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Gwyneth's avatar

I witnessed the total eclipse at the age of 17 and what was far more fascinating to me than the actual phenomena in the heavens was the effect it had on the wildlife around me. Crows typically gathered at dusk behind the house in the treetops to prepare for their flight acorss the bay to the island for their nighttime roost. On this day they performed the same ritual at mid day. Once the eclipse was finished, they came back sqawking up a storm and "talked " all afternoon.

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Radio Far Side's avatar

Yes, birds especially, but all animals start their evening rituals. The part that struck me was that the horizon was in full daylight all around, but it was night directly overhead. It's a very strange view and one worth seeing at least once.

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Gwyneth's avatar

I am in Woodstock, Ontario which supposedly has a 99.6 % totality and have the glasses. However, it is looking to be cloudy during the event.

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Radio Far Side's avatar

That's pretty much my luck - a once in a lifetime sky event and it's overcast. You might still get the fun patterns under trees, though faintly, and you'll still get the darkness at the break of noon, as Dylan put it. I hope it clears up for you.

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Timmy Taes's avatar

Gwyneth: Welcome to eclipse gazing in Seattle.

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Visayas Outpost's avatar

Did not know about that pendulum effect ! I imagine if a full eclipse happened in this part of the world people would be outside banging pots and pans, or possibly racing up and down the streets dragging corrugated roof panels behind their motorcycles as they do on New Year's. The local governments would probably need some special funding from Congress for who knows what purpose, and they would distribute sacks of rice for who knows what reason.

Meanwhile, the farmers and fishermen would just carry on. They might take a 10 minute break for a smoke.

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Radio Far Side's avatar

That about sums up the situation here, as well. The gummint love printing brochures and sending out ministerial explainers, to appear as if they actually earn the ridiculous paychecks, and usually the info they distribute is completely bass ackwards. Bureau-rats will be bureau-rats.

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Just sayn's avatar

The Eclipse was only 80% and it was a clear day here. I'm waiting for an eclipse with a Super New moon at apogee while earth is at Paragee from the sun. That would certainly be dark. The 21st century and people are still so very superstitious. Is it any wonder the world has so many issues!

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Radio Far Side's avatar

Ooph! You don't ask for little stuff, do you? Give me about a month to calculate when the next total solar eclipse aligns with the New Moon node at Earth perigee, and the Earth is at Sun apogee (July-ish). I even asked ChatGPT and it just threw up its imaginary hands and said go pound sand. Here are the total solar eclipses that occur in July between now and 2050:

July 22, 2028

July 12, 2042

July 23, 2044

July 11, 2048

Calculating which, if any, of them occur when the New Moon node is at perigee is quite a tall order. Hell, Neil DeGrasse Tyson probably wouldn't even know what we are talking about. My best answer is that this sort of orbital confluence is especially rare, though the angular size of the Sun (about 0.53 degree) doesn't vary that much from apogee to perigee, due to the distance involved. The New Moon falls on a node about every 6 months (173 days), meaning there is a total solar eclipse roughly twice a year somewhere on the planet. The Moon is at perigee every 27-28 days. The rest is calculating the precession of the nodes against lunar apogee and perigee, as a function of the Earth's orbital period. Oh yes, and the further out you try to predict this event, the greater the uncertainty, due to the Milankovitch cycle and variations in Earth's rotational period, and the Saros cycle in the nodal precession.

The short answer is, damn good question! Did that help? :)

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Just sayn's avatar

I have No idea if it would even happen. The thought occured to me yesterday while witnessing an 80 % coverage and wanting more. Thanks for trying maybe some NASA , or ESA nerd will read it .

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Radio Far Side's avatar

A total solar eclipse (just witnessed) occurs when the Moon is at/near perigee, and an annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is at/near apogee. Any other time it's a partial eclipse. I suspect you may have been too far north or south to see full totality, which was somewhere in Texas, I believe. Consider yourself lucky. I don't get a solar eclipse here until the year 2200, and the next lunar eclipse is Sept. 2025. The equator sucks.

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Timmy Taes's avatar

PS: If I want to see darkness overhead and sunshine all around the horizon, all I have to do is go over to my in-law's for a back yard BBQ.

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Radio Far Side's avatar

Darkness at the break of noon,

shadows even the silver spoon,

the handmade blade the child's balloon

eclipses both the sun and moon,

to understand you know too soon

there is no sense in tryin'.

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Timmy Taes's avatar

Rufus: They had your verse above on a sign at the Memory Care Center in Santa Rosa.

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Timmy Taes's avatar

Rufus: Thanks for explaining the moon nodes and how they cause eclipses. Imagine if the Moon was right above the equator all the time. We'd get eclipses all the time. That would be interesting.

That pendulum effect is very bizarre. I didn't know about that one. Maybe it's the photons. Ha.

If the eclipse happened in 2020 or 21 the Covid Hysterics would be claiming that everyone traveling to see the eclipse would cause a massive Covid outbreak.

I had a friend who liked to moon people and friends from the back window of my old '50 Plymouth while I drove around Seattle. It kinda stunk up my car but I didn't see an eclipse.

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Radio Far Side's avatar

You don't hear much about the Allais Effect because it trashes the Gravity-Only model and demonstrates an electro-magnetic Universe. We certainly can't have that getting out there. Mentioning the Frankenflu is a nice segue into Wednesday's column.

I've never been much for mooning. My Blessed Assurance is an Eyes-Only project for highly selected audiences. While I imagine the odor was not pleasant, the window imprints would annoy me more, I think.

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Timmy Taes's avatar

Rufus: LOL at My Blessed Assurance as an Eyes-Only project. My friend did roll down the back window first which was considerate of him though the audience may not have liked the view.

It is an electro-magnetic universe IMO.

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Lynnie's avatar

Thanks for the dose of sanity.

Wishing you and the missus a happy, if not sane holiday.

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Radio Far Side's avatar

Cheers! We're already up the mountain and enjoying the cool air and afternoon deluges. I love getting out of the city and into some nature.

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Lynnie's avatar

sanity for sure!

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Vonu's avatar

Pluto was dethroned to obscure the countless bodies like it or bigger in the Kuiper belt.

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