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Space Science

Total Solar Eclipse 104

Posted by michael from the turn-around,-bright-eyes dept.
The Grey Mouser writes: "Just got word that a live video feed from the first total solar eclipse of the 21st century will be broadcast over the web tomorrow. The transmission will be available from 11.35 to 13.35, 21 June UTC (that's EDT+4). A great way to start the work day. Check out www.live-eclipse.org for more details, and the video stream tomorrow. Looks like Real, Quicktime, and WMP formats are available. Here's hoping for clear skies over Madagascar and Zimbabwe!" The summer solstice is today, so there's about 15 hours of daylight to enjoy (in my latitude anyway) - turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.
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Total Solar Eclipse More

Total Solar Eclipse

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  • Re:This is going nail a lot of people.. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Many people living in the part of Western Civilization, that will experience scientific facts, have no access to reality. I wonder how many of em will loose their common sense because of this (wondering how the HELL was everything created). Hopefully they have some Book of Genesis to explain this.... and no, I'm not kidding. I know they think the world was created by a God... oh well.

  • Clueless Americans (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Here's hoping for clear skies over Madagascar and Zimbabwe!" The summer solstice is today, so there's about 15 hours of daylight to enjoy (in my latitude anyway) - turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.

    Well...

    1. Madagascar and Zim are in the southern hemisphere, not anywhere close to Michael's abode.
    2. Due to the solstice, somewhat less than 12 hours sunlight.
    3. Niche crisp, dry and cool winter air.
    4. Not much computing going on in those countries...
    5. Most residents in those countries having a deep natural tan already.
  • turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan

    I know these words... They appear to be English... Yet when strung together like that their meaning eludes me...

  • The problem is not that the sun is more damaging during an eclipse- it's that it is damaging by the same ammount, only there's less light that would cause you to turn away. You can comfortably stare into an eclipse for hours, but it will cause the same damage that staring into the sun would cause. Staring into the sun for hours is just a lot more uncomfortable.
  • The summer solstice is today, so there's about 15 hours of daylight to enjoy (in my latitude anyway) - turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.

    WHAT!?!?!?!!? And ruin a perfectly good uptime? I'll go outside, and maybe even tan a bit, but I'm NOT shutting Ol' Reliable down! (Michael, you should know better than to suggest these crazy things.)

    -Derek

  • There are time zones, you see. Natures way of making sure that it isn't the same time of day everywhere at once.

    ObNitpick, but I am pretty sure that it was the rail industry which created timezones. Standard physics explains why it can't be the same time everywhere at once, not timezones. Timezones help people cope with the fact that it can't be the same time everywhere. :-)

  • Of course there's no scientific basis for the solstice...

    Solstice n. 2. POINT ON THE ECLIPTIC either of the two points on the ecliptic when the sun reachest its northernmost or southernmost point relative to the celestial equator.

    That's only celestial mechanics...no science at all...
  • There are time zones, you see. Natures way of making sure that it isn't the same time of day everywhere at once. Africa (and Europe) being substantially east of the USA, is 12 hours or so in advance of most of the USA. Noon thursday, Cental african time, happens on your Wednesday evening. Take the time zones into account and you won't be late to the party.

    Sigh. In fact, most of Europe is between five and seven hours ahead of EDT, not twelve. Africa, being south of Europe, is the same. So, noon thursday, central african time, is thursday morning EDT. IIRC, EDT+12 is in China, and crosses through India as well.

    Is arithmetic really so challenging? The eclipse occurred around noon EDT, which would be afternoon there.
  • No, they won't.
    And you don't necessarily lose your sight just by looking. It's just really bad for your eyes.

    Also, these kinds of things are part of ancient lore, they have happened to all civilisations for a long long time. I'm sure people will probably just stay indoors.
  • If you missed the Live coverage You can view it here http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/

  • They made them to sell lots of money to the millions of people that flocked to cornwall for the eclipse (heh!). basicly like looking through a black plastic bag.

    The last time there was a total eclipse visible here in Illinois, I made my own glasses by removing the plastic from some 3D glasses and replacing it with 5.25" floppy disk material.

  • A Tan?! (Score:2)

    by ajs ( 35943 )
    The summer solstice is today, so there's about 15 hours of daylight to enjoy (in my latitude anyway) - turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.

    Ok, just in case anyone doesn't realize this, today the sun's light is it's most direct (in the northern hemisphere, above the tropic of cancer), which means that it is easier to get a severe sunburn than at any other time of the year.

