Solar Eclipse: The U.K to be plunged into darkness in biggest blackout since 1999
Parts of Europe will be plunged into darkness as biggest eclipse in 15 years takes place across the UK.
The region will go dark when the sun and the moon perfectly align between 8am and 10am on Friday, March 20.
Nearly 90 per cent of the sun's rays will be blocked in parts of Europe – with some of Scotland seeing 94 per cent darkness.
That means it will the biggest eclipse since August 1999.
The blackout will begin in the UK at 8.45am and the maximum eclipse, when the moon is nearest the middle of the sun, will be at 9.31am.
This shows the areas which will be plunged into darkness next month
(http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEanimate/SEanimate2001/SE2015Mar20T.GIF)
It is due to end at 10.41am
Just a slight dimness (and that usual strange light of the eclipses) here in Portugal. :)
From what I saw the Moon was covering just some 10% or less of the Sun.
PS: as I couldn't see it from home I don't have photos. :(
Hi Armap,
I am not sure what % of totality would have been expected in Portugal at the time of the maximum coverage time..With you being Further South than the UK, I suspect that it may have been about 70%..
This is what Time and Date shows..so it will depend upon what time you observed it..
http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/portugal/lisbon
It said that the coverage would have been 90 to 95% in the UK..
I observed it, and I thought that it was not as covered as much as what I would have expected ...and it did not go as Dark as I thought it would..
BUT the effects were quite unusual..and the surrounding lighting and shadows where I observed it from was an interesting experience.
I was actually quite lucky to see it really as I had traveled to another location from my home..where there had been some haze and cloud..
There was also some where I observed it from but fortunately most of the time I was able to see it ok, although later on the Cloud did cover it fully towards the end..
I recall the last one on August 11th 1999..but I am not sure which had the most coverage..maybe they were similar. and I cannot believe how fast those 15 years have passed... :o It only seems about 5 yrs ago..
I recall when I was younger maybe in the 1980s and had an interest in Astronomy and read about the eclipse being in 1999..and so much looking forward to seeing it..
Today 15 yrs later and I live to witness a 2nd one..
Not sure that I will get to see a 3rd.. :-\ :)
(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ5q3NfnOfw6m2OAAPVVdtm33UsiYKb0qWFCWChISj3wLISXq_n)
(http://i3.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article8883105.ece/alternates/s1227b/JS59552490.jpg)
(http://i3.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article8883112.ece/alternates/s1227b/JS59555754.jpg)
Quote from: astr0144 on March 20, 2015, 10:33:27 PM
Hi Armap,
I am not sure what % of totality would have been expected in Portugal at the time of the maximum coverage time..With you being Further South than the UK, I suspect that it may have been about 70%..
The maximum was at 9:01, but I could only watch it at 9:30, so it was far from the maximum already.
QuoteNot sure that I will get to see a 3rd.. :-\ :)
It looks like there will be another good one in 2026, so let's hope we all see it. :)
Another 11 years to wait then...lets hope so...
some images...
(http://i4.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article8883419.ece/alternates/s1227b/mosaic280c84246b5aa05d1a184bd059b55dc27455897a.jpg)
(http://i4.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article8882613.ece/alternates/s1227b/nicki.jpg)
QuoteIt looks like there will be another good one in 2026, so let's hope we all see it.
Friday's solar eclipse was like nothing we'll see for another 19 years.
This is not quite a total solar eclipse, but it's pretty close. Friday, was a rare total solar eclipse will be visible across parts of Greenland, Europe, and North Africa. Not only is this the only total solar eclipse in 2015, but it's the last of its kind for another 19 years.
There are a few things that makes this eclipse so rare:
(Sadly for the US, the eclipse won't be visible from North America but here's how to watch live online.)
It's the only total solar eclipse of 2015. Total solar eclipses are pretty rare just by themselves. On average, there are usually only one to two total solar eclipses a year. After Friday's event, there are four more total solar eclipses taking place between now and the year 2020.
the first total solar eclipse of the 21st century that occurs on the same day as the first day of spring. To have the moon block out the sun on the same day as the vernal equinox, the first day of Spring, is even more rare.
It won't happen again until the year 2034.
And after that, the only other two such events will be in 2053 and 2072 before the next turn of the century.
Certain solar eclipses occur in periodic cycles and this one is part of the Saros cycle 120 — a highly studied set of eclipses.
The Saros cycle 120 refers to a very specific set of solar eclipses that take place every 18 years and is visible from the same regions on Earth because of where in space the moon and Earth are relative to the sun. The first documented Saros cycle solar eclipse took place in 933 AD. The next one in the cycle will take place on March 30 in 2033. There are other Saros cycles that refer either to other solar eclipses with different alignments between the earth, moon, and sun or certain lunar eclipses.
And to top it off, the moon will look larger than usual during Friday's event. The moon isn't always the same distance from Earth in its orbit. When it's either a full moon or a new moon and is closest to Earth, like the new moon on Thrusday, March 19, we call it a supermoon. Full moons that are also supermoons can appear as much as 14% larger in the sky.
There are, on average, four to six supermoons every year.
