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APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 4:05 am
by APOD Robot
Easter Island Eclipse
Explanation: Makemake, a god in Easter Island mythology, may have smiled for a moment as clouds parted long enough to reveal this glimpse of
July 11's total solar eclipse to skygazers. In the foreground of
the dramatic scene, the island's famous large, monolithic
statues (Moai) share a beachside view of the shimmering
solar corona and the
darkened daytime sky. Other opportunities to see the total phase of this
eclipse of the Sun were also hard to come by. Defined by the dark part of the
Moon's shadow, the
path of totality tracked eastward across the southern Pacific Ocean, only making significant landfall at
Mangaia (Cook Islands) and
Easter Island (Isla de Pascua), ending shortly after reaching southern Chile and Argentina. But a partial eclipse phase could be enjoyed over a broader region,
including many southern Pacific islands and wide swath of South America.
[/b]
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 5:09 am
by Beyond
It looks like southern Eclipse's are a bit different than northern one's. This southern one looks more like the Sun has aquired a pupil and is looking down upon the darkened statues. Maybe its just a southern illusion thingy
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 6:19 am
by yasgur
Now
that is a cool photo. Cool enough to be my desktop? Why yes, I believe it is.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/ ... clipse.jpg
If this is a problem with the copyright holder, kindly let me know.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:52 am
by neufer
- ______ Othello, The Moor of Venice Act 5, Scene 2
OTHELLO: Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse
___ Of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe
___ Should yawn at alteration.
-------------------------------------------------------------
______ Twelfth Night Act II, scene V
MALVOLIO: [Reads]
___ I may command where I adore;
___ But silence, like a Lucrece knife,
___ With bloodless stroke my heart doth gore:
___ M, O, A, I, doth sway my life.
FABIAN: A fustian riddle!
SIR TOBY BELCH: Excellent wench, say I.
MALVOLIO: 'M, O, A, I, doth sway my life.' Nay, but first, let
___ me see, let me see, let me see.
FABIAN: What dish o' poison has she dressed him!
SIR TOBY BELCH: And with what wing the staniel cheques at it!
MALVOLIO: 'I may command where I adore.' Why, she may command
___ me: I serve her; she is my lady. Why, this is
___ evident to any formal capacity; there is no
___ obstruction in this: and the end,--what should
___ that alphabetical position portend? If I could make
___ that resemble something in me,--Softly! M, O, A, I,--
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:56 am
by neufer
beyond wrote:It looks like southern Eclipse's are a bit different than northern one's. This southern one looks more like the Sun has aquired a pupil and is looking down upon the darkened statues. Maybe its just a southern illusion thingy
The only difference between a southern Eclipse and a northern Eclipse
is the angle between the sun's rotational axis and the horizon.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 12:06 pm
by orin stepanek
And its cool enough for my desktop collection too!
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 1:07 pm
by bystander
I doubt that there is a problem with you having it on your desktop.
However, there might be a problem with you having it on photobucket.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 1:09 pm
by owlice
Information about the eclipse is available on
this thread.
More images of the eclipse are available on
this thread.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:30 pm
by moonstruck
The Moai don't look too excited. They've seen this many, many times before.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:41 pm
by Beyond
neufer wrote:beyond wrote:It looks like southern Eclipse's are a bit different than northern one's. This southern one looks more like the Sun has aquired a pupil and is looking down upon the darkened statues. Maybe its just a southern illusion thingy
The only difference between a southern Eclipse and a northern Eclipse
is the angle between the sun's rotational axis and the horizon.
Yes....but it sure looks different, at least to me. I've never seen a total Eclipse with so much light around such a small dark spot. Just look at owlice's links to some Solar Eclipse's. They are all showing BIG dark spots in the middle of not too much light. Of course the one's that she has linked to were taken with telephoto lense's and apparently the Easter Island one was not. Thats why i said i said it must be a southern illusion thingy.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:49 pm
by moonstruck
Owlice that's wierd. In you're first link where the you can see the faces of the Moai there are six statues. In the other view where they are facing the sunrise there are only five. Wonder why the photogapher would have left one out?
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:56 pm
by bystander
moonstruck wrote:Owlice that's wierd. In you're first link where the you can see the faces of the Moai there are six statues. In the other view where they are facing the sunrise there are only five. Wonder why the photogapher would have left one out?
