Total Solar Eclipse

[yogi]

The next one will be August 21, 2017. According to the map, totality will be right over my new home in Missouri. I'm not sure this is a good thing or not.

Have you ever seen a total eclipse of the sun, and are you still talking about it?

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160821.html

[Icey]

This's a video of the one which occurred on August 11th 1999, best seen down in Cornwall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBIyYCdwX1k

[pilvikki]

I've seen a few, but still remember the first one I saw when I was either or 8. viewed through a smoked glass. yeah, I know, but then we didn't.

then there was one maybe 15 years ago: out on the trail with my neighbour and we stopped because something felt funny. it had been a bright, sunny day, but got "cloudy" with a clear sky. so we stood there - and the forest was dead quiet. I mean, a total, enveloping silence. that's when we realized there was an eclipse.

bizarre.

my favourites are the blood orange moon eclipses.

[tomsk]

What Century was that in Vikki?
Arf,arf.....just kidding sweet pea..
The last one here was in 1999 you say Icey?
Great Scott as long ago as that??? time flies....I remember that one as it was quite eerie as you could see it begiining to happen and the out line of the Keith Moon encroaching on the surface of the Sun...

No Dennis, it will be really exciting but spectral too...send us some photos whe nit happens please...

[Icey]

Yes, it's brilliant that you'll hopefully get a really good view Yogi. Folk over here seem interested in them because we watch televised eclipses from around the world, but then we just kind of forget them until next time.

The one on 1999 WAS a good one though Tomsk. My sister went down to Lizard Point for the sole purpose of seeing it.

[yogi]

No Dennis, it will be really exciting but spectral too...send us some photos whe nit happens please...

So ... how do you take pictures of the sun without it burning a hole in your camera or your eyes?

[tomsk]

Don't you do it ,
I mean't from the news/media...

[yogi]

That's probably how it will happen, but I'd like to know how to do it anyway

[Icey]

http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/ecli ... afety.html

http://www.mreclipse.com/SEphoto/SEphoto.html

[yogi]

Thank you for the resources Icey. Unfortunately, the exposure time calculation given in the article is questionable. They show:

The more familiar method is probably more accurate:

[Icey]

OMG ..... you did that on purpose!

[yogi]

I have no idea what either one means. lol

[Icey]

And I ... certainly haven't! LOL. That lower equation looks completely unfathomable to me! : )

[yogi]

The formulas look worse than they are. That bottom one is the summation of something plus the square root of something divided by the speed of light squared. Well, I'm guessing the term 'C' is the speed of light but I could be wrong about that.

[Icey]

Yogi, your approach to such things is commendable, because you're able to follow the rules of equations and at least get an idea of what they mean, whether you try working them out or not. At school, I could manage the basic ones in both maths and physics, but all too soon, the familiar fog came down and crowded my brain into retreat! It was actually a horrible feeling, and one which I was unable to shift. No one can understand the paralysis unless they've experienced it, but I had a near epiphany when I was forced to help our youngest son with his final maths work. For some incredible reason, I was able to stay calm and look at the problems logically - hence producing answers which were over 80% correct. For me, that was almost a moment of great celebration! : )

[pilvikki]

but why are the pix over the bin?

[Icey]

??

[yogi]

but why are the pix over the bin?

It has to do with resolution of the final product. The number of pix will affect the time it takes to capture the light projected upon them. Of course other things affect resolution as well, such as bin. Thus you have to take that into account.

[pilvikki]

I see...

or not.

my math education didn't go any further than simple algebra and geometry. which I've likely forgotten most of, because, surprise, I never used any of it, except the x...

[Icey]

Some look worse than others. I suppose that if you understand what to do with each one, then they're OK., but.... I mean ....