I need help finding an article about the 1976 eclipse...

[ChubbyStarstuff (Pete)]

G'day everyone!

I'm having trouble finding an article I wrote as a 13-year-old, back in 1976, about the total solar eclipse of October 23rd that year. Actually, it was a "Letter to the Editor", but it wasn't published in the letters section (I remember my disappointment!), it was printed in the Science section they used to have in the weekend editions.

The letter was published in the Ballarat Courier, either the weekend after that (30/31 October), or two weekends post (6/7 November). It may even have been later, as I remember at the time I was quite disappointed for the first few days...

I've contacted the Courier, only to have them refer me to "a library". They apparently have no online access for their own archives! Talk about a small town mentality...

Anyway, I'm a LONG way from a library (even if I could drive, which I can't at the moment), and despite trying a few online resources (the National Library of Australia, TROVE, and DogPile, amongst a few others), and while they may have the articles, they're only available on microfilm in their reading rooms. That's a double whammy for me at the moment.

So. Can anyone help me find an online resource that may have escaped my notice or knowledge, that might be able to find the article mentioned? If you do know of such a resource, it might be helpful for other members if it can be mentioned here. It's a long chance, but I'd be an idiot not to ask!

Of course, I realise all the handsome/beautiful and intelligent members here may not be able to rustle up anything, but I live in hope!

Naturally, I'll pay you double what you're already getting. That's the least I can do!

To be honest, the letter was pretty crappy - I was 13 at the time, and while I had an immense vocabulary, I thought I knew everything back then. Isn't it strange that it took another 47 years to learn that I actually had everything to learn?

Anyway, I hope this might be enough to get someone to say "Oh, that's easy, just go to...." (or similar!)

Thanks to anyone and everyone who can help out.

Cheers, and clear skies.
Pete from Ballarat (now in the Yarra Valley, moving in a month)
P.S. The article would have included a mention of "Peter Naus, of Wendouree"

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Originally Posted by ChubbyStarstuff

To be honest, the letter was pretty crappy - I was 13 at the time, and while I had an immense vocabulary, I thought I knew everything back then. Isn't it strange that it took another 47 years to learn that I actually had everything to learn?

I also was 13 in 1976 and only thought I knew almost everything (I knew I knew nothing about cars, and was determined to keep it that way, and I have). Anyways I did the maths, in another 10 years I get wise!
I'll shoot out a PM to Ken (BallaratDragons) in SV and see if he can help. He mey be able to pop into the courier office in Ballaret if he is in town one day. He doesn't frequent IIS much if at all these days so he may not respond.

Malcolm

[ChubbyStarstuff (Pete)]

Thank you, Malcolm. Any information Ken could obtain would be very much appreciated - and there's no rush. Whenever is fine!

I had the opposite problem when I was young and oh-so-clever. I found out so many things I didn't know, and decided to learn them. So I *did* learn about things like cars, which led me to electrics, which led me to electronics, and then to physics and chemistry. Oh, so much to learn, so little time to learn it! I ended up being like a poor man's "renaissance" man - I can do a little bit of almost everything, but a great deal in almost nothing. Except electronics. And astronomy!

But my poor maths skills let me down there. I butted my head up against celestial mechanics early on, and I was totally lost. Now I'm happy that there are people who can calculate ephemerides, and 6-element orbital calculations. I just trust stuff to obey the Einsteinian spacetime equations, and enjoy looking at the bright twinkly things!

Cheers, and thanks for your interest and help!
-Pete