AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

YESTERDAY'S ECLIPSE IN VIDEO:

As Molly has mentioned in a previous post yesterday's (August 1) total eclipse of the Sun was not visible in most of Canada. Still, millions of people in Siberia and China got a view. Here's the intro from the Scientific Blogging Site to a video of the eclipse as it occurred in the Xingiang Uiyger Autonomous Region of northwest China earlier yesterday. See the above link for the video.

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August 1 2008 Solar Eclipse Video:
On August 1, a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of Canada, northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia and China. The eclipse swept across Earth in a narrow path that began in Canada’s northern territory of Nunavut and ended in northern China’s Silk Road region.

Though the eclipse was not visible in most of North America, NASA TV and the Exploratorium made streaming video of the event available online. The following images are taken from that video, shot from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China near the Mongolian border. The sun appears differently in some of the images because of the different filters used to capture the event. Times listed are ET and approximate.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

THE CANADIAN SOLAR ECLIPSE OF 2008 THAT YOU WON'T SEE (unless you wear a parka in August):

Yes, there will be a total solar eclipse in Canada this year, though you are unlikely to see the event getting as much press as solar eclipses usually do. On August 1st the eclipse will begin in Canada, sweep across northern Greenland, central Siberia and end in northern China. Double click the graphic to the left or see the colour version at the end of this entry(double click this as well) to get an idea of the path of this eclipse. Whazza problem ??? This "Canadian eclipse" will begin totality in the northern part of western Nunavut at 09:11:07("central eclipse "09:24:10) UT (see the Time and Date website for conversion to your own local times). If I read my maps right Cambridge Bay and Alert may or may not see totality. Other than that the eclipse will not pass over any settled are until it hits Siberia. The path of the eclipse will be about 206 to 236 km wide. The eclipse will have its maximum extent and duration in Siberia. In Siberia the eclipse will pass over the city of Novosibirsk . for information on the eclipse in that city consult the (English language) Russian site, a presentation of the city of Novosibirsk. The central eclipse will end in China at 11:18:29 UT, and the total eclipse will end at 11:21:28. In its path from Siberia to China the eclipse will pass over the triangle where Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia meet. This is apparently the best site to view the eclipse as the cloud cover in the area of China that the eclipse will visit is usually quite extensive at this time of year. If you are interested the Chinese information on the eclipse is HERE at the 'Eclipse Chasers" website, a site truly devoted to those with more money than sense as it caters to those who travel the world in search of eclipses(well...to each their own hobby, and I can think of worse things to do). There is also a Google map available of the path of the solar eclipse, different from the charts presented on this page.

Want more information ? Consult the Hermit Eclipse site, and the Eclipse Chasers site.

HAPPY VIEWING IF YOU'RE A POLAR BEAR !