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The Bob
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Can anyone at all throw me a bone on how I can start to learn how to predict the next solar or lunar eclipse to a high degree of accuracy?
Cheers.
The Bob (2004 ©)
Cheers.
The Bob (2004 ©)
Cheers. I see that I am going to have to research this a lot. Thanks for the first stepping stone. Anyone got the next one at hand?hypatia said:This is a good site with several good links in it, it will get you started in the right direction.
Pure curiousity. It has been an interest of mine since I was 9 but I have never tried because I knew I couldn't but now I think I can, with some help from the genii on this forum.misskitty said:Why are you trying to predict the next solar and/or lunar eclipses? Anything in particular? Just curious.
The Bob said:Pure curiousity. It has been an interest of mine since I was 9 but I have never tried because I knew I couldn't but now I think I can, with some help from the genii on this forum.
The Bob (2004 ©)
Thanks for this.tony873004 said:I wrote a computer program once that predicted eclipses to great accuracy. My numbers always agreed with published numbers to within +-5 minutes.
I "borrowed" the formulas from a book called "Astronomy for the personal computer". Everything was in BASIC.
The formulas are HUNDREDS of lines long. To accurately predict an eclipse, you must know EXACTLY where the Earth is, EXACTLY where the Moon is and EXACTLY where the Sun is at any given point in time. There are many things that perturb the positions off these three objects. And the objects that perturb them get pertubed too. So there's a lot of math involved. The formulas in this book takes care of all that for you. It's up to you how much you want to just copy & paste or how much you want to try to comprehend what's going on. I got my copy used for only about $5.
The Bob said:Pure curiousity. It has been an interest of mine since I was 9 but I have never tried because I knew I couldn't but now I think I can, with some help from the genii on this forum.
The Bob (2004 ©)
Your spelling is OK. It is OK to view the eclipse during totality, but warnings are generally issued to keep people from viewing as the totality begins and ends, because UV can cause serious damage to your eyes without your noticing it. I used to be on the Ski Patrol at a mountain in northern Maine, and I have gotten snow blindness from failing to wear proper eye protection. My grandfather was a heavy equiment mechanic, and when I went to his shop, he insisted that I wear a welding mask with a VERY dark plate to protect my eyes - it's easy to forget that the sun is a strong UV source when you're skiing and your eyes are letting in reflected UV from the white snow. You're not looking directly at the Sun, but believe me you can get a bad dose of UV that way, especially at high elevations.misskitty said:1.) When a solar eclipse occurs spectators are advised not to look directly at the sun. If they sun is completely eclipsed by the moon then why can't you look at it?
2.) I observed an excellent lunar eclipse a few months ago. It was awesome, but creepy because the moon tured a deep blood red color...any ideas on why that happened?
(I do hope I'm spelling 'eclipse' correctly! )
When it is completely eclipsed you CAN look at it. It's just that the area that view the eclipse is large and the area that views the TOTAL eclipse is small. And even the area that sees a total eclipse is seeing a partial eclipse most of the time. Bottom line... Don't look at the Sun's photosphere with your naked eye.misskitty said:The best motivation to advance your horizons of knowledge. Let me know how it works. I'd be very interested in what you discover.
Since we're talking about eclipsees and stuff here's a few questions:
1.) When a solar eclipse occurs spectators are advised not to look directly at the sun. If they sun is completely eclipsed by the moon then why can't you look at it?
2.) I observed an excellent lunar eclipse a few months ago. It was awesome, but creepy because the moon tured a deep blood red color...any ideas on why that happened?
(I do hope I'm spelling 'eclipse' correctly! )
UV is very energetic EM radiation, and very energetic radiation can damage the tissues that we are made out of. It can cause our skin to sunburn and it can cause damage to the tissues of the retina (the backs of our eyeballs that connect pretty darned closely to our visual cortexes). Our retinas are beautifully evolved sensors. They can persuade our brains to incorrectly accept the persistence of some images (giving rise to odd optical effects) and they can be so insenitive as to not properly register the happenings that might be visible, if we were sufficiently cognizant.misskitty said:Turbo, thanks for the excellent explanation (seriously ). So what can the UV waves do to your eyes? Can they actually blind you or cause severe damage to your retina and lens? I'll have to remember to wear eye protection if its sunny when my BF teaches me to snowboard. By the way, what is the ZPE field? Just curious, .
Tony your explanation was really good too!
Cheers.tony873004 said:I'll see if I can dig it up. It's on my old computer. If I find it, you'll have to have GW Basic which runs under MS-DOS to use it. I think GW BASIC used to come with Dos.
Check your e-mail.The Bob said:Cheers.
The Bob (2004 ©)
I think I might have to convert it. Any preference on the language?tony873004 said:Check your e-mail.
Do you have GW BASIC? If you end up converting this, send me a copy. I don't have GW BASIC on my new computer and firing up the old computer is such a chore.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on the Earth. This blocks the sun's light and creates a darkening effect on the Earth's surface.
Solar eclipses can be predicted using mathematical calculations based on the positions and movements of the sun, moon, and Earth. Astronomers use a variety of methods, such as the Saros cycle, to accurately predict when and where solar eclipses will occur.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow on the moon. This causes the moon to appear dark or red in color, depending on the amount of sunlight that reaches it.
Lunar eclipses can also be predicted using mathematical calculations based on the positions and movements of the sun, moon, and Earth. However, lunar eclipses are easier to predict than solar eclipses because they can be seen from anywhere on the night side of the Earth.
Solar and lunar eclipses do not occur at regular intervals, but on average there are about two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses each year. However, a specific location on Earth may not experience an eclipse for several years or even decades.