Sunday, May 20, 2012

Solar Eclipse 2012



Timeline:

5:37 pm Arizona time. I am watching the solar eclipse by the moon. There is a tiny bit of moon shadow in the lower east section of the sun, just a sliver so far though. I'll check back in 10 minutes.

5:49 pm. Ooooh! There's a nice crescent being cut out of the sun right now. I am using a pair of 8 power binoculars with one end sealed off and the other covered by a sun filter. I can see several sun spots that the moon is covering over. I'll check in five minute intervals from now on.

5:55 pm. Nice movement of the moon across the suns face. It is blocking more of the sun's face and moving in a north west direction - up and to the left.

6:04 pm. Same as before...nice steady movement. I have started a Photoshop sequence of the eclipse.

6:10 pm. The southern edge of the moon has reached the halfway point of the solar face.

6:18 pm. The sun now resembles a crescent moon.

6:25 pm. Still more crescent. The sunlight is now a mellow soft tint as opposed to the usual harsh strength of a summer's day. Obviously there is something happening in the sky.

6:35 pm. Very mellow and shadowy tinted, as if the air were being filtered through a haze or a fog.

6:40 pm. I don't think we are going to get a "ring of fire" effect. The moon is traveling too far up and is not centering.

6:45 pm. Darker now, even more mellow almost like an autumn evening. A little cooler too, not much but noticeable. The sun resembles a Shriner's crescent - lower part is showing while the top is blocked by the passing moon.

6:55 pm. I think I'll leave it here unless something very unusual happens. I was hoping for the "ring of fire" effect, but no such luck. Nice show nonetheless.

Here is the animated Gif.


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