Don't expect a spectacular view of the supermoon this time around, though. It's really only impressive when it is full, but sadly, a solar eclipse can only take place when the moon is between Earth and the sun, which is also when the moon is in it's new moon phase, which is invisible in our night sky.
The next supermoon that coincides with a brilliantly bright full moon will be this year on September 27, and, unlike tomorrow's event, everyone with clear skies will get a chance to see the show.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fridays-solar-eclipse-nothing-well-164149278.html
I remember the TOTAL eclipse in 1999. Amazing numbers, the eclipse went total at around 11.11am on the 11th August. An 11-11-11 eclipse.
There was also one in Britain which I witnessed was in 2001 which was visible from Nottingham.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/11/newsid_2494000/2494687.stm)
Quote1999: Millions marvel at total eclipse
Up to 350 million people in Europe and Asia have witnessed the last total solar eclipse of the century.
The phenomenon began over the Atlantic, a few hundred miles east of Boston, North America.
The only part of mainland Britain to witness totality - the full blacking out of the sun by the moon - was Cornwall in south-west England.
Cloudy skies mean spectators there were unable to see the full effect, but the spectacle was still dramatic.
The temperature dropped and darkness fell in Falmouth at 1111 BST (1011 GMT).
TV astronomer Patrick Moore, watching in Falmouth, described it as a "strange, weird experience".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/11/newsid_2494000/2494687.stm
The 1999 total eclipse was the first over mainland Britain since 1927 - the next will not be until 2090.
The first total solar eclipse of the 21st century took place on 21 June 2001.
It was visible from a much smaller area than the 1999 eclipse with the best views being in southern Africa.
I did not realise that the 1999 Total eclipse occurred at 11.11 am..on Aug 11th..
That does seem quite a coincidence.
I am not sure about the one in 2001 ... in the UK anyway...
Unless you refer to a partial eclipse..I Can Only find this ref to a 2001 total eclipse that seemed in the Southern hemisphere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_June_21,_2001
Quote from: Pimander on March 21, 2015, 05:36:18 PM
I remember the TOTAL eclipse in 1999. Amazing numbers, the eclipse went total at around 11.11am on the 11th August. An 11-11-11 eclipse.
There was also one in Britain which I witnessed was in 2001 which was visible from Nottingham.
The 2001 eclipse was partial from the UK unless my memory is going.
you can learn a lot from the eclipses on a different slant than just looking at them in wonder
so if you are interested here's some info.. if not interested..obviously skip this post
back when I was actively doing astrology
(lol sounds like the first line of soft parade, doesn't it.. bwahahahah talk about dating yourself)
anyway
I would always check out the clearance book bin and one of the very best finds for a buck was a tome entitled
Spiritual Astrology by Jan Spiller and Karen McCoy not a title I would usually buy but I had several other works by these two so I spent my dollar and have been amazed thur the years using it for a reference. It has full chapters on the ephemeris of lunar and solar dates and sign placement. interesting and easy read even if you're not into astrology but self analysis.
They use this info for the exploration into how prenatal eclipses can be a key to your life path and destiny....very detailed and interesting on how the lunar and solar work as kinda the yin and yang of your time here..
This is on a personal level and can be read as just another interesting exploration but there are many other works written for using the eclipses for world or monetary analysis, those you might want to put on hold as they are extremely detailed and specific.
really if you see it (spiritual astrology) for cheap anywhere it's worth the time to check out
for just knowing what stuff is happening and where
There is also a nice neat little book entitled The American Ephemeris for the 21st century 2001 to 2050 by Neil F. Michelsen
or a bigger one Tables of Planetary Phenomena..same author but much more detailed
when they put everything on line and all you needed was to type in your info.. I quit doing charts.. it wasn't fun anymore
sooooooooooooooooo
for those who don't like books but do like e-data and
if you would like tons more info.. here ya go.. I would say that in my experience astrodienst is the best..both in accuracy and ease of use
[PDF]Ephemeris 2015 - Astrodienst
www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/2000/ae_2015.pdf Cached
SWISS EPHEMERIS for the year 2015. JANUARY 2015. 00:00 UT. Day. Sid.t. A. B. C. D. E. F. G. O. I. J. L. K. M. N. T 1. 6 41 19 10j13'50 20b37 23j39 26j43 21k ...
............................
PDF]SWISS EPHEMERIS for the year 2015 JANUARY 2015 00 ...
www.catharinaweb.nl/astrologie/efemeriden/2015.pdf Cached
SWISS EPHEMERIS for the year 2015. JANUARY 2015. 00:00 UT. Day. Sid.t. T 1. 6 41 19 10 13'50 20 37 23 39 26 43 21. 3 21°R46. 0 52 12 37. 5 23 13 10 ...
.....................................
Planetary Ephemeris Data - AstroPixels
www.astropixels.com/ephemeris/ephemeris.html Cached
Jan 11, 2015 - The table above contains links to astronomical events calendars for a range of years and time zones. Abbreviations for the time zones are: GMT ...
and of course my favorite link
http://www.shadowandsubstance.com/