"Graham Easterling" wrote in message
...
On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 9:18:39 AM UTC, Graham Easterling wrote:
On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 8:04:22 AM UTC,
wrote:
"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
...
On 04/03/2015 21:57, Dawlish wrote:
On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 7:54:27 PM UTC, Nick Gardner wrote:
On 04/03/2015 19:38, wrote:
I've marked this as 'OT' but obviously the weather is very
relevant!
I've only just found out this is happening at all and it's going
to be
a major event. No totality across the UK of course that passes to
the
north of Scotland but here it looks like being around 90%. IIRC
Aug
1999 was something like 94% so the events will be comparable.

No not comparable, there is a massive difference in terms of output of
heat
and light between 90 and 94%.


Indeed, and 99% is totally different to 100%. In 1999 it was a very
memorable effect as total darkness raced across the sea, plunging from
just dim to virtually dark in a second. I had an ex member of USW camping
in my garden at the time.

Some lucky people on the Lizard actually got a break in the cloud at the
right time.

Here's a picture I took of the 1996 partial eclipse.
http://penzanceweather.atspace.com/wpage7.html

I was living in Crowthorne at the time which was 95% and was hardly noticed
by people not looking out for it. But I had driven to Butser Hill which was
98% and that was noticeable with a rather strange eerie light at totality
and of course a good view of the sun. I do regret not heading SW given the
forecast of cloud, to have experienced total darkness would have been
awesome. Still a memorable occasion. 90% will not be noticeable at all it
terms of light diminution unless you are very sensitive.

Will
--

On 05/03/2015 10:44, Eskimo Will wrote:

"Graham Easterling" wrote in message
...
On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 9:18:39 AM UTC, Graham Easterling wrote:
On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 8:04:22 AM UTC,
wrote:
"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
...
On 04/03/2015 21:57, Dawlish wrote:
On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 7:54:27 PM UTC, Nick Gardner wrote:
On 04/03/2015 19:38, wrote:
I've marked this as 'OT' but obviously the weather is very
relevant!
I've only just found out this is happening at all and it's
going to be
a major event. No totality across the UK of course that passes
to the
north of Scotland but here it looks like being around 90%.
IIRC Aug
1999 was something like 94% so the events will be comparable.

No not comparable, there is a massive difference in terms of output
of heat
and light between 90 and 94%.


Indeed, and 99% is totally different to 100%. In 1999 it was a very
memorable effect as total darkness raced across the sea, plunging
from just dim to virtually dark in a second. I had an ex member of
USW camping in my garden at the time.

Some lucky people on the Lizard actually got a break in the cloud at
the right time.

Here's a picture I took of the 1996 partial eclipse.
http://penzanceweather.atspace.com/wpage7.html

I was living in Crowthorne at the time which was 95% and was hardly
noticed by people not looking out for it. But I had driven to Butser
Hill which was 98% and that was noticeable with a rather strange eerie
light at totality and of course a good view of the sun. I do regret not
heading SW given the forecast of cloud, to have experienced total
darkness would have been awesome. Still a memorable occasion. 90% will
not be noticeable at all it terms of light diminution unless you are
very sensitive.

Will
I was in Bracknell at the time and the light at maximum cover had a very
strange quality to it. I took a couple of photos but you would have to
be told that it was at 95%, though it's impossible with an auto camera
to show the light quality. My notes say 98% - where can we find out
where the percentage coverage was in in Bracknell/Crowthorne?

I do have a photo of the sun at maximum coverage.

On Thursday, 5 March 2015 12:50:01 UTC, Metman2012 wrote:
On 05/03/2015 10:44, Eskimo Will wrote:

"Graham Easterling" wrote in message
...
On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 9:18:39 AM UTC, Graham Easterling wrote:
On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 8:04:22 AM UTC,
wrote:
"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
...
On 04/03/2015 21:57, Dawlish wrote:
On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 7:54:27 PM UTC, Nick Gardner wrote:
On 04/03/2015 19:38, wrote:
I've marked this as 'OT' but obviously the weather is very
relevant!
I've only just found out this is happening at all and it's
going to be
a major event. No totality across the UK of course that passes
to the
north of Scotland but here it looks like being around 90%.
IIRC Aug
1999 was something like 94% so the events will be comparable.

No not comparable, there is a massive difference in terms of output
of heat
and light between 90 and 94%.


Indeed, and 99% is totally different to 100%. In 1999 it was a very
memorable effect as total darkness raced across the sea, plunging
from just dim to virtually dark in a second. I had an ex member of
USW camping in my garden at the time.

Some lucky people on the Lizard actually got a break in the cloud at
the right time.

