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Wally Santana / AP
An annular solar eclipse is seen briefly during a break in clouds over Taipei, Taiwan.
The sun, moon and Earth lined up today for a spectacular "Ring of Fire" annular eclipse that sparked social rites as ancient as Stonehenge and as modern as the Twitterverse.
Eclipse fans gathered in locales ranging from Japan's Mount Fuji, to the alien-hunting Allen Telescope Array in California, to the ancient Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. But they gathered online as well, to share the wonders of the event via webcasts and chatrooms and Twitter feeds.
"Is it bad that instead of just going outside I'm watching photo updates of the eclipse on Instagram?" one tweeter asked.
- PhotoBlog: Must-see eclipse views from around the world
- Your photos of the eclipse ... it's not too late to share!
- Explore an eclipse panorama from California's Lassen Peak
This event held special significance for American skywatchers: It marked the first time in 18 years that an annular solar eclipse could be seen from the United States. Such eclipses occur when the moon is too far away in its elliptical orbit to cover the sun's disk completely, as seen from Earth. As a result, a little ring of the sun remains visible around the moon's dark disk, even at the height of the eclipse. (The term "annular" comes from "annulus," a Latin word meaning "little ring.")
Centuries ago, priests may have celebrated eclipses at Stonehenge with religious rites. But today, the residents of Redding, Calif., celebrated with barbecue parties. "It's become a very social event," said Tim Young, a physics professor from the University of North Dakota who helped organize an eclipse webcast from Shasta College in Redding.
MSNBC's Thomas Roberts reports that the western U.S. and eastern Asia are seeing a rare type of solar eclipse.
The event began in Asia, where the edge of the moon's shadow touched down at dawn on Monday (on the other side of the International Date Line). A camera crew atop Mount Fuji battled inclement weather that partially obscured the annular phase, but their live Internet stream still managed to catch a few glimpses through the clouds. More than 275,000 viewers tuned in to the webcast, the project's organizers said.
Eclipse tours were arranged in Japan, China and Taiwan to take skywatchers to the central part of the moon's shadow, where the annular "Ring of Fire" effect was visible. Tokyo residents had a ringside seat, so to speak. "It was a very mysterious sight," Kaori Sasaki, who joined a crowd in downtown Tokyo, told The Associated Press. "I've never seen anything like it."
The moon's shadow raced eastward at a speed of more than 2,000 miles per hour. The annular phase could be seen only from locations along a roughly 200-mile-wide, 8,500-mile-long track, for just a few minutes in any one location. In contrast, the partial eclipse rose and receded over the course of a couple of hours, and was visible over a much wider swath of the world.
The first hints of the partial eclipse didn't show up on the U.S. West Coast until around 5 p.m. PT (6 p.m. MT, 7 p.m. CT, 8 p.m. ET). The annular phase reached its peak for Americans after 9 p.m. ET, along a line stretching from the Oregon-California coast to around Lubbock, Texas.
Astronomers and amateurs gathered to witness the annular eclipse at the Allen Telescope Array, 70 miles northeast of Redding. Guests walked among the facility's 20-foot-wide radio antennas, which monitor the skies for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations, listened to talks from SETI researchers, and then watched the eclipse through safety glasses or specially designed solar telescopes.
One of the guests, William Phelps, peered intently through his 80mm H-alpha telescope, looking for the first signs of the moon poking into the sun's disk. He's a veteran of 16 previous eclipse-viewing sessions, but he still let out a yelp when he spotted the moon's edge through the telescope.
"Yahoo! That's No. 17!" he cried. Then he let the other guests take their own peeks.
As the moon covered more and more of the sun, the California afternoon seemed to get a bit cooler and dimmer, as if a tinted window had materialized in front of the mountain landscape. The sunbeams filtering through the trees threw crescent-shaped patterns on the ground. At the appointed time, the dark moon was completely ringed by sunlight, and the crescents on the ground turned into tiny O's. A cheer went up from the little crowd.
