Tuesday, November 13, 2012

SOLAR ECLIPSE

All photos today are from this site.

 
Early this morning a rare solar eclipse took place in the Southern Hemisphere and the best place to view it was from a lovely beach  beach in tropical north Queensland.

 
Cameras were set up to record one of nature's greatest phenomena - a total eclipse of the sun.   

 
Crowds of people numbering in the ten thousands took up positions on the beach 
 
 
 wearing special glasses distributed to them the day before to prevent devestating eye damage that is caused by looking directly at the sun.

 
Huge cheers erupted when the clouds threatening to spoil the view parted and the eclipse began.
 

 
A perfect view of totality - when the moon completely covers the sun and a faint halo or corona appears.

 
 
It was reported that a hush fell over the crowd and even the birds and insects went quiet.
 
Here's a map showing future eclipses over Australia.
 
 
I wonder how many of us will still be blogging when the next one comes along in 2023 ?
 
Cheers.

7 comments:

  1. I saw it on our national news in the US. So fascinating!! Thank you for sharing your take on the eclipse!! Hey that's only 11 years from now. I'll be 75 and probably writing the same blog over and over again, forgetting what I wrote the day before.

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  2. It was just a bit shadowed here, as it would have been in Brissie too, I think I will still be here for the next one!

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  3. I remember seeing one here years ago - it was totally weird to be standing shivering in the dusk on a hot sunny day even though only for a moment! I hope to be still here in 11 years time and maybe for the following one in 2028 - though whether I'll still be blogging or not who can say!

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  4. Looking on the bright side, I predict that in 2023, the Internet will have imploded, world economies will have crashed, Australia will have been washed away by a massive tsunmai, America will be gripped in a new civil war between the haves and the have nots, King William and Queen Katherine will be on a state visit to the new celebrity colony on Mars and herds of smelly pigs will be flying off into the sunset.

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  5. hmm that's a lot of years to keep blogging, but I wonder if any of us will still be here?! Great images of the event. I wonder when the next UK total eclipse will be. I saw one in 1999 and it was amazing. My family went to Turkey a few years ago and watched one from there but I couldn't go as it wasn't in school holidays!

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  6. I went down to Cornwall to see the last one in the UK. It was one of a very few places in the country that was getting the total eclipse. It was amazing, such an experience.

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  7. Oh, WOW! That's what we were led to believe would be seen when the UK had a total eclipse a few years ago but it was cloudy, allegedly. I didn't make the journey. But that sight is fantastic. I would travel a long, long way to see that!

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