lmao, anyone else excited about this? its Febuary 7, 2008 1:39-4:32 I cant wait!
heres a pic I took with my software http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t36/Dar...pseFeb72008.jpg

According to this site:

http://www.happynews.com/living/space/sola...pse-viewing.htm

I won't be at any of those countries during the solar eclipse

It won't be too good unless you're in Antarctica at the time. New Zealand and Australia will observe a partial eclipse.

In August 2008 there will be a solar eclipse observable across Eurasia.

the one that happened in the UK in 1999? i cant remember the year but it was rubbish only lasted about 10 mins. it was good to experience it but not worth writing home about i'd rather see a shuttle launch.

You obviously did not observe totality (it was only visible from parts of Cornwall and it was overcast there).

If you had you observed totality I doubt that you would not be describing it as rubbish. There is a vast amount of difference between a partial solar eclipse, even when 99% of the sun is covered and a full total eclipse. The solar corona can only be seen at totality and it is unbelievably beautiful, one of the most spectacular natural sights that can be seen from Earth.

In 2001 I travelled to Zimbabwe to observe a total solar eclipse and I have promised myself that I will see another one day.

Incidentally totality from Cornwall for the 11th August 1999 total eclipse was around 2 minutes (the exact length depended on how close to the centre of the path of totality you viewed it from), no solar eclipse can have a totality lasting more than 7 minutes 31 seconds. However the total duration of the eclipse can be measured from "first contact" to "fourth contact". This is from the time that the partial phase of the eclipse starts (when the leading limb of the Moon is just seen to make contact with the limb of the Sun) to when the partial phase ends (when the trailing limb of the Moon is seen to end contact with the limb of the Sun). This is in excess of 2½ hours.

Well, I haven't had the chance to view a total solar eclipse, but I have had the chance to watch a partial solar eclipse and I still I think it is amazing. Partial Solar Eclipses occur when the penumbra of the Moon's shadow passes over a region on the Earth's surface.

At the time, the temperatures dropped amazingly and the sunlight decreased a lot but not totally. Still it was a wonderful experience.

I still have high hopes on watching a total.


P.S I've also had the chance to watch a lunar eclipse, and it's a wonderful experience aswell. Man I love space and astronomy all together.

There must have been a considerable portion of the Sun covered. I have seen quite a few partial eclipses and the only time I have felt the temperature drop (and observed a noticeable drop in light levels) was during the 11^th August 1999 eclipse, which I observed from London. That was about 95% total. At 20-30% total these effects were not noticeable and must people don't even notice that anything is happening. The sun (when looked at using suitable techniques - never look at the sun with the naked eye or through binoculars or telescopes) appears to be a crescent... which is weird.

There is an interesting effect which can be seen during a partial eclipse. If you can find a tree or a bush (it must have lots of leaves) look at the shadow. The leaves mostly overlap, but there will be small gaps where the sun can shine through. These gaps work like hundreds of pinhole cameras and will project images of the crescent sun on to the ground. This was very noticeable on my front door step during the 1999 eclipse. Somewhere I have a photograph of this from the 2001 Zimbabwe eclipse. I will try to find it, scan it and post it in this thread.


Do so, you will not be disappointed. Sadly I have missed my one and only chance to see an eclipse from my home land. My mother was ill in 1999 and I could not make the trip to Cornwall (the clouds would have ruined my day anyway). There will not be another total solar eclipse visible from Britain until 3^rd September 2081 and then only from the Channel Islands. For me to see one from the UK mainland I will have to wait until 23^rd September 2090 and, sadly, I think it unlikely that I will live to be more than 124.


They can be beautiful can't they, especially if you get one when the Moon turns blood red.

Your right Waspie, i was in Liverpool, couldnt be arsed travelling all the way down south to stand in a shadow. maybe one day i'll try harder to experience a total eclipse.

Yep that's the one I watched, I remember I was watching an animation on the PC just not to miss not even a second of the eclipse, the moon started to dissapear slowly, a bit more, a bit more, then it had totally dissapeard, but not for long, it reappeared but this time blood red, man that was a wonderful sight, trust me Waspie, I coudn't take my eyes of the moon, I still get shivers down my spine when I talk or write about it.... this kind of events you just never forget.


I will have a lot of wrinkles by that time.....

Me and the gang travelled down to Cornwall to see the 1999 eclipse. It WAS overcast, so we didn't really see the corona. But even so, the effect was wierd. Nothing much happened up to the last few seconds before totality, at which point the light suddenly started dimming, with REALLY strange colours in the clouds.

Then it went.... not entirely black.. not quite like nighttime, but a very strange dark gloom. All the automatic lighthouses along the coast suddenly kicked into life.

We could see these odd 'twinkles' from cliffs across the bay to us, and we suddenly realised it was camera flashlights. Goodness only knows what they thought they where taking photos of !.

And then it was over.

I'd like to see one again.... the idea of getting a group and traveling to Easter Island for the 2010 eclipse sounds interesting.

Cat will have to save his pennies.

Meow Purr.

Yay, I can watch the eclipse. Only 2 years to come .

BOO! It"s another one i won"t see!