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
I hope you all have a joyful, secure, and meaningful spring!!!
Cedar Waxwings on Spring BlossomsU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service government photo, labeled Public Domain (copyright free)
Hallo all:
And thanks Diane for starting us off.
Have read everyone's posts; thank you all for news and pix.
Very busy visit with family, but good. Grandson arriving tomorrow and big birthday party for Ms. D on Monday. Don't know where g'daughter gets her energy!
Anyway, Happy Mothering Sunday to all in the UK!
HAPPY MOTHERING SUNDAY to ALL
Good morning. Dry here, not much sunshine but not cold. I am having a busy Mothering Sunday as OH is outside painting the fence behind the old shed, where our new shed will go, so I am doing all the indoor stuff. I did get cards from all three “children”.
Yesterday. OH and I went to the Environment Fair held on the university campus in Dumfries, which was full of children – hope for the future, but we did prefer when it the family day was separate from a community day! We picked up some local information, signed up against fracking and talked to various exhibitors. Highlight was seeing Emma Rawlings (formerly ranger at LotL) who is nearing the end of 5 months in Red Squirrel conservation down here. She is looking forward to starting on the Cairngorms Wildcat project in April.
Diane – thanks for starting the week, and for all the solar/lunar info; also for the lovely Waxwing photo and good wishes.
Annette – pleased you are having a happy family gathering for Miss D’s birthday!
Linda and Keith – thanks for your pictures too.
Excuse lack of replies to Saturday posts – must go turn oven on for lunch!
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Afternoon all
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Long time, no see on here, ALICAT! Hope you are doing okay!
Where is everyone?
Good evening, all. Just got back from taking Helen to the Poplar Park Horse Trials, where we saw Pippa Funnell and Andrew Nicholson competing among others! Really cold, but Helen was delighted to see someone internationally famous competing.
Lovely to see you, Alicat! Are you well?
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.