Partial Solar Eclipse August 01, 2008

[medegen]

I didn't see a post on it and I searched. People in Thailand will be able to see a RARE partial solar eclipse. It will happen in the evening before sunset at 5:55 PM to 6:30 PM. Remember not to stare directly at or it could injure your eyes or even make you blind. An example of what it will look like is below. If anyone knows where to get the special film glasses around Bangkok, please let me know. Thanks.

Edited July 30, 2008 by medegen

[sylviex]

Thanks for the alert.

[JetsetBkk]

If I understand this movie correctly, it won't be visible for long:

http://www.thaindian.com/news-snippet/part...t-1st-4836.html

[Cuban]

Again thanks for the heads up (!) - although propper glasses should be etc etc etc.....

A CD (DVD), some chip/crisp packets, deep tint on your car's windshield visor or a handy welder's mask can be used in these situations.

[cloudhopper]

Thanks. Nice graphic Jetset. I will be lucky to see anything here if the cloud cover is typical for that time and date though....

[JetsetBkk]

I've added a reminder to my PC, so I hope to get and post some pictures - cloud cover permitting, of course.

[eefoo]

Not forgetting the partial Lunar eclipse early morning of the 17th

NASA site for 2008's eclipses

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2008.html

Graphic of Aug 16th's Lunar eclipse

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot...E2008Aug16P.GIF

[Goshawk]

also, while the subject is celestial, check out the Perseid Meteor Shower..

active now (July 17 to August 24) and reaching their peak on the night of 12th August - expect to see 50-100 'shooting stars' every hour

the bright moon may interfere with observations slightly this year but in the pre-dawn sky, when it's low, should be as good as ever.

[Cuban]

Although the city lights of Bangkok and Pattaya normally screw up good 'seeing', I was in Pattaya for the mid-November Leonid shower about 7 years ago if I remember correctly. It was an exceptional display that year, sitting up at the top of the hill in South Pattaya with about 300 other people, shortly after 1am two large fireballs streamed across the sky fizzing as they passed. A brilliant show and one I doubt I will see again.

[cloudhopper]

Does anyone know what the approximate percent of totality today's solar eclipse will be as seen here in LOS?

[dingdongrb]

Does anyone know what the approximate percent of totality today's solar eclipse will be as seen here in LOS?

I don't know the percent for here in Thailand but it will not be all that grand as well as being coupled with the time nearer sunset as well. Maybe we'll just have night time a little sooner this evening.

But the best one of this century (for SE Asia) will be next summer (7/22/09) and will start around 9:30 AM where it should last for many (4 or 5) hours during the peak of it.

Edited August 1, 2008 by dingdongrb

[cloudhopper]

That does look like a good one all right - thanks. Well it's pouring rain here at the moment so I doubt we'll see much regardless....

[kmart]

The Thai-Chinese manager our other company reckons this eclipse is some sinister portent of doom in the Kingdom.

First time I've ever seen him wearing a yellow shirt to work today. He says that the eclipse is a very bad sign. blah blah. Anybody else found this amongst your Thai staff / associates?

[JetsetBkk]

Well, that was disappointing!

Total cloud cover - couldn't even see in which direction the sun was, let alone observe its shape.

Let's hope the next one's better. Nice pictures of it, on Thai TV news, from China.

I'll put a reminder in my PC about next year's one (22 July).

[hanno]

Complete non-event here in Vietnam, too; heavy cloud cover

[Crossy]

We were all set for a viewing, and could actually see the sun, until about 5.45 when a bloody great black cloud came and parked in front of it

I reckon it was one of alexlah's clouds 'coz it didn't budge even in the stong wind, until the sun had actually set whereupon it promptly vanished.

[Insight]

Thanks for the heads up. I remember one in the UK during 1999 - the inside, magnetic part of a floppy disk worked perfectly for protective eye-wear...

[Cuban]

If anyone knows where to get the special film glasses around Bangkok, please let me know. Thanks.

It was only when I got home last night, well after first first contact - as it was darker than normal at that time of the evening, and standing on the bedroom balcony that I thought to make a pinhole camera. Probably the best way to observe solar events. And also allows you to use a pencil etc. to point out features etc.

I only post here to act as a reminder next year.

Pinhole Camera. Solar Observing.

Edited August 2, 2008 by Cuban

[Cuban]

Thai custom: Talking about this in the office today, it seems when these events occur the 'old' Thai custom is to tap or bang things during the eclipse for the inevitable 'Good Luck'. People suggested tapping my wallet for good fortune.

I understand in India the custom is to bang etc. to make noise to chase away the demon that has swallowed the Sun.

[Daffy D]

My wife as soon as I told her about the eclipse, after reading about it here, put on a yellow shirt.

The eclipse is bad luck or something, just hope the yellow shirt is strong enough to combat the evil forces unleashed.

Unfortunately down here in the south there was too much cloud cover to see it. Does the bad luck count if you don’t actually witness the eclipse?

Edited August 2, 2008 by Daffy D

[dingdongrb]

If anyone knows where to get the special film glasses around Bangkok, please let me know. Thanks.

It was only when I got home last night, well after first first contact - as it was darker than normal at that time of the evening, and standing on the bedroom balcony that I thought to make a pinhole camera. Probably the best way to observe solar events. And also allows you to use a pencil etc. to point out features etc.

I only post here to act as a reminder next year.

Pinhole Camera. Solar Observing.

Another way to view a solar eclipse is by using a pair of binoculars. Here's a pic I took while viewing a full eclipse back in 2002. This picture was taken only shortly after the eclipse began.. (Of course don't look into the binoculars, use them to project the sun onto an object. In this pic the object was my privacy fence.)

[katana]

Saw it in the UK when there was a break in the clouds. Was only about 12% at totality, but was pretty impressive.