character is who you are in the dark." (Lord John Whorfin)
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Seven of Nine
Sammie's Mammy
Joined: 16 Jun 2001
Posts: 7871
Location: North East England
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| Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:33 am |
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I remember the total eclipse a few years ago here... I was slightly too north to see the total eclipse, but I saw an almost total eclipse, which was cool. I can't remember how we viewed it... something to do with sunglasses, pieces of paper and mirrors- and it worked
My mother went down to Cornwall and saw the whole thing. I wanted to go! (I used to stay up to see a total lunar eclipse.)
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