What We're Talking About Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Rare Rings of Fire
Unless you want to fry your retinal cells, it's never a good idea to stare at the sun—even if you're hungry. But this Sunday your favorite ball of gas deserves a little extra attention, as an annular eclipse will be visible along a diagonal strip of the United States from the California-Oregon border down to Lubbock, Texas. On Starts With a Bang, Ethan Siegel writes "In the waning hours of the day on May 20th, as Sun descends in the west, the Moon will pass in front of it, creating the first annular eclipse in the United States since 1994!" The new moon will be at its farthest point from Earth only the day before, and unlike a total eclipse when the Moon is nearer the Earth and blocks out the sun completely, an annular eclipse leaves a blinding ring of fire around the edges of the moon (and makes peculiar shadows on Earth). There is still too much sunlight to observe Sunday's eclipse with the naked eye, but if you don't have welding goggles, Ethan will show you how to make a simple pinhole image of the eclipse or put a floppy disk in front of your camera lens to take a photo. And if you live in another part of the world, Ethan's second post will tell you how to see Venus make a rare transit in front of the sun, which happens June 5 and not again until 2117.
Weekend Diversion: Preparing for May 20th's Annular Eclipse!
Starts With a Bang!March 11, 2012
"First off, I'm going to make sure I have a pinhole camera with me. A pinhole camera is as simple as having a piece of cardboard with a pinhole poked in it and a white screen behind it. As the sunlight passes through the pinhole, the (inverted) image of the Sun's disk gets displayed on the screen in the back.
"If the Sun's disk is partially blocked, then what shows up on the display screen is the eclipsed Sun, completely safe for viewing. There are a number of quality, ultra-low-tech options readily available for your display screen.
"Because the eclipse is happening late in the day -- in the Pacific Time Zone, it starts at about 5:10 PM and ends at around 7:30 PM -- I'll want to make sure I have a clear view to the west, where the Sun will be descending. I am taking no chances, and will be staking out a spot along the coast. With over 200 miles of prime viewing coastline available, I'm even hoping for a little solitude while it happens."
A Feast for your Naked Eyes: Supermoon, Solar Eclipse and Venus Transit!
Starts With a Bang!May 5, 2012
"The next month -- from May 5th to June 5th -- brings three of the most spectacular astronomy sights possible on Earth back-to-back-to-back for skywatchers of all types, without telescopes, binoculars, or any special equipment."
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