Annular Solar Eclipse of 2012

http://www.dearastronomer.com/

(Channeling my best monster truck rally announcer voice). THIS SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY! SEE THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE OF 2012! BE THERE!.

Seriously though, If you are in the western half of the United States, there’s a decent chance you’ll see at least part of the 2012 Annular solar eclipse.

I’m still catching up/recovering from the semester, so instead of a full-featured eclipse viewing guide, I’m going to present a round-up of some of my favorite resources for the annular solar eclipse of 2012.

Continue reading to get information on great guides from:

WARNING! Do not look at the sun with a telescope that doesn’t have proper filters. Do not look at the sun without adequate eye protection!

For starters, Emily Lakdawalla at The Planetary Society provides an excellent tutorial on how parents can get their kids involved in observing the solar eclipse in a fun and safe manner. Utilizing ages-old “pinhole” camera techniques, kids can project an image of the eclipse onto a sidewalk or blank wall. Check out Emily’s full guide at: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/05161954.html

Next up, NASA’s eclipse site provides a staggering amount of technical information on the annular solar eclipse of 2012. One resource observers may find useful is the Javascript Eclipse Calculator along with numerous charts and infographics for the regions the eclipse track passes over.

Last but not least, one of my favorite magazines, Sky & Telescope, has an excellent guide to viewing the annular solar eclipse at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/A-Preview-of-May-20ths-Annular-Eclipse-141037803.html.

Shown below is a table of eclipse viewing times, courtesy of Sky & Telescope. Additionally, I’ve included an infographic showing visibility of the eclipse for the western region of the United States.

Since I haven’t said it enough, I’ll repeat the warning from earlier:

WARNING! Do not look at the sun with a telescope that doesn’t have proper filters. Do not look at the sun without adequate eye protection!

Ray Sanders is a Sci-Fi geek, astronomer and blogger. Currently researching variable stars at Arizona State University, he writes for Universe Today, The Planetary Society blog, and his own blog, Dear Astronomer