Partial annular solar eclipse

[The_LED_Museum]

Anyone see it?

Figured that piece of sh*t telescope I got ripped off on last spring would come in useful some day. Works good for this.

Just checked again, and the sun has two new sunspots on it that weren't there 10 minutes ago, and appeared nowhere near the lunar disk so I know they weren't hidden.

 

[Greta]

We saw it here... used the old pinhole in a piece of paper technique... and also put on the Killer Loop shooting shades and looked directly at it...

... I know, I know... I'm gonna go blind now... but think about it!... Have any of you ever met a blind person who said that he went blind looking at a solar eclipse?... I rest my case!...

 

[The_LED_Museum]

I punched a hole in the center of a section of newspaper and put that around the barrel of my Meade 28X telescope (to act as a shade for the target), aimed at the sun, and shone the resulting image at a piece of paper a couple of feet away. That's how I obtained the photograph.

I shot off a couple of "rolls" worth of digipics during the first half, so I've got a few shots that show some nice sunspot activity going on before the spots were occulted by Luna. The picture above was taken at the moment of maximum occultation in the Seattle area.

The brightness variations on the solar disk in the picture are just high clouds in the area - there's nothing wrong with the sun.

 

[McGizmo]

Confirmed with Darell, we saw the same dang thing here in Ca. Must be a global event :-)

BTW, Sasha, the retina burn also causes muteness. That's why the blind haven't told you. The ones who can still talk lost it from that other no no.

Craig, thanks for the reassuring news on the sun.

 

[Darell]

Sheesh. This is how long it takes me to get around to all the interesting posts. Three days after the event, I'd like to add:

I've been told that I'll go blind for several moral infractions. Not once has the prediction proven true. Nobody ever seems as concerned about me looking right at the sun though...

Craig - The sun seemed to have been broken last night. Any insight? Maybe Graham was using it?

 

[lemlux]

Those of us on the east end of the Pacific Rim have all probably stared at sunsets as the ocean manages to swallow the sun without any visible or audible sizzling.

I'd like to think that when the sun is within 2 or 3 degrees of the horizon that all of the atmosphere that refracts a mostly red sun to us saves our vision by dispersing the nastiest UV radiation elsewhere. Has anyone read any comforting scientific treatise to this effect?

 

[Darell]

Now wait a second. I'm gonna have to work on just where the "East end of the Pacific Rim is." If you're gonna be actually looking East, you'll have to have some really good eyesight to see the sunset. But, if as I suspect, you're keeping your eyes on the back of your head, that would explain the lack of blind people in your area.

 

[lemlux]

Darrell:

That omnipresent sinuous River Delta you're next to has obviously confused you more than the more imposing Puget Sound confuses Craig.

Graham and Allan are at the West end of the Pacific Rim (although their local water surrounded geographies may confuse them too). That leaves those of us of us in California near the coast on the Eastern end. Don't feel badly. I understand from my Daughter in Davis that the weather has been over 100 degrees for much of the past week and one half. Please accept my sincere wishes that you soon recover from your obvious case of heat prostration disorientation.

 

[Darell]

I'd be just as happy if you left my prostrate out of this...

But hmmm (he says, stroking chin knowingly) I can see how what you say could be misconstrued from the obvious facts. Sure, have it your way. The sun sets at the East of something...

(As an aside to my non sequitur - today was a perfect day, and we should have the same again tomorrow for your visit. Today actually reminded me of my recent visit to San Diego - it was THAT nice).

 

[lemlux]

I always thought those of us with white hair (myself included) should be more sensitive about our prostates than those with younger families and personal plumbing. Are you also aging prematurely?

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by darell:
I'd be just as happy if you left my prostrate out of this...
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
We're calling the vocabulary police on you, darell

 

[DonL]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by darell:
... I've been told that I'll go blind for several moral infractions. Not once has the prediction proven true. Nobody ever seems as concerned about me looking right at the sun though...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Blind? I was always told I'd grow hair on my palms...

As for the eclipse, several of my friends and I hung out during the event with welder's goggles on, with no adverse effects to the retinas. I never quite got the hang of the shoebox/pinhole thing. I guess I'm incapable of being a little smarter than the shoebox...

 

[LEDagent]

....and this topic is now officially off topic.

THanks Darell?! hahahaha....

 

[Darell]

All in a day's work. Can you believe I do this stuff for free?

Wow.

Hair on your palms? That probably would have mended *my* ways. Going blind seemed insignificant at the time...