Equinox Eclipse

[oloriel]

BRITISH MEDIA: Friday will bring Europe the most exciting astronomical event of the millennium so far! Celebrate with us and SEE THE SUN SMILE!

GERMAN MEDIA: Kids might look into the sun without protection and GO BLIND FOREVER! Schools should cancel recess and pull down blinds until DANGER HAS PASSED! Also, we have actually no idea whether our electric grid can handle the extreme voltage swings of sudden nationwide sunlessness/ sudden nationwide sun-back-ness! There might be blackouts! ALL IN ALL LET'S JUST HOPE FRIDAY'S GOING TO BE REALLY CLOUDY!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The NEW German angst. Taking the joy out of everything since, oh, I don't actually know, but back when we had our last major eclipse, it was still considered a reason for party. And us kids were just told NOT TO LOOK INTO THE SUN WITHOUT SPECIAL ECLIPSE GLASSES, and we sort of listened? But clearly, that was so 1999 and would never work today.

Mind you, back in 1999 the eclipse was hyped for several months before the event, so everybody and their dog had plenty of time to get eclipse glasses and to grasp the idea that even a partially covered sun can still make you blind. This year, the first little notes trickled in on Monday. So clearly, there was NO TIME TO PREPARE! (~This morning's unprecedented solar eclipse is no cause for alarm!~)

(I still have my eclipse glasses from 1999. I WANT TO SEE THE SUN SMILE, DAMNIT.)

Comments

[ysilme]

I couldn't say it better. It is a bit frustrating, though, that it had been near to impossible to get glasses, they were sold out horribly quick or hadn't been in stock at the first place, and I don't own one already. In 1999 I hadn't managed to get one but could borrow one for a quick peek - only then it was too cloudy to see the sun proper. Still, we had a party, complete with my grandmother making potato salad and meatballs for my colleagues and me because we were on her balcony. *g*

I wonder if there is any Tolkien fic dealing with a solar eclipse. Hmmm... off to leave a prompt at B2MeM... *g*

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I think even those who had glasses in 1999 mostly threw them away after the event. I remember that my mom wondered whether she should keep them or throw them out, because "the next major eclipse is going to be in 2015 and that's ages away". But then, apparently, she stashed them in the cupboard where she keeps all her sunglasses (including some hideous 1970s ones!), and when I asked whether she still had our eclipse glasses last weekend... there they were!

Heee, nice idea... Árien and Tilion are gonna have fun times!

[independence1776]

Welders' glass #14 (though I don't know what the German equivalent is) works as a safe filter, too. And NASA has an article about safe viewing.

I hope you're able to find a way to see it!

[ysilme]

Thanks for the info! It's too late to get such an item - the eclipse is tomorrow morning - but I hope my father might have some glasses.
It's worse for my husband: some colleagues of him are setting up some special telescopes on the parking lot (most of his IT colleagues are former physicists) but he can't even look out of the window, as he is scheduled for meetings during the whole duration! I'll be at least in the garden, not-watching, but observing how our felines react. Might be interesting, too. ;o)
When I first heard about the eclipse I knew we wouldn't be able to watch, as my husband was scheduled for dentist surgery tomorrow morning and I needed to drive him, so I didn't try to get glasses. Then he got these meetings, the surgery was rescheduled.. and the glasses sold out. *g*

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

You could try an indirect set-up! In 1999, one of our Physics teachers organised that and made a great fuss about it, but it's not actually rocket science (https://www.spektrum.de/fm/912/sonnenprojektion.jpg). The most difficult part is adjusting the binoculars/telescope without actually looking through them (which, of course, would destroy your eyes at once)...

[ysilme]

That would be worth a try, if I had mountable binoculars... our only (bird-watching) pair is very small and impossible to fix to a tripod, and also difficult to adjust. My father suggested going up to the castle where certainly some hobby astronomers are going to be and watch, and see if somebody lets me take a peek. He also told my why it was impossible to get glasses in our town: the Gymnasium forgot to order for themselves, so they bought all available from the opticians.

Edit: I forgot to mention that while my uncle has a welder glass sheet, he's not sure if it's the right kind. But as I'm already having an unknown cornea disease I'm not going to risk anything with watching the eclipse without protection I know is safe. But I'm going to get protection glasses afterwards, just in case the occasion arises again. :o)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

the Gymnasium forgot to order for themselves, so they bought all available from the opticians.

Nice style. :P
Yeah, keeping close to the hobby astronomers sounds like a good idea! And of course you can observe the "side effects" like weirdly behaving critters and changing shadows!

just in case the occasion arises again. :o)

Next partial eclipse that's going to be visible here at all is going to be in June 2021 (a whopping 4,5 - 13 %), next total eclipse where we can actually see totality is going to be in September 2081. So you've got some time to order those glasses. ;)

[ysilme]

2081? Mmh, to experience that I need to see if I have elven genes after all... *g* I'm rather going for the moon eclipse in September. I can watch without problems, and have actually a chance of taking good pictures - I got a good, stable tripod for my camera for my birthday and am in the process of acquiring a remote release to not blur anything.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I'd be 98. So I'm not counting on seeing that one, either, although I suppose it's not impossible.
Plenty of eclipses before that, of course - just not over Central Europe!

Lunar eclipses are so much more frequent, but I seem to miss most of them! The last one I remember observing was while I was still living at my parents' house (over ten years ago)...
That's good about the camera equipment! I always end up with blurred moon shots so I should probably invest in a remote release, too...

[independence1776]

You're welcome! If you don't feel like going to the castle to look through telescopes there, there's also the pinhole method that requires just two sheets of white paper.

I'm sorry your husband won't be able to see it.