Partial Solar Eclipse In Phuket On Wednesday

[LivinginKata]

Friday, July 17, 2009

Partial solar eclipse in Phuket on Wednesday

A view of the eclipse that took place on January 26 this year, with the Mingmongkol Buddha image in the foreground. Photo by Sakorn Saengtongsamarnsin.

PHUKET CITY: Weather permitting, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Phuket on Wednesday morning.

The eclipse, blocking about 20% of the sun at its peak at 8.10am, will last around six minutes.

Rajabhat Phuket University is hosting a viewing event at the traffic circle in front of the Dean’s Office on the Rajabhat campus.

Assistant Professor Sakchai Phetchuai from the Department of Physics said all schools in Phuket have been invited to attend.

The event is also open to the general public. Eye protection will be provided free of charge.

A total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China and Japan.

Parts of northern Thailand will have as much as 60% blockage.

The eclipse is the longest that will occur in the 21^st Century, lasting for up to 6 minutes 39 seconds in areas where it is total.

Given that the eclipse falls during the the 43nd Asean Ministers Meetings underway from today at Laguna Phuket, residents are strongly advised not to discharge firearms into the sky during the eclipse.

The island is on heightened security status under the provisions of the Internal Security Act invoked by Cabinet from July 10 to 24.

Traditional Thai and Chinese belief is that a solar eclipse is caused by a great celestial dragon attacking the sun, attempting to consume it.

It is therefore the responsibility of good citizens to try to frighten the giant away by making noise: banging cooking pots, lighting fireworks and, more recently, shooting into the air. – Dan Waites and Kitima Pornmongkhonwat

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-07-17

[ScubaBuddha]

I was wondering how we could have two solar eclipses in the span of 1 month. Then just realized it didn't happen on June 22nd like The Nation was reporting.

[Valentine]

Does one still need special eyewear when viewing just a partial eclipse?

[billythehat]

Does one still need special eyewear when viewing just a partial eclipse?

Aye, indeed you do, lad, indeed you do.

Viewing the partly-eclipsed Sun without protective equipment will result in a retinal burn.

Depending on how long the retina is exposed to the Sun, this injury may cause permanent damage to vision.

There is no pain when the retina is being burned, and the resulting visual symptoms do not occur until at least several hours after the injury has occurred - by which time it is far too late.

Special eclipse viewers made of either aluminised polyester or a very dark polymer material are available but these cannot be guaranteed to be totally safe.

Don't use dangerous substitute filters.

Materials that should not be used as solar filters include:

sunglasses

photographic neutral density filters

smoked glass

polarizing filters

compact discs

floppy disk media

black colour film

any black and white film negatives bearing images.

Most health professionals recommend the simple pinhole viewer. You can make this with a cardboard box or with two pieces of stiff card (plenty of rubbish freely available on the Island). Punch a tiny hole in one of the cards and, with your back to the Sun, hold the card up so that light falls through the hole, projecting an inverted image on to the other card. Do not look at the Sun through the pinhole.

Should you see 'Somchai Tuk Tuk Moto Sai' staring at the heavens wearing just his 100 Baht Bangla Special Shades, just smile......don't want to start a possible confrontation...heh, heh..

Oh, and welders filters, shade numbers 12, 13, or 14 can also be used.

Edited July 18, 2009 by billythehat