There are many Moai on Easter Island in various groupings, probably just a different group.
and there are six in today's apod, the last one has lost his head
beyond wrote:Yes....but it sure looks different, at least to me. I've never seen a total Eclipse with so much light around such a small dark spot. Just look at owlice's links to some Solar Eclipse's. They are all showing BIG dark spots in the middle of not too much light. Of course the one's that she has linked to were taken with telephoto lense's and apparently the Easter Island one was not. Thats why i said i said it must be a southern illusion thingy.
All of the pictures are the same Solar Eclipse, the difference is just in the way the image was taken.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:58 pm
by Chris Peterson
moonstruck wrote:The Moai don't look too excited. They've seen this many, many times before.
Actually, not. I didn't look at the record of actual eclipses, but statistically this is probably the second or third total solar eclipse over Easter Island since the statues were carved. Having seen total solar eclipses, I can tell you that the second or third one you see is no less exciting than the first.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 3:53 pm
by Khrodebherat4391
This is absolutely the only eclipse picture I've ever seen that appears to be as a pupil in an eye and a tiny pupil at that. All other photos I've seen show the solar corona as just appearing around the edges of the moon. Clearly, this is not the case here and this anomaly should certainly have been addressed in the text explaining the photo. Since the immediate surroundings in the photo are quite dark (as is proper in a solar eclipse) it seems that an eclipse is indeed happening, but the size of the "corona" makes it appear that things should be much brighter. Can anyone explain this please?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
neufer wrote:beyond wrote:It looks like southern Eclipse's are a bit different than northern one's. This southern one looks more like the Sun has aquired a pupil and is looking down upon the darkened statues. Maybe its just a southern illusion thingy
The only difference between a southern Eclipse and a northern Eclipse
is the angle between the sun's rotational axis and the horizon.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 4:00 pm
by neufer
Khrodebherat4391 wrote:This is absolutely the only eclipse picture I've ever seen that appears to be as a pupil in an eye and a tiny pupil at that. All other photos I've seen show the solar corona as just appearing around the edges of the moon. Clearly, this is not the case here and this anomaly should certainly have been addressed in the text explaining the photo. Since the immediate surroundings in the photo are quite dark (as is proper in a solar eclipse) it seems that an eclipse is indeed happening, but the size of the "corona" makes it appear that things should be much brighter. Can anyone explain this please?
The corona is overly large because the eclipse has been overexposed in order to see the Moai.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 4:19 pm
by Chris Peterson
Khrodebherat4391 wrote:This is absolutely the only eclipse picture I've ever seen that appears to be as a pupil in an eye and a tiny pupil at that.
I've seen many eclipse images that show the Sun just this way. It is also a good approximation of how the eclipse appears in person. There is nothing odd here.
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:11 pm
by Beyond
Just goes to show that some people's "normal" is other people's "strange".
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:03 pm
by neufer
Chris Peterson wrote:moonstruck wrote:The Moai don't look too excited. They've seen this many, many times before.
Actually, not. I didn't look at the record of actual eclipses, but statistically this is probably the second or third total solar eclipse over Easter Island since the statues were carved. Having seen total solar eclipses, I can tell you that the second or third one you see is no less exciting than the first.
London is comparable in size to Easter Island and it has only experienced
one total eclipse in its lifetime.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_so ... %932090_AD
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 12:03 am
by orin stepanek
July 22 2009;
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090724.html A similar eclipse of the picture taken in China!
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 12:27 am
by neufer
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 1:26 am
by biddie67
I love this picture - it really tugs at my heart, mind and soul!
Mr. Stéphane Guisard, kudos to you for capturing it. AND for being at the right place in the right century!!!
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 1:03 pm
by dcstark@hotmail.com
Great choice of a spot to take the picture!! Well done!
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 4:28 pm
by RJN
This APOD is one of the few that has been discussed on MetaFilter. I always find it interesting to follow their APOD discussions. Here is the link:
http://www.metafilter.com/93762/Easter- ... ipse-Photo .
- RJN
Re: APOD: Easter Island Eclipse (2010 Jul 14)
Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 9:37 pm
by GETDAM
Nice photo. I was surprised noone made mention to how well the three other heavenly bodies stood out. And what
is that dark line half way right of the eclipse?
APOD Easter Island Eclipse
Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 6:47 pm
by marcusapod
Has anyone noticed the sun in this picture looks exactly like a missing eye from one of these statues? Eerie