Partial Solar Eclispe Friday March 20th

dr strangelove

ForestFire

Why are the only suggestions for viewing using protective glasses and pinhole cameras or mirrors reflecting onto a wall?

Except for the glasses (hardest to get now), the other methods are not really seeing the eclipse.

Would it not be better just to point you phone at the sun and look at it on your through your camera?? Maybe put the phone into a cardboard box with a hole for camera and to cover your face?

If your worried about your camera and imager use an old camera phone.

jfSDAS

ForestFire wrote: »

Would it not be better just to point you phone at the sun and look at it on your through your camera?? Maybe put the phone into a cardboard box with a hole for camera and to cover your face?

^ cross-posted, but see my reply on the Astronomy forum thread about the eclipse.

M.T. Cranium

I feel that your best chance of getting a view of this event in Ireland would be around the southeast coast from Bray to Dungarvan with areas between Cork and Limerick also a bit more likely than elsewhere. It could turn out better than that and offer more widespread viewing, but those are the areas with the best chance given the weather situation (which is basically a northwesterly flow of stable air likely to be fairly cloudy with breaks -- the breaks may be enhanced by downsloping of the air mass over higher terrain in the inland southeast).

As to those going to see totality, Svalbard is looking a lot better than Faeroes at this point, it will take some luck for clouds to part in the Faeroes as they will be right under a frontal band drifting south at eclipse time while Svalbard would be more influenced by higher pressure centered off to the west near the northeast tip of Greenland.

Don't know if anyone plans to take a boat trip north from Donegal (where land prospects are not too good according to the charts, that onshore flow could contain some low cloud and drizzle), but would say chances are about one in four of finding a clear patch around 61N 13W under the track of totality. Skies in that area are likely to be six to seven octas of stratocumulus cloud but there could be breaks. I would have to think that anyone planning that would be sailing soon if not already en route. There does not appear to be any particular advantage to shifting west or east from the nearest point to land (which I estimate to be 61.5N 13.0W).

Areas that are completely overcast in Ireland would likely experience an interval resembling pre-dawn twilight at the height of the eclipse. I've been in a 90% partial eclipse (May 1994) and if skies are clear it just seems a bit less bright than usual, certainly nowhere near turning dark, but with overcast skies I think the effects are enhanced. You do notice a reddening effect. I have also been in the path of totality twice, in 1970 saw a wonderful display in Virginia Beach, and in 1984 despite best efforts could find no holes in widespread overcast in same general area and had to settle for two minutes of total darkness at noon. Of course, we have that August 2017 event on our radar and that one will span some very promising terrain from Oregon to Kansas (and beyond) where climate statistics are 60-70% clear sky probabilities so surely somewhere within a day's drive at last minute given weather data available will work out well on that occasion.

yellowlabrador

Simon Keelings' forecast and how to make a pinhole camera

Elmer Blooker

Surely this chart is a massive upgrade. The weak front is now well to the east of us which of course doesn't guarantee clear skies but it does improve our chances of some breaks in cloud. I'm trying to be optimistic!

Villain

There will be a live stream on http://blacknight.solar from Carlow tomorrow morning using a telescope with filter and live camera, hopefully some breaks in the cloud too

Pat Dunne

Many thanks for all the replies. As ever the good old Irish weather will keep us guessing right up until the last minute.

maquiladora

Still looking good for clear skies for southern counties tomorrow morning, so if you are really serious about seeing this then that is your best bet, though there are no guarantees either way when it comes to cloudcover in Ireland...



Met Office hi-res model is less optimistic, though still shows the far southeast with a chance of clear skies.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/map/#?map=Cloud&zoom=7&lon=-5.10&lat=53.20&fcTime=1426798800

prosaic

M.T. Cranium wrote: »

Don't know if anyone plans to take a boat trip north from Donegal (where land prospects are not too good according to the charts, that onshore flow could contain some low cloud and drizzle), but would say chances are about one in four of finding a clear patch around 61N 13W under the track of totality.

The nearest point of totality is about 480km away from Donegal. The center line of totality is about 700km away. That would be a fair excursion, e.g. 24 hrs each way or more. I could see people in Iceland heading out as its only about 100km off their coast, although more like 300km from Reykjavik.

Beersmith

I saw a total before. It was one of the most underwhelming things ive ever seen. Guess i was expecting it to be much better. Give me a thunderstorm any day, way better.

