Solar Eclipse in South Pacific

A total Solar eclipse will occur for viewers in the South Pacific and South America on July 11, 2010. Some of the locations that will have a good view of the eclipse include Easter Island, Chile, and Argentina.

The eclipse will start at about 18:15 UTC and go until sunset at 20:52 UTC in Argentina, for a total duration of 2 hours and 40 minutes. For those of you that don't live in the South Pacific, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid's Ciclope Group will broadcast live coverage from Easter Island on July 11, 2010, starting at 20:00 UTC.

Click the picture above for an animated map of the eclipse's path, courtesy of NASA.

SAFETY FIRST!

Although you will want to look at this eclipse, DO NOT LOOK AT A SOLAR ECLIPSE without proper safety equipment. Doing so can cause permanent and irreversible eye damage and possibly blindness.

In order to safely view this eclipse use a pinhole eclipse viewer. Here's how to make one for cheap.

Clear skies!

Comet 103P Hartley Coming this Fall

It's still a little ways off, but comet 103P/Hartley will be lighting up the night sky in late October, this fall. The comet is predicted to attain magnitude 5, making it a naked-eye comet for those with dark skies, and a great telescopic object for anyone. I'll post with more details, including finder charts as it approaches.

Clear skies!