Solar Eclipse

[chrisvenus]

I just found out something cool. While I'm in china there will be a solar ecliupse there. http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2009/TSE2009.html has the flight path and I reckon that being in chengdu on 22nd July seems very feasible. :)

I really do need to get around to properly timetabling out my china bit of the trip. mi_guida has made sure we have a good timetable for the hong kong onwards parts but strangely enough the btis where I'm on my own are badly to not at all planned. :)

Still, I'm doing shanghai-beijing-xian-chengdu-Jiuzhaigou-chengdu-yellow river. Maybe with a holy mountain in there somewhere too. So chengdu at day 17 of 26 sounds feasible. :)

I've always wanted to properly see the totality of a full solar eclipse. It'd be nicer if it was not as early in the morning but should still be awesome. :)

Comments

[secondhand-rick.livejournal.com]

I've always wanted to properly see the totality of a full solar eclipse.

The most surprising, and indeed memorable, sensation I experienced was the temperature drop. I can vaguely recall peeking sunwards during the course of the eclipse (contrary to all sensible advice), but I can remember the sudden cooling temperature vividly.

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

In the case of that eclipse, looking at the sun during and indeed before eclipse was pretty safe. Didn't do me any damage, anyway. The overcast was such that it really wasn't that much brighter than the sky. Couldn't see a darn thing through the regulation 3 layers of photographic film.

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Don't look on it as "early in the morning", but rather "very late at night". I'm sure that won't cause you nearly as much trouble :)

[chrisvenus]

I'm fairly sure the idea of watching a full solar eclipse late at night is going to do my head in far more... ;-)

The early in the morning (and its about 9AM I think so not actually that bad) is more that I suspect it would be much more dramatic with the sun high up in the sky like at noon or something. Beggars can't be choosers though. :)

[mentalfirewall.livejournal.com]

I am so totally envious! I was in cornwall for the 1999 total eclipse (see the astronomy nerd in the corner...) but in usual British style we had complete cloud cover and even some rain!
So yes.
Much envy!

[neoanjou.livejournal.com]

Be careful - places tend to get seriously booked up for solar eclipses, especially if the track only passes over a small inhabited area.

[metame.livejournal.com]

I found the weirdest bit the fact that all the birds shut up. All of them. Enjoy it - should be awesome.

[evath.livejournal.com]

Go see it, only been to the cornwall one, and even overcast it was awesome.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling queenortart and fractalgeek are going to be in China for that, if you know them.

(Or, indeed, if you don't. But it might be less interesting in that case.)