    I highly recommend that everyone consider putting some light sunscreen on even if you're only going to be in the sun briefly. Coppertone now makes a very nice oil-free sunscreen in SPFs 15 and 30 (and 45, but we all know that there's no such thing as SPF 45, right) which I recommend if you're going into work in short sleeves.

    If you're specifically sunbathing today, be very careful, and limit your exposure to a fraction of what you would, say, in mid-July.

    Be safe, and enjoy!

    --
    Aaron Sherman (ajs@ajs.com)
  • "turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan."

    Are you kidding? That's what we have wireless laptops for! :-)

    --

  • I couldn't get anything out of the link above but the BBC [bbc.co.uk] have a page of information [bbc.co.uk] about the eclipse, along with a link to a live webcam. Broadcast starts at 13:30 BST (in about 5 minutes time at time of posting)

    Saw the last one visible from the UK from an old DC-3 over Alderney. Spooky stuff..

  • Its already today, over here (Score:3)

    by anticypher ( 48312 ) <anticypher.gmail@com> on Thursday June 21, 2001 @03:02AM (#135999) Homepage
    The eclipse was just starting when this got posted. The site is heavily slashdotted, but the BBC and other news sites already linked to the feed. If you can get through, there are some cool shots of the whole sky in a fish-eye lens, and telescope shots of sunspots.

    News for nerds, after the fact

    the AC

  • I started watching the RealVideo feed, and it appears that at this very moment, they're showing the entertainment and festivities that run up to the actual eclipse.

    Folks, heed my warning: stay away! This is not pretty.

    Right now, there's a couple of asian women singing bad Jazz. They have a synth and a vocalist (and someone in the background running sound). To say the least, this is not what I was hoping to see when I clicked on the feed.

    I thought you might like to be warned!
    --

  • Of course, this is also the day that if you're standing on the north pole, the sun will rise, circle around you, and set in the same place. Weird day all over the place.

    Actually, there's a three-month long "day" spanning either side of the solstice... The sun just rises, drops really close to the horizon, then starts going up again ad nauseum. Better than the three months of darkness in wintertime though. No wonder the Finns are all alcoholics.

  • Who modded this up? This AC is a real dick. Maybe Michael's grammatical skills aren't the best, but I understood that he was talking about the northern hemisphere by mentioning the summer solstice.
  • They interupt the broadcast every once and a while with advertising. What the hell.
  • Just got word that a live video feed from the first total solar eclipse of the 21st century will be broadcast over the web tomorrow.

    Ok, let me explain something 'cos you guys seem to be a bit lacking.

    There are time zones, you see. Natures way of making sure that it isn't the same time of day everywhere at once. Africa (and Europe) being substantially east of the USA, is 12 hours or so in advance of most of the USA. Noon thursday, Cental african time, happens on your Wednesday evening. Take the time zones into account and you won't be late to the party.

    You may think it's happening tomorrow, but it finished hours ago (I write this at 5:37 pm Thursday, SOuth African time). Better luck next time.

  • in Chicago. Here is a cool weather site if anyone is interested:
    Weather Underground [wunderground.com]
    Jason
  • However good the video you're watching is, this is better:

    http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse [exploratorium.edu]

    Peace out.
    - Adam
  • > In order to get the full experience, you also have to hook your computer to the the dimmer switch for the lights in the room.

    And spend some time in the traffic jams before and after viewing it. Bonus points for being back home when the stock exchange opens. Then spend the rest on the afternoon on the phone with your broker pleading him to finally give you your shares... And the next day brag to your friends that you not only had located the only cloudless spot in a 50 mile radius but also made $25.000...

  • Hopefully, this close Mars does not have the same effect on the Linux shares [corel.ie] as the moon, when it is unusually close to the earth [astroleague.org].
  • > The radiation from the sun cannot get any stronger during an eclipse than it is normally. It is perfectly safe to glance up directly at the sun for a brief moment, just don't stare at the damn thing!

    Then why did the powers that be make such a fuss about the issue during the 1999 eclipse in Europe? Why did they produce tons of funny-looking eclipse-goggles and spend millions in sensibilization campaigns, if there was no danger?