Here's a picture I took of the 1996 partial eclipse.
http://penzanceweather.atspace.com/wpage7.html

I was living in Crowthorne at the time which was 95% and was hardly
noticed by people not looking out for it. But I had driven to Butser
Hill which was 98% and that was noticeable with a rather strange eerie
light at totality and of course a good view of the sun. I do regret not
heading SW given the forecast of cloud, to have experienced total
darkness would have been awesome. Still a memorable occasion. 90% will
not be noticeable at all it terms of light diminution unless you are
very sensitive.

Will
I was in Bracknell at the time and the light at maximum cover had a very
strange quality to it. I took a couple of photos but you would have to
be told that it was at 95%, though it's impossible with an auto camera
to show the light quality. My notes say 98% - where can we find out
where the percentage coverage was in in Bracknell/Crowthorne?

I do have a photo of the sun at maximum coverage.

The magnitude (i.e proportion of the sun's diameter covered) in Bracknell was 0.970 and the proportion of the sun's area covered 0.969. The two figures are rarely the same, the area proportion being less than than the diameter proportion except near totality when the moon is "large".
I strongly disagree with Will's assertion that an obscuration of 90% is barely detectable. I have seen an eclipse (25 Feb 1971) where the obscuration was only 58% yet the sun, in a clear sky, looked just a little weak and slightly "wrong". I'd say less than 50% is probably undetectable without instruments. This is, of course, because of the eye's enormous dynamic range. Full sun compared to full moon is at least half a million (19 camera stops) but you can still read a newspaper.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

On 05/03/2015 16:22, Tudor Hughes wrote:
On Thursday, 5 March 2015 12:50:01 UTC, Metman2012 wrote:
On 05/03/2015 10:44, Eskimo Will wrote:

"Graham Easterling" wrote in message
...
On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 9:18:39 AM UTC, Graham Easterling wrote:
On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 8:04:22 AM UTC,
wrote:
"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
...
On 04/03/2015 21:57, Dawlish wrote:
On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 7:54:27 PM UTC, Nick Gardner wrote:
On 04/03/2015 19:38, wrote:
I've marked this as 'OT' but obviously the weather is very
relevant!
I've only just found out this is happening at all and it's
going to be
a major event. No totality across the UK of course that passes
to the
north of Scotland but here it looks like being around 90%.
IIRC Aug
1999 was something like 94% so the events will be comparable.

No not comparable, there is a massive difference in terms of output
of heat
and light between 90 and 94%.


Indeed, and 99% is totally different to 100%. In 1999 it was a very
memorable effect as total darkness raced across the sea, plunging
from just dim to virtually dark in a second. I had an ex member of
USW camping in my garden at the time.

Some lucky people on the Lizard actually got a break in the cloud at
the right time.

Here's a picture I took of the 1996 partial eclipse.
http://penzanceweather.atspace.com/wpage7.html

I was living in Crowthorne at the time which was 95% and was hardly
noticed by people not looking out for it. But I had driven to Butser
Hill which was 98% and that was noticeable with a rather strange eerie
light at totality and of course a good view of the sun. I do regret not
heading SW given the forecast of cloud, to have experienced total
darkness would have been awesome. Still a memorable occasion. 90% will
not be noticeable at all it terms of light diminution unless you are
very sensitive.

Will
I was in Bracknell at the time and the light at maximum cover had a very
strange quality to it. I took a couple of photos but you would have to
be told that it was at 95%, though it's impossible with an auto camera
to show the light quality. My notes say 98% - where can we find out
where the percentage coverage was in in Bracknell/Crowthorne?

I do have a photo of the sun at maximum coverage.

The magnitude (i.e proportion of the sun's diameter covered) in Bracknell was 0.970 and the proportion of the sun's area covered 0.969. The two figures are rarely the same, the area proportion being less than than the diameter proportion except near totality when the moon is "large".
I strongly disagree with Will's assertion that an obscuration of 90% is barely detectable. I have seen an eclipse (25 Feb 1971) where the obscuration was only 58% yet the sun, in a clear sky, looked just a little weak and slightly "wrong". I'd say less than 50% is probably undetectable without instruments. This is, of course, because of the eye's enormous dynamic range. Full sun compared to full moon is at least half a million (19 camera stops) but you can still read a newspaper.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

Thanks Tudor, I'll change my notes to say 97%. May I ask where you found
this?

On Wednesday, 4 March 2015 19:38:44 UTC, wrote:
I've marked this as 'OT' but obviously the weather is very relevant!