"God, that's beautiful!" Phelps said. After a few minutes, the moon began its slow exit from the sun's disk. "I'm seeing beads," Phelps reported, referring to the "Baily's Beads" effect that occurs when bits of sunlight leak out through the valleys of the moon.
Roger Ressmeyer / Corbis
See stunning images from past solar eclipses going back to the 1920s.
Elsewhere, more than 5,000 people gathered at the University of Colorado's Folsom Field in Boulder for a mass eclipse-watching party. "We got several really long, good views, especially right close to sunset," university spokeswoman Erin Frazier told me. A full house attended an eclipse teach-in at Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico, a sacred site for the Pueblo people and one of the prime viewing spots for the "Ring of Fire."
Would-be watchers heeded the warnings about eye safety, and snapped up thousands upon thousands of eclipse-viewing glasses in the days leading up to the event. The University of Nevada at Reno reported that it sold 17,000 of the glasses at $2 each last week, and had to order 10,000 more. Young said he brought 600 of the special spectacles with him to Redding. His supply quickly dwindled. "It's become a mad grab for resources," he said.
Young, who has been involved in more than a dozen webcasts since 2004, said interest in today's eclipse picked up surprisingly quickly. "Three days ago, it was not that big a deal, but as the news started playing it up, people got excited," he said.
Decades ago, before the rise of sun-watching satellites, eclipses provided the best opportunities for astronomers to learn about the sun's structure — and they're still of scientific interest. This weekend, for example, Williams College astronomer Jay Pasachoff organized an expedition to the Jansky Very Large Array in New Mexico to monitor the sun's radio emissions during the eclipse. But experts say the phenomenon's main appeal nowadays has more to do with the human psyche than with scientific studies.
"This can get people to look up from their little anthill lives, and maybe get a sense of the bigger cosmic cycles that are going on all the time over our heads," said Alan MacRobert, a senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine.
The eclipse experience can have a long-lasting effect, said Seth Shostak, an astronomer at the California-based SETI Institute who conducted a tutorial at the Allen Telescope Array. "Eclipses are like potato chips, notable for the fact that in all recorded history nobody has eaten only one," he joked. "Be warned."
More about the eclipse:
- Eclipse Day! Your guide to the 'Ring of Fire'
- Get ready to chase the eclipse
- Where and how to see the eclipse
- How to see the eclipse online
- How to safely observe the solar eclipse
- How to photograph the eclipse safely
- World's largest solar eclipse party? Game on!
- Why the 'Ring of Fire' will be a rare sight
- See the solar eclipse at a national park
- Satellite to watch solar eclipse from space
- Five myths about the sun
- Slideshow: Greatest eclipse hits
- Share your eclipse photos with PhotoBlog
Ready for another "potato chip"? The next sky spectacular is a partial lunar eclipse, visible from Pacific locales on June 4. That'll be followed by a rare transit of Venus on June 5. The year's other big target will be a total solar eclipse, visible from Australia and the Pacific on Nov. 13. Stay tuned for coverage of all those astronomical events.
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.
Last updated 11:59 p.m. ET May 20.
Leave a Comment:
Awesome from California. Casted shadows in the shape of the eclipse on my house. got pics on the cell phone.
It's the global warming head cases trying to make solar cut backs
Tru dat.
Just got in...... I'm in northern Arizona. Weather was perfect, the show was awesome. >:o):
Hi Kimber Lee, Beautiful sentiments and appropriate timing.
The God (Sun) and The Goddess(Moon) for a brief time are united. A time for unity, healing, cleansing and changing paths.
"May the God Light your Path with Truth, and The Goddess surrounds your Heart with Love."
So Mote It Be!!!
Much Love n Bright Blessings All,
Da Pup
>:o):
I watched, from my home on the Olympic peninsula, saw no change. Total cloud cover reflected sun light evenly through out the event.