    The way I heard it is that the natural blink reflex of the eye is triggered by overall luminosity, whereas damage comes from luminosity concentrated on one point. Partially obscured sun means less visible surface of it, and hence less overall luminosity. The protecting blink reflex is not triggered, the iris stays wide open, but the small parts of the sun that stay visible still have the same luminosity per surface. No problem during totality though.

  • Black, like the eclipsed Sun. But beware of the red influence of Mars....

  • Buy Red Hat Shares! (Score:3)

    by EyesOfNostradamus ( 75825 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @04:14AM (#136011) Homepage
    During one of the previous eclipses, Red Hat shares rose by over 1500% in just a couple of days. Buy buy buy!

  • Re:Spooky celestial stuff (Score:5)

    by EyesOfNostradamus ( 75825 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @04:47AM (#136012) Homepage
    And also:
    • 42'nd death day of late Douglas Adams
  • I agree. Today isn't a good day to get a tan. Considering it's the shortest day of the year, pitch black by 5:30pm and about 8 degrees...

    Although the thickness of the fog when I walked home tonight was quite impressive.


    What's that? You thought it was summer? Nah, we don't get summer until the end of the year. Then it get really hot. And what do we do? We have a big, hot, Christmas roast. Really. At the hottest time of the year. Oh well, at least we don't live in Australia....

  • Just did... now my face is red and swollen, I can barely make a facial expression and my nose is covered with a sticky yellow fluid.
    Back to the nerd cave I say! If there ever comes a next time I must remember sun screen.

  • In order to get the full experience, you also have to hook your computer to the the dimmer switch for the lights in the room.

    --Ty

  • I'm sorry, but I'm smarter than that! ;-)

    sure. By staying our of the sun, you're denying your skin the opportunity to synthesize vitamin D, essential for keeping calcium in your bones. So you won't get skin cancer, you'll just become osteoporotic by the time your 40th birthday rolls around. :)



    ---

  • You can e-mail me directly if you are serious about taking this thread further. I'd love to... the extent of your derogatory frame-bait must be humilating on an open forum.

    So far I just adore our discussions.

    Domini(e) is a synonym for clergyman, which symbolises humility and understanding.... but of course, you knew that too.

    My surname is Van Wyk, and I'm from French/Dutch decent.

    Nazis come from Austria/Germany.
    I don't know much about Nazis etc, but my girlfriend tells me it was quite rough.
    (She is a Christian Jew)

    Just a bit of info: The English invented concentration camps to kill thousands of innocent women and children in South Africa when they fought the Afrikaners. (This was long before apartheid) The Nazis just followed the example.
    My great-grandmother was in one. She survived.

    And of course America was formed by the criminal element leaving England. Hmmm...

    But don't take my word for it... I'm sure you have much reference material. You seem to need it.
    The truth is sometimes more interesting than flame-bait.

    My computer is powered by Microsoft... which is pretty much the same thing. (It being an American invention and all...)

    You clearly seem intelligent, judging from your writing style, and since I cannot belive that anyone intelligent would actually say those things, I'm asuming you are having fun (although not quite at my expense). It would be cool if you could ask me real questions and make acusations that *are* applicable.
    :)

    I'm not going to check replies to this post anymore, but will reply to mail.
  • We are having a 70% eclipse here in South Africa,
    and my friends and I are planning a party!

    Any good ideas for movies?

    I have these already:

    Mermaids,
    Last temptation of Christ,
    Little Shop of Horrors (A clear winner?)

    hehe...
  • Here's some more:

    Total Eclipse,
    Pi,
    Ladyhawke..

    :)
  • There was this incident a few years ago, I don't know if you recall... so you must be refering to the oppresive ANC government at the moment...

    Anyhow, you are wrong, it's called:
    "Discrimination is Cool"

    And by the looks of it the USA reigns supreme in this regard. (affirmed by your post?)

    'Nuff said.

  • hehe... got you to reply! Just checking if you are following this thread.

    whee....

    Anyway... South Africa never had slaves. That's America you are thinking of. (once again)

    We (used to) do the oppression thing.
    Now it's only reversed discrimination.

    I also got discriminated against by my fellow white South Africans for having black friends, and teaching Computer Science in the townships for no pay.
    And if that ain't enough, there are people like you perpetuating hate and discrimination, hiding behind your veil of anonimity.
  • [blah]...despite Taco's Rationalistic beliefs ...[blah]

    It's everyone's favourite editor, Michael, who posted the story, not CmdrTaco. Maybe he's more of a hippy than the rest of them. Or maybe he's just picking safe topics that'll stop people criticising him like he's a Katz substitute. Didn't work though - soooo many posts warning that sunbathing today is pretty dangerous, and folk such as yourself picking on his beliefs. Poor guy; you're gonna give him a persecution complex : )

    And waddaya mean "there is no more scientific justification for a Solstice than there is for the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus or Atlantis"? Who's been bringing me all the chocolate eggs, presents, and, um, fish?

  • Spooky celestial stuff (Score:5)

    by Dr_Cheeks ( 110261 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @03:11AM (#136023) Homepage Journal
    So, let's see:
    • Mars is really close to the Earth.
    • It's a solar eclipse.
    • It's the summer solstice.
    I guess today's our best chance to find out if those druids were onto something : )

    Wait, suddenly I have a thirst for human blood....

  • What ever happened to the "Computer monitors emit UV and cause cancer" scare back in the early 90's?
    Everyone who was scared is now dead. Cancer, mostly.

    --

  • The part that I will remember most vividly were the howls of protest from about 10,000 people as a huge cloud drifted in to cover the sun just minutes before the total eclipse.

    Or maybe it was the lighting before that. There you had the sun in plain view, but everything was far less bright than it normally is in direct sunlight. It just feels wrong.

  • Virtually every CRT monitor sold nowadays is certified for radiation levels far lower than was common before the scare.
  • Good description, but it's not always so exact...

    If the moon is at apogee during the solar eclipse, you get a rare event called an annular eclipse. During this event, the moon is apparently smaller than the sun, so even during the pinnacle of the event, you will still see the photosphere of the sun as a ring around the moon.

    --

  • At three o'clock. And he was sailing the Arctic.

    The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that, it's all learned.

  • Of course, this is also the day that if you're standing on the north pole, the sun will rise, circle around you, and set in the same place.

    If you are standing on the geographic North Pole, the sun does not appear to rise and set over the course of the day. It is at approximately the same elevation all day, with the elevation varying slowly over the year. For half the year that elevation is above 0 deg and visible (it is now at the highest point), for the other half it is below the horizon all day.

    Dara

  • "What ever happened to the "Computer monitors emit UV and cause cancer" scare back in the early 90's"

    Not sure, but those LCD screens are getting cheaper and cheaper...
  • I think cnn is obfuscating the truth there (and not for the first time).

    Actually, its the wrappers which some tea bags come in. They are sort of silvery plastic, and can be used to look through, a little like using a compact disk.
    It was my understanding that it was the cheapest way to watch without going blind - not sure why the police are stealing them - perhaps they want their cut?
    If the news is anything to go by, they`ll have their work cut out for them, stopping all the looting and panic when it all goes dark. Apparantly there are several cults located in Africa which predict the end of the world whenever this sort of thing happens.
    A good day to stay indoors?
  • Repeat after me, there is no more scientific justification for a Solstice than there is for the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus or Atlantis.

    What, apart from the bit about the time between sunrise and sunset being longer than any other day of the year?

    There's no justification for Wednesdays, Thanksgiving or Christmas, but solstices and equinoxes are a physics thang.

    TomV

  • Also, drink some impure water to contract amoebic dysentery to get the full "I went to Zambia to see the eclipse and all I got was this life-threatening case of diarrhea" experience.

    Dave Conrad aka Dr. A. van Code
    Well a friend of a friend of a friend told me

  • Ok mom.
  • Scientific justification? Umm... it HAPPENS. It OCCURS. It EXISTS. Apogee is enough justification enough for me.

    New Agey? Did you bother to pay attention to the topic? It's an eclipse, stupid! Something every solar scientist creams his jeans to experience (since about 70% of eclipses can only be seen from the ocean, making it rather difficult to set up a stationary observatory). If you're just a beginner, check http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/soho/index2.html [nasa.gov]. If you know what I'm talking about, you already know where to look.

    The fact that it's solstice time also means something scientific: a more direct picture. We'uns about as close as we gonna gets, and what better time to study the corona (or start working on your skin cancer)?

    The solstice is also about the only time of year Finns ever talk to each other. W-A-Y up north in Finland, there's a party goin' on (has been for a couple weeks) and will keep going on because at 2a.m., it's still light out. And at 4a.m. And 5a.m. Big fun for another few weeks. It's weird.

    I'll respond (read: feed the trolls), but your post ain't worth wasting mod points on.

    woof.

