The only total solar eclipse of 2020 is happening this week. Here's how to watch it from anywhere.:
The only total solar eclipse of the year arrives this week. On Monday, December 14, lucky skywatchers will have the chance to spot the spectacular celestial event, when the new moon fully blocks the sun, creating temporary darkness during what NASA calls "one of nature's most awe-inspiring sights."
[...] Unfortunately, this solar eclipse will only track over parts of South America, so relatively few people will be able to watch it live. However, several live streams of the event will ensure eager amateur astronomers have a chance to see the eclipse, no matter where in the world you are located.
[...] The eclipse will be visible in South America, specifically in certain regions of Chile and Argentina. According to NASA, the path will stretch from Saavedra, Chile to Salina del Eje, Argentina.
[...] For those viewing the eclipse in person, there are several safety precautions to follow. Never look directly at the sun, and make sure to wear solar eclipse glasses to protect your eyes — regular sunglasses are not sufficient.
For those located elsewhere in the world, NASA TV will live stream the eclipse from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile via telescopes at the Observatorio Docente. The show starts at 9:40 a.m. ET, with a narrated program in Spanish at 10:30 a.m. ET and the total eclipse set for 11:02 a.m. ET. Watch it here.
[...] Time and Date is also hosting a live stream, from the Villarrica volcano in Chile starting at 9:30 a.m. ET.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 14 2020, @12:12AM
I however cannot.
(Score: 0, Informative) by Fuck You Niggers 2 on Monday December 14 2020, @03:17AM (2 children)
Here is another live stream of the eclipse [youtube.com] for online viewing.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 14 2020, @05:18AM
The parent is a goatsex link! Do not click!
(Score: 0, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 14 2020, @06:56AM
FUCK YOU RACIST BASTARD MOTHERFUCKER
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 14 2020, @03:42AM (1 child)
A shade 14 (or darker) welding helmet is sufficient, but many welding sets aren't rated that high and you can be permanently partially blinded if you use a lower value.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 14 2020, @06:49AM
However, most monitors are not capable of replicating the full force of the sun when used for remote viewing of such an event, so unless you are lucky enough to be in the narrow parts of Chile/Argentina, you can disregard.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Monday December 14 2020, @06:53AM (2 children)
I went down to Oregon to be directly under the eclipse that happened a couple years ago. Watching it on a monitor or a TV captures at most, a tiny fraction of a percent of what it is like. Even my own photos and videos are totally flat -- worth nothing at all. The only analogy I can make, and even that doesn't quite capture it, is that watching an eclipse on a monitor is like watching a person describe sex. Watching one live is like participating in an orgy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 14 2020, @07:49AM
Definitely. I went "up" to Oregon from the south. It was my first eclipse. Of course I saw a bazillion pictures and videos before that, and nothing can match being there. This eclipse is comparable in duration to 2017. The one that crosses North America in 2024 will have about twice the totality, and some of them come close to 7 minutes. I can't wait to see what twice the duration of totality looks like. Think about it. Aside from it being darker longer, there will be a larger area of the sky darkened, so the sky should look darker. The ones that come close to 7 minutes must be mind-blowing in this regard, but I only have a sample of 1, so I just don't know.
When you're there, you get to feel it getting cooler, and you see odd things like how it seems like the light level is quantized right before it goes total. I don't know how else to put it--I expected a totally smooth transition, but it really did look like there were discreet levels towards the end. That was probably individual Bailey's Beads that I couldn't look at directly. Then when it's safe to look... it's like the strangest LED circle-light you ever saw, with that whispy corona. Also we camped with a bunch of people and it was a cool scene. The virus should be under control by '24, so camping with a bunch of strangers will be cool again.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 14 2020, @02:44PM
The rest of us feel the same way about virtual-everything-else.