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
OG, The two car drivers seemed to be fine, but their cars seemed severely damaged. The police arrived but no ambulance.You will have to try the chocolate before you buy, obviously :-))
Clare, Lovely photographs, especially the in flight gull.
Margo is now feeling fine. She will post.
Annette, Not often that you admit to being so tired. It certainly sounded a hectic time, plus all that driving. I am sure Ms D loved having her GGMother with her for her Birthday though. I hope you really are resting and recharging your batteries.
How frightening, Linda. I bet your heart was beating faster afterwards. Pleased that you got through unscathed. I never understand why some of our lanes are 60mph. We find that some drivers take blind bends far too fast and end up on the wrong side of the roads. Trouble is that the sat-navs send drivers down these lanes as the picturesque route !!!
Phew indeed, Lindy! Why will these nutters drive at top speed on roads like that? I'm very glad you're all safe.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
I was only frightened afterwards - it all happened so fast. Why on earth he was driving at such a speed we'll never know: it was like one of those high speed rally cars going full out! My OH said afterward "You never know when your time is up!!". He is a very good and calm driver himself, and I know he would have saved us if he could have taken evasive action, but he had no choice except to cling to the roadside. Wonder if the man kept on going like that for much longer - it was all countryside but there were lorries about.
Lindy thank god it wasn't you or OH'S time. Glad you both and Bonny got home in one piece. I am a great believer in fate and you three clearly, thankfully were not required for sunbeams yet.
Clare - love your pic of that handsome fella. Lindybird - what a cutie
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
RSPB Giving Nature a Home