I've only just found out this is happening at all and it's going to be a major event. No totality across the UK of course that passes to the north of Scotland but here it looks like being around 90%. IIRC Aug 1999 was something like 94% so the events will be comparable.

Col

This was as big a write-off as my previous attempts to view an eclipse.
In 1973 I flew to Nairobi to catch a light plane connecting to Lake Turkana.. Wheel fell off plane on take-off-no eclipse.
1991 Mexico Mazatlan. Told my wife in plenty of time that we had to go. Stopped taking Pill, got pregnant.
Now really ****ed off, so asked nicest dolly-bird from office if she wanted to go with three weeks off- all expenses paid of course, sworn to secrecy, but that she must know what it would entail. Had a great time but eclipse blocked by thunderhead rising faster than sun. (god it was fun in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, California with a girl half my age)
2013-SUCCESS!. Told my Oz mates I was coming over to hire a 4WD for us to drive up to N. of Cairns, rent a seaside villa and watch eclipse. Endless showers previous night (sea anomonously warm) but with 30 mins to go fabulous view of eclipse as sky cleared. Sun only 15 deg above horizon, so no cricked neck. Fred Espenak, on beach, was very impressed.
What of this one?. I think chances of a decent view on cruises etc are remote.
Off to Borneo for the next!

From our back garden in Bracknell there was a notable hush to any bird song that had been going on...

If you didn't notice the dimming then you may have seen the shadows cast on the ground - through dappled light under the leaves of trees you saw countless shimmering crescent like moons (wrong word I know).

On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 8:04:22 AM UTC, wrote:
"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
...
On 04/03/2015 21:57, Dawlish wrote:
On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 7:54:27 PM UTC, Nick Gardner wrote:
On 04/03/2015 19:38, wrote:
I've marked this as 'OT' but obviously the weather is very relevant!
I've only just found out this is happening at all and it's going to be
a major event. No totality across the UK of course that passes to the
north of Scotland but here it looks like being around 90%. IIRC Aug
1999 was something like 94% so the events will be comparable.

No not comparable, there is a massive difference in terms of output of heat
and light between 90 and 94%.


Careful Will, you replied to me there!

Actually a little more digging revealed that Aug 1999 was 93% and Mar '15 will be 91% so rather closer but going by what you say it will still be quite a difference.

Col

On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 5:57:26 PM UTC, wrote:
From our back garden in Bracknell there was a notable hush to any bird song that had been going on...

If you didn't notice the dimming then you may have seen the shadows cast on the ground - through dappled light under the leaves of trees you saw countless shimmering crescent like moons (wrong word I know).

I remember looking out for those but didn't see them. But then I was only 93% but you were (according to this thread) 97% so that must be an effect only seen very close to totality. The light did have a very eerie quality about it though, it didn't seem particulary dark as the eyes of course will accustomise but very gloomy. When I took a photo the flash went off, indicating that light levels were like twilight and far below what would be expected on a sunny August morning.

Col

On Wed, 4 Mar 2015 11:38:43 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

I've only just found out this is happening at all and it's going to be a major event.

If weather's suitable, I'll try a time lapse video.

--
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
By Loch Long, twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.co.uk/weather

On 05/03/2015 09:18, Graham Easterling wrote:
Indeed, and 99% is totally different to 100%. In 1999 it was a very memorable effect as total darkness raced across the sea, plunging from just dim to virtually dark in a second. I had an ex member of USW camping in my garden at the time.
Some lucky people on the Lizard actually got a break in the cloud at the right time.

I heard that there was a view of the eclipse through thin cloud over at
St Ives and St Agnes.

I was near Falmouth for the eclipse on the line of maximum totality. We
stayed up the night before and watched the most impressive meteor shower
I had ever seen under one of the starriest skies I have ever seen. We
thought it would lead into a superb view of the eclipse but in the end
the sun was covered by thick cloud. It was still impressive as a wall of
darkness (the moon's shadow) raced across the sky and then you are
suddenly plunged into a very dark twilight for a couple of minutes
before a wall of light races in from the west. It did go gradually
colder and colder as the morning progressed and during the eclipse it
went really chilly with a keen wind suddenly blowing.

My parents were at Sennen for the eclipse and briefly the cloud broke
enough during totality that they saw the eclipsed sun and a few stars.

On my travels back to Devon I stopped off at a friends house in
Teignmouth. They had an excellent, clear view of the eclipse with just a
small amount of cloud. Though the length of totality there was much less
than in Falmouth. I should have stayed at home!!!!

Oh well, the post-eclipse party in Falmouth was good (from what I
remember of it).

--
Nick Gardner
Otter Valley, Devon
20 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk