THE ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY FOR 2009 July 30
6 Minutes 42 Seconds
Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)
Explanation: The July 22nd total solar eclipse was the longest of the 21st century. From the point of maximum eclipse along the Moon's shadow track across the Pacific Ocean, the Moon completely blocked the Sun for a total of 6 minutes and 39 seconds. But from the deck of this cruise ship the duration of the total eclipse phase was extended to a whopping 6 minutes and 42 seconds by the ship's motion along the shadow track. This panoramic view of the scene shows the shimmering solar corona in a darkened daytime sky, with clouds silhouetted by a bright sky on the distant horizon, beyond the Moon's shadow. Mercury can be seen near the eclipsed Sun. Venus lies near the upper right edge of the frame.
SPECIAL YOU TUBE 8.1 MIN VIDEO OF THIS ECLIPSE FROM IWO JIMA WHICH HAD NEAR
THE MAXIMUM DURATION OF TOTALITY FOR THIS ECLIPSE AND THE ENTIRE 21st CENTURY
GO TO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-stDw1N36O8
CLICK ON LOWER RIGHT SQUARE FOR FULL SCREEN VIEWING
ALSO TRY SELECTING OTHER TOTALITY VIDEOS AS WELL
July 22, 2009
Summary: The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century took place on July 22, 2009. The Moon's shadow swept across India, China, parts of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, lingering near IWO JIMA for as long as 6 minutes and 39 seconds. This eclipse will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132. [full story]
Photographer, Location, Date
Northern Cook Islands, South Pacific
Jul. 21, 2009
Koohak village, Sistan va Baluchestan, Iran
Jul. 22, 2009
Wuhan, China
Jul. 22, 2009
Bam, Kerman, Iran
Jul. 22, 2009
near Ghazni, Afghanistan
Jul. 22, 2009
Dehnamak, Semnan, Iran
Jul. 21, 2009
Huangshan, Anhui, China
Jul. 22, 2009
Comments
We were near the end of the eclipse path, at sea on the m/s Paul Gauguin, in the Northern Cook Islands group well north of the island of Pukapuka, a remote spot that we sailed past on eclipse morning, and were the first cruise ship to ever pass so close to that island. The eclipse was at 6:15 pm on July 21 for us, and after a day of clear skies we had to chase into a clear hole to avoid convective cloud buildup during the partial phases. But the last few minutes of partial phases and totality were well in the clear. The view of the low Sun in eclipse was spectacular with an impressively large Sun/Moon disk from the "moon illusion" effect. We have a happy ship of 300 eclipse chasers!
observation partial solar eclipse in sunrise in south eastern of Iran.beautiful dance cloud, sunad & moon for eclipse Photo details: 20*80 binocular, Canon Powershot A430, 4X optical zoom, using afocal method.
While we were able to view the partial stages of the eclipse in Wuhan, the critical moments from third to fourth contact were hidden in clouds, but we were treated to a wonderful view of the darkness coming from the Moon's shadow approaching, then receding from us, as projected on the clouds.
A breathtaking eclipse scene from ancient ruins of, globally famous "Bam Castle", fotmer greatest adobe made castle known by far Kerman, Iran.
This photo were taken using a DMC-TZ5 camera, hand-held, filtered by an electronically dimming welders helmet.
Morning Sun Rise in Karevansara Dehnamak.... Canon 40D, 400 ASA, 1/250S expose, 200 mm Lens,
Rainbows could be seen just before totality. This was taken at the top of Huangshan. It was an once in a lifetime exciting moment.
more images: from Robert Greene of Kwajalein, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands; from Stanislav Kaniansky of Changchong Kouzen, China; from Dante Cruz of Quezon City, Philippines; from Schindler Leung of TongLing, China; from liuichin of Chang Hua,Taiwan