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Eclipse time!
Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 10:17 pm
by Snaxx
Don't you hate it when a stoopid cloud gets in the way at the worst possible time?
Oh, it's tomorrow. (now later today Eastern).
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 7:20 am
by littlebeast13
For those (like me) who will miss it...... enjoy!
lb13
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 7:23 am
by minimetoo26
littlebeast13 wrote:For those (like me) who will miss it...... enjoy!
lb13
Found it!
Very clever way to apply a theme to an avatar--it's Lazy Bitch Approved!!!
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 7:25 am
by littlebeast13
minimetoo26 wrote:littlebeast13 wrote:For those (like me) who will miss it...... enjoy!
lb13
Found it!
Very clever way to apply a theme to an avatar--it's Lazy Bitch Approved!!!
I really wanted to do an animation, but don't have such a program, and all the free ones plaster their url on the image....
Maybe by 2017 I'll have that capability....
lb13
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 9:59 am
by Bob78164
littlebeast13 wrote:I really wanted to do an animation, but don't have such a program, and all the free ones plaster their url on the image....
Like this one?
--Bob
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 9:22 pm
by mom2five
This is what the eclipse looked like at my house. My son set up his telescope and we used a piece of black paper to see the image. It was kind of cool to experience but it wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be.

Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 6:00 am
by MarleysGh0st
Very nice, mom2five!

Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 6:35 am
by littlebeast13
mom2five wrote:This is what the eclipse looked like at my house. My son set up his telescope and we used a piece of black paper to see the image. It was kind of cool to experience but it wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be.

Neat!
Somewhere on a VHS tape at my parents' house that I really, really hope is still in playable shape is my recording of the May 1994 annular eclipse, which I captured on the family camcorder with the help of three thick welders lenses over the camera lens (And yes, we also used them to view the eclipse directly, and as Blind Beast and CB Bucknor will attest to, my eyesight is still as good new).
That eclipse and the partial in July 1991 are the only two solar eclipses I've had a chance to witness firsthand. We were kept in schoolhouse prison during the May 1984 annular, and this one didn't hit until mid-evening here, so all we were treated to was a darker than normal sunset. The Midwest is in the waning stages of a 23 year solar eclipse drought....
lb13
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 8:35 am
by Snaxx
My avatar photo (cropped) is one I took through the special eclipse glasses from somewhere near Shiprock, NM. I uploaded it last night but the 500-error gremlins hit when I tried to go back to this thread.
Here is a larger version.
A bunch of people were gathered at the area I figured using GPS would be where the eclipse takes place right over Shiprock.
This group included a professional photographer couple from Durango, CO, who let me look through their telescope for a closeup view that included a sunspot. However when it went from partial to annual, their telescope went out of focus so they only got photos of the partial phases.
I also managed to meet Sprots and SteelersFan after the eclipse as they stopped on their way back from a successful viewing at Chaco Canyon.
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 8:40 am
by Snaxx
mom2five wrote:This is what the eclipse looked like at my house. My son set up his telescope and we used a piece of black paper to see the image. It was kind of cool to experience but it wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be.

