I'm starting to feel a crushing burden of responsibility for reporting on this one, LOL - surely I'm not the only one on IIS going???
Time's getting close, you can tell because the tour company's asking for T-shirt sizes! Passports renewed, cruise booked & paid for, flights, transfers, accommodation done - now let's see.... Oops, forgot to book the fine weather! Ah well, just have to take our chances!
Hahaha Rob, looks like your it buddy. Wish I was going it would put me in the 10 minute club for totality. I am getting married instead, Catie and I would love to go to yet another total but we can't afford both at present.
Don't forget to bracket your images. Have a great time.
Fantastic! Yeah, flight would really be something, but a lot of dough to outlay (and imagine the scramble for the windows - 41 people, 31 windows!!). Tahiti's too far to go not to enjoy a bit of a holiday too!
All very orderly - you pay for a window of your own (USD$9500), or get a cheap one to share (USD$6500 each). Of course, you'd be flying with eclipse chasing royalty! I should hope there will be a decent meal service. ;-)
All very orderly - you pay for a window of your own (USD$9500), or get a cheap one to share (USD$6500 each). Of course, you'd be flying with eclipse chasing royalty! I should hope there will be a decent meal service. ;-)
Ahh, missed that bit! Think I'll stick to shipboard - a speck in the ocean south-west of Tahiti... mmmm... How many days again?
We were to go to Easter Island with the Sydney Observatory Group but I simply couldn't swing that much money. At least Mangaia will be slightly warmer than Easter Island!
For you land-based people, there's an interesting photographic opportunity - comet C/2009 R1 McNaught will be only about 10 degrees away from the Sun at the time of the eclipse. This is the comet that is predicted to get to easy naked-eye brightness later on. It's visible now, already a couple of magnitudes brighter than the ephemeris prediction, so it seems it will be quite a bright object at eclipse time!
I've attached a chart generated in Starry Night showing the comet position. Location is mine, SE of Tahiti, but won't be much different where you are. Comet 141P Machholz is also marked but it will be very dim, predicted at mag 14 or so.
Edit: The scale of the Sun is slightly enlarged in the pic - just the way SN shows it at default scale. As you zoom in, correct scale is reached. Check it in your own planetarium programs.
Cheers -
Last edited by Rob_K; 26-04-2010 at 02:39 PM.
Reason: additional info
For you land-based people, there's an interesting photographic opportunity - comet C/2009 R1 McNaught will be only about 10 degrees away from the Sun at the time of the eclipse. This is the comet that is predicted to get to easy naked-eye brightness later on. It's visible now, already a couple of magnitudes brighter than the ephemeris prediction, so it seems it will be quite a bright object at eclipse time!
I've attached a chart generated in Starry Night showing the comet position. Location is mine, SE of Tahiti, but won't be much different where you are. Comet 141P Machholz is also marked but it will be very dim, predicted at mag 14 or so.
Edit: The scale of the Sun is slightly enlarged in the pic - just the way SN shows it at default scale. As you zoom in, correct scale is reached. Check it in your own planetarium programs.
Cheers -
Hey, thanks Rob!
I wont have a chance of trying to image the comet, but should have plenty of time to look for it visually (binos). Mercury will act as a convenient signpost.
This is happening tomorrow!!!
Does anyone have a good website from which to view it??
RobK is over there enjoying the sights and the weather, so hopefully we can expect some great piccies.
Thought Petra was, but didnt work out .
I have been watching spanish web-broadcast from Easter Island, it was exciting! You can see their youtube video here: http://www.youtube.com/ciclopegroup