I was so disappointed I could not find the right glasses anywhere but took my dog out to see if anyone was looking up....and I had the best time. Ran into neighbors I did not know before..they taught me how to look at the eclipse through your fist....very cool and then someone did show up with the right lens and we all shared this time...I think this sometimes is a sign of connection with the planets and your neighbors....great day!
Absolutely amazing. We had the official Balloon Museum "eclipse glasses" and I had a great view of the entire cycle from my backyard here in NE Albuquerque. Great viewing weather, for once. The Arizona fires didn't smoke us out like last year. I avoided the crowds at the Balloon Museum and the other "recommended" viewing locales and it was awesome. And Matt, having lived in a number of places including Western NC and Cental FLA, I'm always glad to be in NM. Land of Enchantment, baby.
Saw the eclipse from my front yard here in Albuquerque! It was awesome! No clouds, just a perfect view. We had several sets of glasses, a couple pieces of #14 welding glass, a couple pinhole projectors, and a bunch of friends over.
Here is a short clip of the May 20, 2012 solar eclipse as seen from southern California.
I would have to search long , far, and wide...to find something I cared less about.....Whats the matter with you people?
Excuse us for enjoying a little astronomy , science , some wonders of our universe and solar system ....
I can't understand it, Ben. If people aren't interested in the cosmos, what are they doing on Cosmic Log? Oh, OK.
Anyway...
Can't wait for June 6th. I wish Alan would let us have a space party here.
Oh wait, we did last night! Well at least two plus a few more. It was truly awesome. :-)
Darrah , we're turning into some king of spacey party animals .... "LOL"
As long as we don't have the tin foil hats on. I'll only go so far on that deal. LOL
I wonder if they attract lighting .... ??
Why don't you find out for us Ben Franklin? lol
You know I had to to go there in fun. :-)
"LOL"
I guess I set myself up for that one .... "LOL"
I am in Las Vegas-- I was able to get one good photo.. its posted on my facebook page..check it out !!!
Looks like "just another day of pollution on the roads" only decorated by rings of photography trick
I love the solar eclipse, especially in the picture.
Went for a motorcycle ride today into the far western portion of the Angeles National Forest, up Liebre Mountain. Came down to a nice viewing area at around 6, with vast views overlooking Frazier Park and down to the Santa Clarita Valley. Quite a nice show, with the sunlight noticeably dimmer than normal at the peak coverage. The rolling hills turned a deep golden color, as it would appear if the sun were much lower.
Short video of the eclipse.
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=UUgtz77T-V_JqmS3dI7-EeRw&v=V9AHN-jPRaA
As the eclipse was reaching its fullness, I heard the LORD say unto me:
Wake up, Nicka! Go thou forth now and say unto My People, 'Repent! Repent! For the hour is at hand, when the Sun shall be darkened, and the Moon shall not give its light, and I, the LORD, shall judge the nations with justice on My right hand, and mercy on My left hand, when I send My Son with the saints, and I rapture My People into the clouds, where My Name is written on high, and they come with Him to restore justice and peace among the nations, and to vanquish the wicked in My Name, that peace might flow like a river, and blessings like a fountain, for this is what the LORD says! This is what the LORD says! This is what the LORD says!"
Hallelujah!
Really! You clearly heard him say that to you? Wow! Where you eating any mushrooms or smoking something other than weed?
This isn't the place for this you need to call your minister or TBN they need the money.
BTW - today is the anniversary of Harold Camping's 2nd attempt at his "End of the World" prediction. (BTW - Unless I missed the memo, it didn't happen.)
It was a great day to be in Albuquerque. We really got lucky that the clouds that we've seen in the west most days lately did not block the view. We had a lot of fun at the balloon fiesta museum, but man the crowds!
Next up - the transit of Venus on June 5th.
And then the total eclipse in 2017 in St. Louis! :D
Here in Iowa, the clouds gave way to a sweet sunset. Even though we didn't get totality, it was still a cool partial!
