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No mention from anybody of yesterday's celestial event?



I am disappoint....

At any rate, we are now in countdown at a little over 5 years until a total solar eclipse will be visible in North America. In fact, there is a small area near St Louis that will be able to see TWO total solar eclipses in a 7 year span (21 Aug, 2017 & 08 Apr, 2024), a fact that I find remarkable.

A fine resource for both solar & lunar eclipses: http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/

Edit: NM - I notice a few comments at the tail end of the Whine like a baby thread... still inadequate.

Too cloudy in Shanghai to see. What a surprise,

Too cloudy to see in Brussels. What a surprise,

The clouds here had gaps big enough to attempt a viewing, but I didn't have the proper equipment, and only a very well made pinhole would have sufficed for this event, which I attempted but was not successful in doing.

But I did watch portions of it online.

There's a little black spot on the sun today...

That is an awesome photo on so many levels. I didn't have any time to do it.

I'm with stienman , too many clouds.

--Patrick

I was too busy watching it to care what people here thought about it.

I saw it live at the planetarium in Vegas. Clouds are never a problem here.

It was pretty awesome.

EDIT: Also, what Allen said.

Read an article about it due to its historical significance. Did you know one of the reasons Captain Cook went exploring was to get scientists in place in the Pacific Ocean to observe the event? It was a major international scientific endeavour, with scientists located in diverse locations throughout the world so that they could all take measurements. It was so they could use the data to calculate the Earth's distance from the sun.

If memory serves, their calculations were only off by a few hundred miles. And this was in the 18th century!

North_Ranger said:

If memory serves, their calculations were only off by a few hundred miles. And this was in the 18th century!

Click to expand...

You've heard of Eratosthenes, right?

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

You've heard of Eratosthenes, right?

--Patrick

Click to expand...

Without clicking the link, wasn't he the ancient Greek astronomer who calculated the diameter of the Earth? By studying how much longer the shadow cast by the noon sun was in Alexandria than in a city up the River Nile, and knowing how far apart the two cities were?

EDIT: Oh yes, that guy "Circumference", not "diameter", though...

I knew him first for his sieve, but yes.

--Patrick

This thread is about Bananarama, right?

It was mostly cloudy here on Oahu, too. I tried making a simple pinhole viewer during one of the sunny periods, but the breeze kept blowing my paper around. Also I don't know if there is a solar filter for our telescope and it's not easy to ask my husband if we have one or where it is.

North_Ranger said:

Without clicking the link, wasn't he the ancient Greek astronomer who calculated the diameter of the Earth? By studying how much longer the shadow cast by the noon sun was in Alexandria than in a city up the River Nile, and knowing how far apart the two cities were?

EDIT: Oh yes, that guy "Circumference", not "diameter", though...

Click to expand...

Man, if only there were some sort of way he could have calculated the diameter of an object by using its circumference.

Overcast and rainy here all day yesterday, so I had to settle for pictures. Japan's Hinode satellite snapped an amazing photo also.

It was pissing down rain here...

Rained all day yesterday

could not find/steal a box large enough to view the transit in time.

Here's the best pic I could get. Not as awesome as the ones done by planetariums though. My dad and I were actually on the phone back and forth starting at the start time going "Can you see anything yet? Do you see it?!"

Allen who is Quiet said:

I was too busy watching it to care what people here thought about it.

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I was too busy wondering what people on here thought about it to watch it.

This would be more interesting if it were Uranus

I didn't get to see it. BUT one of my most exceptional science students sent me an email with pictures! I'm so glad I get to teach her for another year.

A solar eclipse went on while I was getting married in Vegas. Man was it bright... we were at the Welcome to Vegas sign.

It rained yesterday.... boo

CrimsonSoul said:

This would be more interesting if it were Uranus

Click to expand...

That would be a pretty shocking thing to see transit between the Earth and the Sun!

Heh. Butts.

Allen who is Quiet said:

Heh. Butts.

Click to expand...

I live in Washington, guess what, rain.
Is that rain? no, well, yes, but,,,, no, the swimming pool sprang a leak....

... rain.

Hey you guys talking about butts in here?

For the first time
Tomorrow night at around half past 10
For the first time in history
It's going to start raining butts

Dangit, Allen. Get out of my head.

--Patrick

Bonus transit