Cool image there. I thought of using a pinhole projection but only brought and used the eclipse glasses.
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 9:04 am
by littlebeast13
Snaxx wrote:Cool image there. I thought of using a pinhole projection but only brought and used the eclipse glasses.
I'm intrigued by these eclipse glasses....
lb13
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 9:08 am
by mom2five
Snaxx wrote:My avatar photo (cropped) is one I took through the special eclipse glasses from somewhere near Shiprock, NM. I uploaded it last night but the 500-error gremlins hit when I tried to go back to this thread.
Here is a larger version.
A bunch of people were gathered at the area I figured using GPS would be where the eclipse takes place right over Shiprock.
I was hoping to see an image like yours, Snaxx! That is so cool!
We had a pair of welder's goggles but they were no where near dark enough to use to look at the sun directly. We weren't quick enough to get a hold of a pair of "eclipse glasses". They sold out so fast!
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 9:32 am
by Bob Juch
littlebeast13 wrote:Snaxx wrote:Cool image there. I thought of using a pinhole projection but only brought and used the eclipse glasses.
I'm intrigued by these eclipse glasses....
lb13
Found it!
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:02 am
by SportsFan68
Snaxx wrote:Don't you hate it when a stoopid cloud gets in the way at the worst possible time?
Oh, it's tomorrow. (now later today Eastern).
Something came through Friday that made me think of an old Peanuts cartoon. I tried to find it to post it but couldn't do it.
Linus is making one of those pinhole cardboard viewers and is so excited about it and tells everybody about how you'll hurt your eyes if you look directly at the sun and shows off his viewer to anybody who'll listen.
So the day of the eclipse, Charlie Brown comes up to Linus, who is standing in a downpour, completely sodden, including the viewer, looking up at the sky with a very disappointed look on his face. Charlie Brown says, "So how's the eclipse?"
By Saturday, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and so it continued into Sunday.
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:06 am
by SportsFan68
littlebeast13 wrote:For those (like me) who will miss it...... enjoy!
lb13
That is a fabulous avatar, complete with viewing glasses! It will win!
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:07 am
by littlebeast13
SportsFan68 wrote:littlebeast13 wrote:For those (like me) who will miss it...... enjoy!
lb13
That is a fabulous avatar, complete with viewing glasses! It will win!
How's your top three looking after the past few weeks of winning avatars.....?
lb13
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:10 am
by SportsFan68
littlebeast13 wrote:SportsFan68 wrote:littlebeast13 wrote:For those (like me) who will miss it...... enjoy!
lb13
That is a fabulous avatar, complete with viewing glasses! It will win!
How's your top three looking after the past few weeks of winning avatars.....?
lb13
They're still the same -- #1 Sunchine, #2 Mini Doughnut, #3 Gladys MBRS.
Saying "It will win" is the same as the Sprots Imprimatur.
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:13 am
by littlebeast13
SportsFan68 wrote:littlebeast13 wrote:SportsFan68 wrote:
That is a fabulous avatar, complete with viewing glasses! It will win!
How's your top three looking after the past few weeks of winning avatars.....?
lb13
They're still the same -- #1 Sunchine, #2 Mini Doughnut, #3 Gladys MBRS.
Saying "It will win" is the same as the Sprots Imprimatur.
I'm sure Holly and Diamond will find that comforting....
lb13
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:44 am
by SportsFan68
mom2five wrote:This is what the eclipse looked like at my house. My son set up his telescope and we used a piece of black paper to see the image. It was kind of cool to experience but it wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be.

We watched the eclipse from the top of what we called "AT&T Mesa" because we could get a cell phone signal up on top. Another advantage to AT&T Mesa is that it was about a five-minute walk from our campsite. Cell service was sketchy, and one of our party was able to say something like "Hi, Mom, we're watching the eclipse" before he lost signal completely. He had called me early Saturday morning to ask us to bring more ice, and we talked for about 10 minutes. No accounting for AT&T.
Anyway, posted at the trailhead up to AT&T Mesa was this sign:
NOTICE
- This trail CLOSES at sunset (8:14 p.m.)
- You will not be able to view the full annular eclipse from this trail
- Viewing the annular eclipse is possible from:
~ The Visitor Center
~ Pueblo Bonito
~ Pueblo del Arroyo
~ Casa Rinconada
Those feelthy liers!! We had a fabulous view of the entire eclipse! Not only that, we had the entire mesa to ourselves since everybody else believed the signs and rangers and volunteers and went to the designated areas.
I think they were mainly trying to control the parking situation, which is very limited. I'm sure that otherwise they would have had people trying to use expen$ive camera equipment to photograph the eclipse over Fajada Butte in the middle of a very narrow road which absolutely does not allow parking on the shoulder.
As for AT&T Mesa and other trails, I think they wanted to control the number of people they would otherwise have had to herd down some very dangerous descents. As for us, we were safely back in camp by 7:50 because we started back down as soon as annularity was complete.
Here's a photo with what we called AT&T Mesa on the left; trailhead is just a little farther left out of the photo.
Re: Eclipse time!
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:54 am
by SportsFan68
Snaxx wrote:My avatar photo (cropped) is one I took through the special eclipse glasses from somewhere near Shiprock, NM. I uploaded it last night but the 500-error gremlins hit when I tried to go back to this thread.
Here is a larger version.
A bunch of people were gathered at the area I figured using GPS would be where the eclipse takes place right over Shiprock.
This group included a professional photographer couple from Durango, CO, who let me look through their telescope for a closeup view that included a sunspot. However when it went from partial to annual, their telescope went out of focus so they only got photos of the partial phases.
I also managed to meet Sprots and SteelersFan after the eclipse as they stopped on their way back from a successful viewing at Chaco Canyon.
Successful is an understatement! Those eclipse viewing glasses are the bomb! The Denverites bought 10 pair at the Denver Museum of Natural History. I didn't even try to get a photo because I was worried that I would fry my camera, especially since my focus does the same thing that Snaxx describes above when I'm trying to photograph celestial objects. MatiasMom took several using special Mylar "paper," and they look exactly like Snaxx's. WTG Snaxx!
It was great to meet Snaxx in Farmington on our way back home. He's had lots of out west adventures and was wearing his Truth or Consequences T-shirt. I was wearing my Fort Lewis College sweat shirt, and SteelersFan was wearing his Colorado Rockies T. Except for the fact that we were meeting in a motel lobby, anyone would have thought we were a group of locals hanging out to talk about the eclipse.