‘Ring of Fire’ eclipse wows Australia
AP: Skygazers across the Australian Outback were among the lucky few to witness a solar eclipse on Friday as the moon glided between Earth and the sun, blocking everything but a dazzling ring of light.
The celestial spectacle, known as a “ring of fire” eclipse, was the second solar eclipse visible from northern Australia in six months. In November, a total solar eclipse plunged the country’s northeast into darkness, delighting astronomers and tourists who flocked to the region from across the globe to witness it.
Photo: Friday’s annular solar eclipse blazes like a ring of fire after sunrise, 45 miles (70 kilometers) south of Newman, Australia. The “second sun” is a lens effect. (Nicole Hollenbeck via SpaceWeather.com)
Just, wow. Okay. Consider us suitably awed, sun and moon. Put something together like this and there’s always room for you on our humble internet weblogs.
So, tomorrow night is a cool night. See, Tuesday is the Winter Solstice, and coinciding with said Winter Solstice is a lunar eclipse – a star-aligning event we think happens every million years or something. We can’t be bothered to look up the specific number, but we hear it’ll be awesome. Enjoy the moon completely covered in shadows, guys. Well, as long as you live on the Western Hemisphere. Sorry Japan. source
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