Posted on 06/09/2002 10:40:36 PM PDT by petuniasevan
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Explanation: Today, a few lucky people will see a "ring of fire." That's a name for the central view of an annular eclipse of the Sun by the Moon. At the peak of this eclipse, the middle of the Sun will appear to be missing and the dark Moon will appear to be surrounded by the bright Sun. This will only be visible, however, from a path that crosses the Pacific Ocean. From most locations at most times, including most of eastern Asia and western North America, the Moon will only appear to take a bite out of the Sun. In east Asia, the rising Sun will appear partially eclipsed on the morning of June 11. Simultaneously, in much of North America, the same eclipsed sun will appear to be setting on June 10. Remember to never look directly at the Sun even during an eclipse. An annular eclipse occurs instead of a total eclipse when the Moon is on the far part of its elliptical orbit around the Earth. The next annular eclipse of the Sun will take place in 2003 May, although a total eclipse will occur later this year in early December. Pictured above, a spectacular annular eclipse was photographed behind palm trees on January 4, 1992.
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And if so inclined, to experiment with some homespun verse themselves. I'll post the link as soon as the beautiful lounge opens.
My feeble attempt:
Sky Views
It's the apparent magnitude
that catches your eye first.
As if there is an astrochemistry
taking place. You are dust.
He a gas.
You become an accretion
at the sound of his voice.
At times unable to utter
a single sound in reply.
The apparent magnitude of this
blinding gift from the chaos
keeps you coming back for more.
He a corona. You the eclipse.
Binary systems lost in the universe.
(-;l*&;-)
Hugs
2T
While Waiting for the Big Bang News...An Eclipse!
Dedicated with love to 2Trievers for being a stellar nursery in human form at the moment.
Moon's chords and arcs will occlude rays of straightest perfection from Sol, today...
The penultimate geometric armaggedon between circle and line, bending the eye
away from the REAL TRUTH, unbearable to look upon unprotected.....
It is the understanding that Space is so huge, that man's time of science has stretched such a few
short inches across the miles-long line of time arrowing from the heart of the First Circle.
That First Circle's mathematical point, in protonuclear birth agony, threw out ballistic streams
of atomic debris*. This fertile dark matter, became our planet Earth, formed of Star stuff,
wrapped in warped space, providing the Universe a second point of view located HERE and NOW,
You and I, intersecting the infinite, one-way line of time... our very own platform from which
ephemeral humans can extend their sight, FINALLY to look backward....down millenial years and miles
along the timeline, listening, watching, and searching, waiting for the big NEWS
of how elegantly,
GOD ARRANGED that
MANKIND would come to BE, so long ago, in order
TO REACH US AT LAST!
*(and the expanding, accelerating, insubstantial, space which enfolds and interpenetrates it)
* serves as a footnote...we'll call it a poetic wormhole, since I don't have an editor yet this morning to contradict me|;-D
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