Truly some amazing, stunning photos of a really cool astronomical event. Wow! I'm living overseas in SE Asia now, so no totality here... well, it's nighttime, so I guess you could argue that it's REALLY total. Ha ha.
Hey, "openmindedperson" -- when you can show me the value of having "faith" in something that doesn't exist, then we can talk. Until then, I don't see why not having "faith" is intrinsically such a bad thing. I don't believe in leprechauns or unicorns, but I'm pretty sure my life isn't any less meaningful or personally fulfilling because of it. Lots of people choose not to believe in any gods. They're not miserable, aimless people. They just choose to be rational.
You ask "who do you think created the universe?" in a manner that suggests you believe it was some single entity, almost certainly the one god (of the many thousands dreamed up by mankind) that you personally believe in. Well I'd ask you, who created that particular god? How was he formed... and from what? And no, sorry, but "He's always been there" isn't an answer, because that's even less plausible or provable than actual scientific theories of the origin of the universe.
The greater point here is that, sometimes, we just don't know. The marvelous thing about science is that it seeks to find out, to learn. It revises itself, demands more of itself, and makes allowances for new discoveries. When I went to school, astronomy said Jupiter had a handful of moons... I don't remember the number, but not that many. Now, astronomy says there are 66 moons. Religion, on the other hand, is quite intractable and unyielding, though people tend to just pick and choose what they want to believe in, and distort the rest. For instance, Jesus was very, very clear about money, yet today's Christianity in America wants you to believe that "God wants you to be rich! (And Republican)" -- and the Bible is also very clear about its advocacy for slavery, yet people choose to ignore all those verses. The point is, the actual religion itself doesn't allow for new discovery. The Bible still maintains that God created the division between night and day three days before bothering to create the Sun... you know, the thing that causes the division! Oops.
Everything has gone social. People don't know how to keep their mouths shut anymore.
Of course its going to go social. Thats how we roll now a days...everything has to go on some form of un-social media because people think we live under rocks and that the only way we are going to hear about it is through fb or twitter.
Some people have no idea how to communicate anymore unless its through social media.
However; the eclipse is a wonderful event for those that were fortunate enough to be in a location to see it.
Watched from SW Utah. I had previously seen a partial, very nearly full where the sky darkened and stars were visible. It was like twilight with direct shadows. I was expecting something more like that. Was very surprised at how bright it remained.
The thing that I didn't expect was the shadows. My open hand cast double shadows no matter the direction I held it. I suppose my fingers were elongated but it didn't look that way. Wish I'd set up a viewing screen and camera. The effect was well within the umbra size cast by my body so I expect there was actually some fading, but without pics who knows.
I saw a werewolf, and he changed back into a human - Ahhroo!!
i bet the beings who live on the dark side of the moon HATE it when this happens. looks like they're getting cooked! pinche space bugs.
i saw the ring of fire in the omnimax theatre when i was a kid but this is different from volcanos and such though it is still cool even better without all the lava
Here in PHX, it threw bunch of crescent-shaped images on my wall as it shone through my backyard tree. Pretty cool, but still nothing compared to a true total solar eclipse (even a 99% is 10,000 brighter than a total). You can look ata total eclipse with the unaided/protected eye, we went to Mexico for the "big one" in 1991 and while Mazatlan (where we stayed) got clouded out to some extent, we found a beach about 100 miles S of there and it was amazing. Had about 6 minutes of totality, it was early afternoon, in July so sun was almost directly overhead (since we were near the tropic not long after the simmer solstice) and it truly was a "ring of fire"---but instead of the sun's surface, it was the shimmering "corona" or atnosphere of the sun showing around the disc of the moon. You could see the stars and it looked like sunset 360 deg around you. The shadow came from the tip of the Baja peninsula over the Sea of Cortez, looked like a storm coming the last few minutes, and then...lights out. It was a very visceral feeling, I can see where this would completely freak someone out if they did not know what was going on. Put a total on your bucket list.