05.20.2012: Solar Eclipse aka "The Ring of Fire"

This afternoon we were hanging out by the pool waiting for the annual Solar Eclipse.  For those of you that forgot your 3rd grade astronomy lesson, a solar eclipse is when the moon moved between the Earth & the Sun.  It creates a ring of fire (because the moon is smaller than the sun)....hence the nickname "Ring of Fire".  This eclipse happens once every year, but is only visible in certain parts of the world or country depending on when it happens.  This is the first time it has happened in the  entire continental US since 1994.  Pretty amazing that it has been that long...and I can remember doing this same thing then too!

Anyways, back to THIS solar eclipse.  The news had been talking this thing up for days....and we were the only ones out there watching it!!  At least here.  I was shocked.  There were some other people outside, but they had no clue what was going on.  I showed Vince and Drake how to make the box with the pin hole in it so that you can see the eclipse happening without looking directly at it.  It was amazing to watch the light change.  So, we shared our technology with some of the neighbors and showed them what was going on out there in the universe while they sat there and baked and drank.  :)

The next day at school, Drake shared his pictures and box viewing instrument.  I found it interesting that he was the only one in his class to do it...or to even observe it.  I think it is pretty amazing.  Arizona wont witness another total solar eclipse until 2205.  Yes, that is right, 2205!!!  They will be visible annually at different places in the USA over the years, but for AZ....2205!!  So basically we witnessed the last eclipse in AZ in all our lifetimes.  It was a moment.

 Creating our advanced technology...

 It is just starting...you can see a sliver missing.

 See the partial eclipse below

 Now they are just posing....with cardboard

 Almost there!!!

 Found these on my camera later....guess they got bored when I went to the bathroom!

So I couldn't get a pic of the final eclipse because the sun moved behind the building....we saw it though! :)