July 19, 200917 yr Author The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Catch the Solar Eclipse Published on July 20, 2009 Telescopes will be provided for stargazers and those interested in watching the solar eclipse on Wednesday at a major observation site in Pathum Thani and eight other locations around Thailand. National Science Museum scientists will also explain at the site about the natural phenomenon, which will occur from 7am to 9.30am. A thousand tinted pairs of spectacles will be provided for free. A total solar eclipse cannot be observed within entire Thailand, and the time it begins will vary depending from where it is observed. Call 02 577 9999 extension 2102 or 1835 for more information. The National Astronomical Institute of Thailand (NAIT) said the duration of the eclipse will be exactly from 7am to 9.19am. Countries and areas where a full eclipse can be seen are India, China, Japan and the South Pacific. After the total eclipse in Thailand in 1995, this solar ecplise will set a record as the longest so far in the 21st Century, with a duration time of six minutes and 39 seconds. It will last the longest in Chiang Mai - two hours and 12 minutes - as well as be the largest eclipse, with 69 per cent of the moon's shadow covering the Sun. Bangkokians can see it from 7.06am to 9.08am and can view the moon's shadow at a coverage percentage of 42.2 at 8.03am. The NAIT is cooperating with Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and eight universities and colleges in other parts of the country to arrange observation sites from which people can view the eclipse.
July 20, 200917 yr Just in case there is someone who doesn't know, you should not look directly at the sun during an eclipse. You could end up blind. I am hoping to set up a camera on a tripod. Not sure how well it will turn out.
July 22, 200917 yr I just came down from the roof of my apartment building - nothing to see. There is too much cloud. I went fully prepared - watch, compass, sunglasses ... but everything is so overcast it was impossible to notice if it even went a little darker. When's the next one?
July 22, 200917 yr I just came down from the roof of my apartment building - nothing to see. There is too much cloud. I went fully prepared - watch, compass, sunglasses ... but everything is so overcast it was impossible to notice if it even went a little darker. When's the next one? I was prepared with video camera and tripod and it was a bust. The next one is not until the next century.
July 22, 200917 yr Yup, this morning's clouds are disappointing, but I'm here to testify that we didn't miss much. Although a full eclipse feels like a life-changing event, a partial eclipse just isn't much of a thrill at all.
July 22, 200917 yr Author I was prepared with video camera and tripod and it was a bust. The next one is not until the next century. Yes, I was out there too and ended up disappointed. This morning just had to be cloudy and rainy! I was also disappointed with Halley's Comet. My father remembered its 1910 appearance. He said it lasted nearly two weeks and was so bright you could literally read by its light at night. Of course, when it returned in 1986, for the first time in recorded history its path was so far away that the only way you could see it at all was through a telescope. And remember Comet Kohoutek in 1973? That was supposed to be so spectacular that Halley's Comet would pale in comparison. Didn't happen. A dud. You could hardly see it at all. Oh well, twice in my life I was at Cape Canaveral and got to see the space shuttle take off. That was an incredible experience. But just about everything else I try to view seems to be a bust.
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