    Flaming Taco around here is getting to be like flaming Micro$oft: Almost everyone's doing it, those who don't are chastised, and no one pays attention to the point of the matter!

  • God bless those pagans.
  • The Sys Admin has a very weird idea about locking down the network
    ---
  • Don't you already have a nice tan from the glow of your monitor??? C'MON!! I thought you were a computer nerd!
  • If they turned that gawd awful music off they could probably get more people connected to their video stream! I mean..bongos..they are an instrument..but no one said you had to play them the whole song!
  • Its the added music man..I mean, we're looking for quality here!! ;) I bet your mountain thingie doesn't come with music.
  • Are you a moron? ANY time the moon passes between the earth and sun, it's an eclipse. The moon is always "full". None of it goes away just because you don't see it in the sky... When it's not considered "full", the shadow of the earth is on it...

  • Well, perhaps it's better that they have an audio stream - that way they can pay for the streaming with an audio ad "This lunar event was proudly brought to you by Joe's!"..

    Yes... Much more preferable to have an audio stream - it will avoid them having to superimpose "EAT AT JOE's" in bold, bright flashing lights over the corona :)

  • Ur (Score:5)

    by KhaliF ( 160350 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @02:34AM (#136043) Homepage
    Work? turn off the computer?, go outside?, get a tan?

    A geek craves not these things :)
  • NO. If the shadow of the Earth is on the moon that is called a ECLIPSE as well.

    Moon phases are that way because the sun is shining on that side of the object.

    A eclipse of the sun ALWAYS occurs during a new moon, it is impossible otherwise.

    BASIC PHYSICS AND COMMON SENSE

    Also, its EXTREMELY SAD, that once again this Slashdot thread is completely polluted with STUPID (read NOT FUNNY) high rated posts. (Especially the OLD, RECYCLED once.) It's sad. Perhaps 'something funny' is the highest order reason a slashdot moderator can handle?

    I got to see a very high quality clip of the event on the CNN. It brought tears to my eyes, but I don't expect it did that for you simps. But if you don't understand what is going on, you group an eclipse together with going to McDonalds and ordering a 10% beef hamburger.
  • At least check out the stream for the great local music, an occaissional cough into the mic, or a conversation in a language no one can understand. I think they just gave a camera to locals and just told them to point it at the "great yellow light in the sky".
  • Ah-ha! And everyone one scoffed when I bought a monitor with phenomenaly high levels of radioactive emissions! Now who'll get the best of both worlds? I'll get to stay inside and get a tan! Ah-ha!

    Wait... I'm missing the point, aren't I?
  • And by changing the bgcolor value to #FFFFFF you have a live feed of a closeup of the sun.


    ---
  • See here [nasa.gov]. Appearently Nigeria is not in the total zone.
  • Here [african-eclipse.com] is an even better map with some more information.
  • It was already over when I read this article. Now I'll have to wait for my next chance to convince the ever-shrinking pool of primitive peoples that I am a god who controls the sun.

  • I was in the north of Scotland then, up around 57 degrees. Warm, sunny, 2 oktas cloud cover...
    It was pretty strange, the colour temperature of the light stayed really blue as the eclipse progressed but got dimmer and colder. At totality, the sun was still pretty bright, but noticeably less so than even 15 minutes before. If I'd thought about it, I'd have taken my lightmeter to work with me...
    Although the birds didn't go to their nests and roost, they did become more "subdued", and of course the D*MN MIDGIES came out!
  • Repeat after me, there is no more scientific justification for a Solstice than there is for the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus or Atlantis.

    What, other than the Earth being at apogee? I think a quick course in Basic Astronomy would do you some good...

  • i'm in south africa. here in johannesburg, we got a partial eclipse ... not that grand really ... it was a nice an glorious sunny winter day and things began to dim a bit as the sun was "not as bright as usual". it lasted for a at least an hour. however it was work as usual ... occasianally, we went to the sunny end of the office to see how things are going. but, it was work as usual. I can't wait till the end of next year, i here the north end of our country will have a total eclipse. I'll be sure to be arround :) !include cool_sig.htm
  • From your link:
    "One serious sunburn can increase the risk by as much as 50%"

    Okay. Hmm.

