[LeatherTrumpet]

are you ready for the D A R K





it will be around 9.30 depending on where you live - need to be careful if driving!

You may recall the hoo ha in 1999?

[LeatherTrumpet]

[Livia]

Is it the end of the world again?

[Kizzy]

The March 20 total solar eclipse event will be the first since Nov. 3, 2013. The dark umbral shadow cone of the moon will trace a curved path primarily over the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, beginning off the southern tip of Greenland and then winding its way counterclockwise to the northeast, passing between Iceland and the United Kingdom.
The shadow will then pass over the Danish-owned Faroe Islands, the sparsely inhabited Norwegian island group of Svalbard and then it will hook counterclockwise toward the northwest, where it leaves the Earth’s surface just short of the North Pole.'

http://www.space.com/28820-total-sol...arch-2015.html

[LeatherTrumpet]

i think toysoldier posted this but its worth a repost as its mind boggling

[Kizzy]

The size of that pic is...

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

The size of that pic is...

welp

it was a big bigger than i expected


thats what she said

[arista]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

are you ready for the D A R K





it will be around 9.30 depending on where you live - need to be careful if driving!

You may recall the hoo ha in 1999?

So long as its not Cloudy on Friday AM

[Suze]

You need Josy's help resizing you, LT

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by Suze

You need Josy's help resizing you, LT

she cannot handle my massive venus

[JoshBB]

this eclipse thing is really exciting.

apparently you shouldn't take pictures though because it damages your phone?

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by JoshBB

this eclipse thing is really exciting.

apparently you shouldn't take pictures though because it damages your phone?

damage your eyes more like

[JoshBB]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

damage your eyes more like

i know that's true,

but how about the phone thing? or is that just a ploy by my physics teacher to stop us getting our phones out

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by JoshBB

i know that's true,

but how about the phone thing? or is that just a ploy by my physics teacher to stop us getting our phones out

yes

unless you have a solar filter you will not be able to take a pic anyroad

[Josy]

Really hoping we don't have a lot of cloud cover tomorrow, but normally when stuff like this happens we always do

A near-total solar eclipse will occur in the skies above Britain this week, prompting warnings about the dangers of watching the spectacle without taking precautions.


The eclipse will begin around 8.30am on Friday and last for two hours as the moon moves in front of the Sun.

The proportion of the Sun covered by the moon will increase the further north you are.

In London, 84% of the Sun will be covered, while in Edinburgh the proportion is 93%.

The last solar eclipse of such significance took place in August 1999, when a total eclipse occurred.

Tour operators have organised trips based around the event, which will briefly allow the Sun's outer atmosphere to be seen.

Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), who will be travelling on the P&O cruise ship Oriana to witness the eclipse, said the event will be "memorable".

"We won't experience totality in the UK, but it will still be a memorable event," he said.

"Depending on where you are, up to 90% of the Sun will be covered over."

Organised events are being held in London's Regent's Park and the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

In the lead up to the event, experts have offered advice on safety and warned of the perils of Sun-watching.

A spokeswoman for The Royal College of Ophthalmologists said: "The general public must remember that they should not look directly at the Sun or at a solar eclipse, either with the naked eye, even if dark filters such as sunglasses or photographic negatives are used, nor through optical equipment such as cameras, binoculars or telescopes.

"There is no safe system to directly view an eclipse.

"Particular care should be taken with children. Children should not be allowed to look directly at the Sun at any time."

Sky weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "It is too early to give a detailed forecast for Friday morning's solar eclipse but the general theme is for a northwesterly breeze to bring in fairly cloudy skies.

"Weakening fronts are also likely to spread in some rain, although there is still a chance that most places will be dry.

"The best of any clear/sunny spells at this stage looks set to be across central and southwestern areas."


Read more here

http://news.sky.com/story/1445691/so...ble-but-beware

[Glenn.]

They give mist and cloud where I am so Im not expecting to see it. Plus I'm in the half of the country which will only see 85% of the sun covered.

[Liam-]

Here for random people around the world being brought together through the discovery that the eclipse has given them powers..

That would make a cracking plot for a TV show

[LeatherTrumpet]

remember and dont look at it with the naked eye

[Livia]

Looking forward to this. The programme with Brian Cox and Dara O'Briain was great last night with the legend Buzz Aldrin as a guest.

[James]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

remember and dont look at it with the naked eye

Project it through a hole in a piece of paper to see it. Or use a colander from your kitchen, and you'll see lots of little suns. I did that in '99.

[Suze]

Won't this smog now affect the visibility?

[Livia]

Looking through a strip of undeveloped 35mm film works.

[LeatherTrumpet]

[James]

Originally Posted by Livia

Looking through a strip of undeveloped 35mm film works.

According to this - http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=uk - you shouldn't use film?

Unsafe filters include all color film, black-and-white film that contains no silver, photographic negatives with images on them (x-rays and snapshots), smoked glass, sunglasses (single or multiple pairs), photographic neutral density filters and polarizing filters. Most of these transmit high levels of invisible infrared radiation which can cause a thermal retinal burn

[Kizzy]

Stay safe when viewing the eclipse
Observers must take care when taking photos of the eclipse on digital devices, as eye experts have warned that doing so could cause blindness. Skygazers have been told to not look directly at the sun when they take selfies and other photographs, as doing so can lead to burns at the back of the eye, even with the use of dark sunglasses.

Though looking at the eclipse on a screen is not dangerous in itself, it might lead to inadvertently looking at it in the process of trying to capture the perfect shot.

When viewing the eclipse, you can use a homemade pinhole camera and face away from the sun.


http://www.theguardian.com/science/2...u-need-to-know

Youtube video