HAPPY NEW WEEK!
Last week's Chat Thread is here.
This is an important week with several major events for the global community!
SPRING EQUINOX
Spring arrives Friday, 20 March 2015, in the Northern Hemisphere at:
22:45 GMT/UTC10:45 p.m. in the U.K.06:45 p.m. in the eastern United States03:45 p.m. in California
Autumn Equinox is Saturday, 21 March 2015, in the Southern Hemisphere. Fall arrives at 09:15 a.m. in Adelaide, Australia.
NEW MOON
The Moon turns new on the day of the equinox at 09:36 GMT/UTC, only 14 hours after reaching lunar perigee (the moon's closest point to Earth in its orbit). The New Moon is at 09:36 a.m. in the U.K., 05:36 a.m. in the eastern U.S., 02:36 a.m. in California, and on 20 March at 08:06 p.m. in Adelaide, Australia.
SOLAR ECLIPSE
Here's the big news! On Equinox day, 20 March, the close perigee New Moon will swing right in front of the Sun to totally block out the solar disk. It's a Total Solar Eclipse!
You have to be in the right location -- the Faroe Islands or the Svalbard archipelago... -- to witness the eclipse in totality, but a much larger swatch of the globe will see varying degrees of partial solar eclipse -- Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. In much of the U.K., your view will be near total! (Oh, how I envy you. It won't be visible in the U.S. or Australia, I regret to say.)
For children who might read this, I have to add: Looking directly at the Sun during the eclipse could cause blindness or severe eye damage.
Eclipse information HERE
Watch a livestream broadcast of the event HERE
Edit: Slooh has redesigned their site. Here's an updated link for the livestream broadcast of the total solar eclipse: HERE
Morning, Lindy - I can imagine you're one of the busiest at the moment! It's cloudy here so I think we're going to be out of luck eclipse-wise.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Lindybird said:As for my OH and I - its "P" Day!! -- Puppy Day!! We are excited, and will be moving things around this morning in preparation. We collect her at noon.
Clare Bailey said:Morning, Lindy - I can imagine you're one of the busiest at the moment! It's cloudy here so I think we're going to be out of luck eclipse-wise.
I look forward to seeing them, Lindy!
LINDY Good luck and happy puppy days. Such hard work, but such fun.
Trying to take photos, but my camera not good enough! :-((
I'm delighted someone can see it, Lindy! I bet loads of people are watching around Dyfi as well.
My OH is glancing at it through two pairs of sunglasses..... I keep telling him to keep it minimal as its dangerous. Its gone strangely darker - neither daytime nor nighttime...... The birds seem confused, and are in the trees. Some are chirping and some subdued. The temperature has dropped a lot!!