This is from my cousin Richard, who emailed it, so I figure there was a certain degree of anonymity implied. Since I have more than one cousin Richard, anonymity is likely preserved here. And its funny. There will be a solar eclipse on November 3 that should be visible between 6:38 and 7:10 AM Eastern Standard Time (Daylight Savings Time ends on November 3, so youll fall back one hour). I say should be visible because I cant account for individual anomalies like retinal damage from previous eclipse observations and obstructions like clouds, trees, and eyelids. Best views will be early because the sun will be partially eclipsed at sunrise and the moon will be retreating for the duration of the eclipse. Fourth contact (the instant when the partial phase of the eclipse ends) is at 7:10. You can see an animation of the eclipse here timeanddate/eclipse/in/usa/washington-dc. For most of you, the animation will suffice, but keep reading if it doesnt. Some people heed the advice of so-called experts who warn us not to look directly at the sun, particularly during solar eclipses. Instead of direct observations, they recommend constructing a shoebox projector that safely projects an image of the eclipse on the shoes in the box, which to me is not as satisfying as the animation referenced above. If youve read this far, you may be a thrill seeker like me who wants to observe the eclipse directly. What are you, nuts? Didnt you hear what the so-called experts said about looking directly at the sun? You might as well poke your eyes out right now and get it over with. What you should do instead is use my solar viewer, which is a large wooden plank with a handle and a cutout with welders glass that blocks harmful solar radiation (the plank does that too). My mommy bought it for me at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where I viewed the legendary solar eclipse of March 7, 1970. Ill be on ___________with the viewer at 6:38 on November 3. Youre welcome to join me. Please come earlier if youd like to participate in a virgin sacrifice. Richard
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 15:52:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015