    1. What is a "serious" sunburn?
    2. What are the baseline risks to begin with?
    3. Can other types of skin burns (From hot oil, etc.) cause cancer? (Yes, I know USED motor oil "has been found to cause cancer in rats", but I don't swim around in it like the rats do either)

    Also, it says:
    "1 out of 7 people in the United States will develop some form of this cancer during their lifetime"

    Again, defined by whom?

    I am not saying there isn't a risk, but I sure would appreciate references for the sources. Until I can get reliable and credible information, I will not be scared into beleiving there's a crisis.

    What ever happened to the "Computer monitors emit UV and cause cancer" scare back in the early 90's?

    Enjoy!
  • loved the Bonnie Tyler reference!
  • I'm sitting in Lagos, Nigeria. Anyone know how good the eclipse will be here?
  • The following happened about two years ago, when we had a total solar eclipse over here in Switzerland:

    Some friends and me were discussing the event. The question "how do you know when a total solar eclipse is going to occur?" was raised. One of the girls, and she was not kidding, said "well, a total solar eclipse happens only if there is a full moon."

  • Solar eclipse over the web (Score:5)

    by Phillip2 ( 203612 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @02:50AM (#136058)
    Right so viewing a solar eclipse in a 100x50 window, with the screen refreshing every 5 seconds is going to convey the experience really well.

    I am selling 5cm high plastic replicas of Everest if anyone is interested. Why take the risk of climbing the real thing, when you can get the experience from your home in comfort and safety?

    Phil

  • They made them to sell lots of money to the millions of people that flocked to cornwall for the eclipse (heh!). basicly like looking through a black plastic bag.

    AS the previous poster said, the danger is nothing to do with looking at the sun (I do it every day driving west at night/east in the "morning"). The danger is when you look when its dark, your pupils are dilated, to let more light in for more detail. When the sun emerges after totality, your iris is open wide, and you get a lot of sunlight in - causing the problems. The "hysteria" in 99 was media induced, most people ignored it (and the cloud didnt do much). You still got the people frightened to go outside, or even looking at the /TV/ with the goggles on, but most people had the brains to realise what is safe.

    Gotta go, make bzImage just error 2'ed
  • Southern chilie has about 3 hours of daylight today, and north Norway has another couple of months :)

    I remember the August 99 eclipse, very wierd, but you have to be there to appreciate it, in the space of a couple of minutes it goes from light to pitch black and back, the wildlife gets confused, and its very freaky. Goes windy and cold too.

    Of course, British weather being what it is meant that we had about 3000 metres of cloud cover. Made it spookier in some ways.
  • >turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.

    Can't. Work won't let me.

    *tugs on chains binding him to desk*

    Dang, I really need to use the restroom too....

    *eyes plant in corner of office*


  • Just remembered one of the greatest lines from the Simpsons' episode, "Who Shot Mr Burns, Part 1".
    Mr Burns: Have you ever seen the sun set at noon?

    Sailor dude: Argh, once, when i was sailing around the north po...

    Mr. Burns: (interrupting) Oh shut-up you!

  • Mars also... (Score:5)

    by tsmit ( 222375 ) <tsmit50&yahoo,com> on Thursday June 21, 2001 @02:52AM (#136063) Homepage
    Heard on the radio on the drive in this morning, Mars is going to be the closest to earth it has been in some large number of years.
    If it's clear tonight, an average telescope should be able to pick up the polar ice caps.


    Of course, this is also the day that if you're standing on the north pole, the sun will rise, circle around you, and set in the same place. Weird day all over the place.
  • on cnn.com...cops confiscated something like 1500 fake 'protective sunglasses' for watching the exlipse made with, get this, tea bags. 'Street Kids' are credited with the crimes. I bet they chop your eyes balls out for something like that over there...who knows. anyways:
    http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/06/21/angola.so lar.eclipse/

    "Pussy: You spend 9 months trying to get out of it, and the rest of your life trying to get back in..."

  • Make your own live feed (Score:5)

    by Codeala ( 235477 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @02:38AM (#136065)
    <html>
    <head>
    <title>Total Solar Eclipse Live Feed</title>
    </head>
    <body bgcolor="#000000">
    </body>
    </html>

    ====
  • In Oslo (norway) you can see the eclipse live at the IMAX theatre. Too bad I have to work, that would be bether than streaming on my PC.

  • No waaaaay! (Score:3)

    by imipak ( 254310 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @02:32AM (#136067) Journal

    > turn off the computer, go outside, get a tan.

