Annular Solar Eclipse – Sunday May 20, 2012
There is a partial annular solar eclipse this Sunday. It’s visible from Seattle. A solar eclipse is when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun. A total eclipse is when, from this position, the Moon completely blocks our view of the Sun. An annular eclipse is when the Moon is just a little farther away, and so although it is completely in front of the Sun, it doesn’t completely block our view, we can still see a ring of Sun around the edge of the Moon. For this eclipse the most anyone will be able to see is an annular eclipse.
   Images from Stellarium |
Viewing Safety
Never look directly at the Sun. Safe viewing is paramount. Always use appropriate safety equipment to view the Sun. This can be:
- Eclipse glasses (available at the Pacific Science Center Store and www.rainbowsymphony.com)
- #14 Welders goggles
- A pinhole projector (make: http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how.html)
Do not use stacked sunglasses, smoked glass, or rely on cloudcover to protect you.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Visibility from Seattle Start: 5:01pm Max (82%): 6:17pm Finish: 7:25pm Sunset: 8:47pm |
Visibility from Redding, CA Start: 5:10pm Max (96%): 6:28pm End: 7:35pm Sunset: 8:29pm |
When was the last/next one visible from Seattle? (next one 2-5 yrs) 1994 – 51% 2014 – 64% 2000 – 30% 2017 – 93% 2000 – 36% 2023 – 85% 2001 – 37% 2084 – 93% 2002 – 48% full annular! (last one 10 yrs ago) |
Some Diagrams
Links
Where can I watch it from Seattle?
Pacific Science Center Courtyard – http://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/Education/Programs/join-us-for-two-major-celestial-events
Solstice Park in West Seattle (bring your own viewing equipment) – http://www.alicesastroinfo.com/2012/05/partial-solar-eclipse-viewing-2012-solstice-park/ –
What time should I look from another city? http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2012May20Agoogle.html (“Magnitude” is the percent coverage: 0.82 means 82% coverage)
When is sunset for another city?
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_pap.pl
Oh no! It’s cloudy!
- Live broadcast from Japan at 2pm Seattle time: http://www.panasonic.net/eclipselive/
- Check nasa.gov for more live broadcast links
Give me more data!
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JSEX/JSEX-index.html
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2012.html#SE2012May20A