M.T. Cranium

Really? I love a good thunderstorm too, but maybe I get to see them more often so a total eclipse of the Sun is quite a rare sight and not to be passed up in my opinion. Here's what I recall of it anyway. The eclipse was near mid-day and we were gathered on the actual beach at Virginia Beach in a crowd of several thousand onlookers. The sky was clear and the temperature felt like it had dropped 5 or more degrees by totality. Just before totality there were numerous shadow interference bands that rippled across the landscape, quite eerie. As the limb of the Sun is the only portion then shining, the ambient light reddens considerably. There is a feeling of sudden change, this is nothing like a lunar eclipse which is fairly subtle to watch near totality. The diamond ring effect was fabulous. Then comes a period of considerable (would not say complete) darkness where brighter stars and planets are visible, the sun itself is of course obscured by a black disc but the corona is still fairly bright and slight pulsations in it are evident. Birds start calling as if night had fallen. Then it all happens in reverse starting with a second rather abrupt appearance of the diamond ring.

Maybe it's not quite as spectacular at solar minimum without much of a corona. My experience of it was in an active solar year near peak of a fairly good cycle.

My main memory is that the crowd gave off a collective gasp of amazement at the sight of the diamond ring(s) and the sudden changes in light intensity.

pauldry

while there is a high chance of cloud in the Northwest where the best eclipse will be there are breaks in this cloud around 10 or 11am which is too late but you never know. If these come down Sligo and West Mayo and some of Donegal may see some clearer periods around 9 or 930am

Sometimes fronts move through quicker than forecast

Light cloud here in Waterford hopefully it will clear off soon. Cant wait!

EoghanIRL

Also looking forward to this.

ninebeanrows

A thick bank of muck here in London. Probably won't even get any darker during eclipse!

RobertKK

Last number of mornings it was sunny in North Kilkenny at this time, today it is not sunny...

Some fog, so hopefully that is all it is, and it burns off quickly. The pessimist in me says it will lift and be low cloud before burning off after the eclipse.

Mint Sauce

Quite foggy here in Sligo this morning. Wondering if this will be better viewed on the coast or on the top of a hill.

FluffyAngel

west coast of cork partial cloud ..might get the chance to see the eclipise

(please note this isnt a full weather report ,as im looking up at the sky from my bed)

ch750536

Thick fog here. Anyone in Ballybuinion?

squarecircles

Fog lifting and blue patches appearing,on the coast,West mayo.

vickers209

Thin cloud in wicklow this morning sun trying to break through

Lumi

Some good breaks in the cloud earlier over Galway City but it's becoming increasingly overcast unfortunately
http://www.galwaycityweather.com/webcam.htm

Akrasia

Shannon is foggy and overcast without even the hint of it lifting soon

Oh well, maybe in 2026 or 2090

Pangea

jfSDAS wrote: »

Hi Pangea,

. There is a risk not just of permanent blindless but a permanent after-image of the partially eclipsed Sun burned on the retina. I have heard of cases of this happening before.

:eek::eek: My My, I was thinking to myself a cheeky glance wouldnt hurt but dont think I will now! Its a pity the population doesnt have easy acess to glasses.
Anyway the sun is splitting the rocks here in Donegal, luckily the weather does what it wants here

M.T. Cranium

Nothing too organized about the cloud cover from visible satellite, but encouraging number of breaks in it here and there. My hunch is that the view will improve towards mid-eclipse simply because the reduction in solar heating of the cloud will have a slight dispersing effect on it. Expecting to see the first signs of lunar shadow on clouds to northwest of Ireland around 0845h will try to capture an image and post it. That shadow of course races east-north-east fairly quickly. The centre line of the eclipse crosses Ireland in approximately eight minutes (from 0923h southwest tip to 0931h northeast Antrim).

If you are mobile and looking for the best view, avoid west to north facing slopes of any higher terrain, cloud will tend to be more stubborn there.

greenman09

I'm sure we wil see the sun through the clouds. I mind in 99 we looked at the sun through the clouds wit no issues. Is it safe to do this even with the heavy cloud cover in dublin this morning

ch750536

Where is the best chance?
https://www.google.ie/maps/@52.2648076,-9.4281637,19z?hl=en

or

https://www.google.ie/maps/@52.4202274,-9.1335453,19z?hl=en

You may need to turn on contours.

pauldry

Suns out now in sligo but for how long

Lumi

Some decent patches of blue over Galway City now - fingers crossed
http://www.galwaycityweather.com/webcam.htm