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Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey Topics), 15 March 2015

Diane in Indiana
15/03/2015 05:39

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/UTC
10:45 p.m. in the U.K.
06:45 p.m. in the eastern United States
03:45 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

  • 21/03/2015 02:46 in reply to Brenda H

    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.

  • 21/03/2015 02:51 in reply to Brenda H
    Tapaidh is such a lovely looking dog, Lmac! Glad you enjoyed the eclipse - I like your photos. OG - In some ways Bonnie is so much bigger than when we last saw her, but she is still a long way from full size. I keep falling over her as she stumbles around underfoot! She is flaked out on my OH's knee at present, she's had a busy day. Sounds like you have, too - hope you're resting now. Clare - just off to see your photos, glad you enjoyed yourself.
  • 21/03/2015 02:55 in reply to Brenda H

    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. 

  • 21/03/2015 03:02 in reply to Brenda H
    Brenda - we had a really scary "near miss" as we drove home with Bonnie through the country lanes, at lunchtime. A car appeared on the other side of the road, going at breakneck speed - he almost lost control when he saw us on the narrow road, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I thought he would scrape us all down one side of the car at the very least: my OH said afterwards that he thought our end had come, as there was no evasive action he could take. But somehow he gained control and careered on past. How he missed us and didn't come off the road into the hedge himself, I'll never know. Whew!!
  • 21/03/2015 03:11 in reply to Lindybird

    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 !!!

  • 21/03/2015 03:16 in reply to Lindybird

    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.

  • 21/03/2015 03:29 in reply to Clare

    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.

  • 21/03/2015 04:00 in reply to Lindybird

    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.

  • 21/03/2015 04:06 in reply to Lmac
    Apart from that drama, I also had a 'hair raise on the back of the neck' moment later on. We saw the TV News coverage about the eclipse after lunch, and I went around whistling "Total Eclipse of the Heart" ---- then I realised that it had been a huge hit by guess who?? BONNIE TYLER !!! LOL!!!
  • 21/03/2015 04:13 in reply to Lindybird

    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