Solar Eclipse 22nd July 2009

[iainiain101]

I was just wondering if anyone knew to what extent we will see the eclipse here in Chiang Mai?

To me it looks like occuring 7am ish on the morning of the 22nd for around 6 minutes and being about a 70% eclipse here in Chiang Mai. I am prepared and expecting to be corrected on this.

Anyone know of the best viewing point assuming no cloud cover? I was in London for the partial eclipse in 1999, that day it was very cloudy and it was very eyrie.

Lastly, is there a cheap / easy option to go somewhere to experience the total eclipse?

Thanks

Iain

[Greenside]

I was just wondering if anyone knew to what extent we will see the eclipse here in Chiang Mai?

To me it looks like occuring 7am ish on the morning of the 22nd for around 6 minutes and being about a 70% eclipse here in Chiang Mai. I am prepared and expecting to be corrected on this.

Anyone know of the best viewing point assuming no cloud cover? I was in London for the partial eclipse in 1999, that day it was very cloudy and it was very eyrie.

Lastly, is there a cheap / easy option to go somewhere to experience the total eclipse?

Thanks

Iain

China Eastern will get you to Shanghai from BKK and they'll be getting 5 minutes plus of total eclipse there. That's possibly not the cheap option you were looking for, although it is pretty easy and Shanghai is an interesting city to explore.. Said to be the longest total eclipse expected in this century.

Edited July 6, 2009 by Greenside

[Tywais]

I posted a link in the News Clipping Eclipse topic that shows the coverage > Solar Eclipse Thailand

[lukeskywalker]

One of the coolest I've ever seen was a picture taken from space of earth of the shadow cover all over most of Western Europe while the rest of the picture was normally lite. It was like a black hole was on the earth. I will try to find that picture again, it really helps to explain how the shadow works and why only certain people get to see the entire eclipse.

Maybe someone with more time can find it. I found it on NASA.com or Space.com I think. It's worth the search.

I found the pics, check out these links:

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/145622m...re_538_ys_4.jpg

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/im...E-21351_lrg.jpg

http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Eclipse/eclipse-1999.jpg

And here's link to 22Jul eclipse:

http://www.chinahighlights.com/deals/solar-eclipse.htm

Looks like it will be about 8:10 a.m. our time (We are +7 UTC)

Edited July 17, 2009 by lukeskywalker

[DavidOxon]

Looks like it will be about 8:10 a.m. our time (We are +7 UTC)

Hi Skywalker . . . .##would be useful to know where your time is . . .!

And as the world takes its relevant times +/- GMT

Thailand I believe is normally GMT+7 - What is UTC?

thanks

David

[DavidOxon]

OK . . . answered my own question!

UTC replaced GMT as the basis for the main reference time scale or civil time in various regions on January 1, 1972.

Coordinated Universal Time - UTC!

David

[Mapguy]

Unless some people take the AAA pledge, they might not see this event regardless of the time of day.

[iainiain101]

If you are interested, welding goggles are available at 59Baht from Global House.

Iain

[maxrtt]

There's a chart from NARIT on different provinces of start time, peak, and percentage...

www.zonesociety.com/zoneeng/article.php?id=3451

[jaideeguy]

@ 7am, the sun will most probably be behind clowds and very low on the horison.....so do you still need eye protection??

[canuckamuck]

Yes you will need eye protection, a 60% eclipse will fool your eyes, they will let in enough rays to damage your retinas. I knew a guy who lost his vision because of this. The danger is real.

[jaideeguy]

OK CK, thanks for that info on eye damage. My vision is shot, but it's my kids that I worry about. Will try the old pin hole method, unless I can find some 'antique' film, which brings up another question.....can it be photographed with a digital camera??? what setting??

And one final qestion.....what is the EXACT time as we'll drive the kids to school tomorrow and try to find an open viewing area.

[Tywais]

OK CK, thanks for that info on eye damage. My vision is shot, but it's my kids that I worry about. Will try the old pin hole method, unless I can find some 'antique' film, which brings up another question.....can it be photographed with a digital camera??? what setting??

Photographing an eclipse

[Tywais]

Pinhole camera techniques:

"One safe way of enjoying the Sun during a partial eclipse--or anytime--is a "pinhole camera," which allows you to view a projected image of the Sun. There are fancy pinhole cameras you can make out of cardboard boxes, but a perfectly adequate (and portable) version can be made out of two thin but stiff pieces of white cardboard. Punch a small clean pinhole in one piece of cardboard and let the sunlight fall through that hole onto the second piece of cardboard, which serves as a screen, held below it. An inverted image of the Sun is formed. To make the image larger, move the screen farther from the pinhole. To make the image brighter, move the screen closer to the pinhole. Do not make the pinhole wide or you will only have a shaft of sunlight rather than an image of the crescent Sun. Remember, this instrument is used with your back to the Sun. The sunlight passes over your shoulder, through the pinhole, and forms an image on the cardboard screen beneath it. Do not look through the pinhole at the Sun. "

More here

and here

[lukeskywalker]

@ 7am, the sun will most probably be behind clowds and very low on the horison.....so do you still need eye protection??

clowds

horison

do you need eye protection to stare at the sun?

All I can say is....wow.

[NHJ]

is there a website with the exact time it should start in thailand? i'm living in surat thani if that can help.

[Tywais]

is there a website with the exact time it should start in thailand? i'm living in surat thani if that can help.

I posted this link earlier in another eclipse topic.

You can scroll down and select the city you are in, including Thailand, and see an animation of the coverage you can expect in your location.

2009 Eclipse path

[bojo]

ian101 wasn't joking about the welding goggles. I was thinking about getting up early for a photo opportunity but after checking out the link in one of this thread's post regarding photographing solar eclipses, I think I shall give it a miss. Blindness can occur in some cases a few hours after exposure.

Not worth taking the chance me thinks, I'll leave it up to the experts. Hope I'm not scaremongering.

regards bojo

[bloody tiger]

@ 7am, the sun will most probably be behind clowds and very low on the horison.....so do you still need eye protection??

clowds

horison

do you need eye protection to stare at the sun?

All I can say is....wow.

soeme peepel knot two edgeamakated

[eek]

Morning guys.

For those of you up wishing to see the eclipse but no safe way of doing so, you can watch a live broadcast via links below. (No live cam for Chiang Mai or Thailand that i can see, sadly, but im sure there will be many videos of it later. If anyone has a better link, please post! )

Im just going to sit and watch the sky get a bit darker but watch the actual eclipse online. Safest way i think.

Webcasts

Grupo Saros (China - Wuhan) http://www.saros.org/index.html

Eclipse City (China - Shanghai) http://www.eclipse-tv.com/

Live! Eclipse 2009 (Japan) http://www.live-eclipse.org/

SEMS-Sun Earth Moon Systems (University of North Dakota): http://sems1.cs.und.edu/~sems/index.php

This year and other years Eclipses': http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/index.html

Edited July 22, 2009 by eek

[eek]

Anyone see anything?

[wolf5370]

Anyone see anything?

Got uo at 5am to get kids ready for school with intentions of watching it (very cloudy though) - but, erm, I fell asleep and missed it

[K2K]

Shame about the light clouds ... this is the best pic I managed:

[iainiain101]

Even with the clouds, it did look good through the goggles.

If you missed it, the next one is 15th January next year when hopefully there will be less clouds.

Iain