Partial Solar Eclipse, North America - Monday, June 10, 2002

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ABEL

An Angel In Devil's Shoes
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An annular eclipse of the Sun -- one in which the Moon does not completely cover up the Sun -- will occur during the day on Monday, June 10, 2002. The partial phases of this eclipse will be visible just before sunset throughout most of North America.

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OBSERVATION SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

The safest and most inexpensive of these methods is by projection, in which a pinhole or small opening is used to cast the image of the Sun on a screen placed a half-meter or more beyond the opening. Projected images of the Sun may even be seen on the ground in the small openings created by interlacing fingers, or in the dappled sunlight beneath a leafy tree. Binoculars can also be used to project a magnified image of the Sun on a white card, but you must avoid the temptation of using these instruments for direct viewing.

The Sun can be viewed directly only when using filters specifically designed for this purpose. Such filters usually have a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver deposited on their surfaces that attenuates ultraviolet, visible, and infrared energy. One of the most widely available filters for safe solar viewing is a number 14 welder's glass, available through welding supply outlets. More recently, aluminized mylar has become a popular, inexpensive alternative. Mylar can easily be cut with scissors and adapted to any kind of box or viewing device. A number of sources for solar filters are listed below. No filter is safe to use with any optical device (i.e. - telescope, binoculars, etc.) unless it has been specifically designed for that purpose. Experienced amateur and professional astronomers may also use one or two layers of completely exposed and fully developed black-and-white film, provided the film contains a silver emulsion. Since all developed color films lack silver, they are always unsafe for use in solar viewing.

Unsafe filters include color film, some non-silver black and white film, medical x-ray films with images on them, smoked glass, photographic neutral density filters and polarizing filters. Solar filters designed to thread into eyepieces which are often sold with inexpensive telescopes are also dangerous. They should not be used for viewing the Sun at any time since they often crack from overheating. Do not experiment with other filters unless you are certain that they are safe. Damage to the eyes comes predominantly from invisible infrared wavelengths. The fact that the Sun appears dark in a filter or that you feel no discomfort does not guarantee that your eyes are safe. Avoid all unnecessary risks. Your local planetarium or amateur astronomy club is a good source for additional information.
 
beetlejuice.jpg


laura: *sees giant bug* *actually shrinks back in fear*

hi, my name is laura, and i have an unrational fear of harmless beings that i could just as easily smash with my pinky finger...*runs to zoo confessionals;)*
 
*bump*

btw, here in Texas (central time) the eclipse starts around 7:27pm...hope that helps
 
Thanks, I did not know that!

Does anyone remember the eclipse scene in The UF Documentary? I didn't see anyone but Adam and Brian Eno looking at it. I think maybe the others were afraid of burning out their eyes. Those precautions and list of what is safe and not safe are kind of scary. Then Adam pretended to go blind. Eno said, "now look what you've done with your bloody rock and roll, you've put out the sun!" It was funny!
 
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