    What? You think I want to get cancer [maui.net] -- let alone fall behind the constant stream of exciting news and events [slashdot.org] from the world of science and technology??

    I'm sorry, but I'm smarter than that! ;-)
    --
    "I'm not downloaded, I'm just loaded and down"

  • Cowboy Neal has just announced that he's undergoing a "total eclipse of the heart."

    To avoid occular damage, please do not look directly at him, during this event or otherwise.

  • Here's hoping for clear skies over Madagascar and Zimbabwe!
  • I was watching a, rather jerky, webcast with RealPlayer. It got to the point of total eclipse and I was rather impressed that it managed to adjust the gain correctly so that you could see the corona. Not quite the same as the real thing (which I've experienced only once).

    Anyway, 1 minute into this real player crashed in a heap and then I couldn't reconnect.

    Conclusion? The feed was solar powered :-)

  • Quick comment re: eyes (Score:3)

    by freeweed ( 309734 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @04:37AM (#136071)
    Just had to make sure this gets said, as every time an eclipse happens, the same bull is repeated. The radiation from the sun cannot get any stronger during an eclipse than it is normally. It is perfectly safe to glance up directly at the sun for a brief moment, just don't stare at the damn thing! During an eclipse (even without totality), it is even more safe, as more and more of the radiation gets blocked by the moon.

    Yes, I'm still very bitter about missing my (probably) one and only full eclipse in 1979, as my luddite parents were CONVINCED that looking directly at an eclipse would burn your eyes out. The trick is to look away BEFORE the sun re-emerges, so that the sudden glare doesn't blind you!

  • We'uns about as close as we gonna gets
    Nope, sorry. Actually, the Earth is furthest away from the sun right now. Solstice is when the Northern Hemisphere is most inclined towards the sun, giving maximum possible daylight. 11th Grade Astronomy is a wonderful thing.

    "What are we going to do tonight, Bill?"

  • Great... (Score:3)

    by JediTrainer ( 314273 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @02:54AM (#136073)
    Perfect. A streaming site showing a cool live event, and we have to make it suffer the /. effect so nobody gets to see it!

    :)
  • UTC doesn't have daylight saving time so EDT=UTC-5 not 4.
  • ok you're right I missed a timezone there :-)
  • $EST = $UTC - 5; $EDT = $EST + 1; print "You're wrong" if ($EDT == $UTC - 4);
  • Printed without permission from www.m-w.com (Merriam Webster, the dictionary people.)

    Main Entry: solstice
    Pronunciation: 'säl-st&s, 'sOl-, 'sol-
    Function: noun
    Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin solstitium, from sol sun + -stit-, -stes standing; akin to Latin stare to stand -- more at SOLAR, STAND

    Date: 13th century
    1 : either of the two points on the ecliptic at which its distance from the celestial equator is greatest and which is reached by the sun each year about June 22d and December 22d
    2 : the time of the sun's passing a solstice which occurs about June 22d to begin summer in the northern hemisphere and about December 22d to begin winter in the northern hemisphere

    Read a book!
  • You can see converage from a local South Florida community college's [cc.fl.us] expedition at profjohn.com [profjohn.com]
  • I heard bad things can happen!
  • This is the only time that you can see the corona, which is why astronomers get so excited when a solar eclipse [howstuffworks.com] is about to occur.
  • to all you pagans out there. Anybody know any songs?
  • Of course, this is also the day that if you're standing on the north pole, the sun will rise, circle around you, and set in the same place. Weird day all over the place.

    What you describe is true if you're standing on th e polar circle, not the North Pole. And if you live north of the polar circle, you get to see this many times.

  • How am I supposed to get any work done at work today? I've never seen a full eclipse so I guess there will be really bad problems with the server today, might have to take it down for awhile, hope no one minds. You people sure are making it tough on me. Oh well, I am Jack's complete lack of suprise.

  • More than just seeing it. (Score:5)

    by standards ( 461431 ) on Thursday June 21, 2001 @02:48AM (#136088)
    It's incredible how much good science comes out of solar eclipses. My organization has brought our approx. 1000 kg dimotrian telescope from Texas to central Africa so we can study the plasma winds of the sun - in hopes to determine some of those picky nuclear details of the sun.

    See http://stardate.utexas.edu/resources/ssguide/sun.h tml [utexas.edu]

    It is exciting to see a solar eclipse for 15 minutest, and then spend the balance of the time exploring a very interesting continent.

    Too bad I couldn't go.

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