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  #341  
Old 26-10-2012, 08:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Danack View Post
Hi guys,

Sorry for asking the same question again, but as I really like being able to see, I'd like to know how if it's possible to view the corona safely e.g.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/s...on-camera.html

From the web page at:
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages...eExposure.html

The suggested exposure for to capture the corona at f8, ISO100 is between 1/400s for the inner corona and 1" for the outer corona.

That level of brightness wouldn't be visible through eclipse glasses or through solar filter. I'm also not sure the corona would even be bright enough to show up through most projection methods would it?

So is there an approved way of viewing the corona?

By way of explanation you should follow the basic guidelines of wearing eclipse glasses and using filters during the partial phases. That is, when the sun is partially obscurred by the moon even up to the last 10-20 seconds you must use filters. Around 2-5 seconds prior to totality there will be a diamond ring view of bright light and the corona will be apparent to the naked eye. You should not look for the diamond ring if you have never seen one before as you might look too soon. Care should be taken until totality occurs (that means wear filters for eye protection). At totality you can view the corona directly via telescopic views or naked eye without filtration. It is safe then and only then. You will know when totality occurs as it is like someone turning off the light at night. You will not see anything if you maintain filters during totality and projection will not work. The view is quite hypnotic and you need to keep an eye on the time if looking through a telescope. The light of the corona is about 100,000 times dimmer than unfiltered sun light and the damaging energy is not present. At the end of the eclipse there will be another diamond ring and you can view this briefly again but care should be taken to prevent retina damage.

Those images of the corona are not what you will see. If it is clear you will see a fluffy donut in the sky and with any luck some prominences will be visible naked eye. Those images are highly processed.

Hope that helps. Please take all care and be safe during the partial phases.
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  #342  
Old 26-10-2012, 08:12 AM
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Information has now been released on road and traffic conditions and other issues to plan for, in the eclipse area. This has been after detailed review and planning by the Queensland Police Service, Emergency Management Queensland and the Regional Councils with the objective of creating a safe and enjoyable eclipse experience for all.
The good news is that there will not be any closures of the main roads in the eclipse area. Only a few local roads will be affected which it is easy to plan around. A great deal of effort has gone into putting in place measures to assist the main roads to flow freely. Emergency Services will be staged through the area to be able to rapidly respond to emergency situations. Unfortunately this has meant that some lookouts will be closed for the eclipse.
Beaches will be accessible (until they reach a safe capacity). The message is if your selected location is likely to be popular and space is limited get there early. I will put some other more general information in another email.
Rgds,
Terry Cuttle,

ROAD CLOSURES CAIRNS AREA: Lake Morris Road closed (residential traffic only); Yorkeys Knob: Ray and Janet St closed (residential traffic only); Trinity Beach - Southern End Vasey Esplanade / Possum St closed (residential traffic only). These are all minor local roads.
ROAD CLOSURES PORT DOUGLAS AREA: The Esplanade Four Mile Beach (Macrossan - Mowbray) closed (residential traffic only); Mowbray and Macrossan Street closed (residential traffic only); Island Point Road closed (residential traffic only) and Murphy Street closed (residential traffic only). The major effect of these closures is to create a pedestrian precinct in the main eclipse area and keep traffic off the hill which has no eclipse views anyway.
LOOKOUT CLOSURES: Rex Lookout (Captain Cook highway), Kuranda Range Lookout (Kennedy Highway) Bob's Lookout (Mulligan Highway) and Flagstaff and Alexandra Range Lookout in the Daintree will all be closed. This is because there are only small parking areas, the areas are needed for emergency service staging and use of the areas would generate traffic congestion on these roads. No parking will be allowed in the vicinity of these lookouts. People will be discouraged from parking remotely and walking to the lookouts as it is not safe to walk along the roads. If you arrive early and set up you will be told to move on.
BEACH AREAS:
OAK BEACH: will be open to vehicular traffic however parking is limited. Once the limited parking capacity is reached the area will be closed. Oak Beach is not a recommended viewing spot due tides and limited beach area.
WANGETTI BEACH: - a large parking area will be available opposite Djarragun College for a gold coin donation to the school. The beach is accessible from this parking area along a 400 metre road. The beach access road will be closed to vehicle traffic from 4pm Tuesday 13 Nov until 12 midday on 14 Nov.
PALM COVE: Boat Ramp Closed from 4pm Tuesday 13 Nov until 12 midday on 14 Nov. Palm Cove jetty parking area closed (to be used for media). Palm Cove Jetty open until it reaches capacity.
BEACHES MISC: Parking availability is limited at many local beaches. For safety reasons, Police and Emergency Services may close down viewing locations if the numbers reach capacity and there is no more parking available.
ROADS GENERALLY: There will be reduced speed zones of 60km/h in the area of Oak Beach and 40km/h in the area of Wangetti. There will be reduced speed and traffic control in the area of the Palmer River Roadhouse on the Mulligan Highway. Police advise that they will be out in force to assist and control where necessary. There will be extra traffic and parking controllers. Speed limits will be enforced and there is likely to be random breath testing (alcohol and drugs).
Many roads in the region can be narrow and winding, with limited places available to park vehicles legally. There is very limited parking along the Captain Cook highway and parking areas will be closed off and vehicles asked to move on if they try to park in unsafe locations or where they may cause congestion. The aim is to keep the traffic flowing. Parking beside the highway can also be dangerous. If you do park beside a roadway make sure you are parked legally and safely. Expect to be moved on if you are parked illegally or causing an unsafe situation. On many roads especially the Mulligan Highway, the road verge is often rocky, uneven and difficult to drive on. There is also a risk of causing a fire if you drive over dry grass with a vehicle and this is an extremely serious issue in the Cape York area as fires can easily get away and burn vast areas with no way of stopping them. Some roads off the Mulligan highway are on private property and many gates will be locked. Property owners often do not welcome visitors due careless visitors who light camp fires and burn out the station.
There is expected to be heavy traffic overnight in the eclipse area and after the eclipse. Plan your journey to arrive in plenty of time and be patient. Up to date information about traffic conditions can be obtained from the Queensland Government Transport and Main Roads department Traffic and Travel Information services: www.131940.qld.gov.au ; 13 19 40 phone line or Twitter feed @131940_FNNQ
TRAFFIC AND MOVEMENT REGISTER: If you are organising a group of people to view the eclipse it is important to fill out the Traffic and Movement Register to assist in planning for a safe and enjoyable experience. Details at http://questionpro.com/t/AIxp8ZNtkg
and sadly there is no mention in regards to heavy vehicles.
I asked government officials many months ago, if there could be a heavy vehicle restriction from midnight to midday (14/11), and they said its not possible.
The roads in FNQ are sometimes winding, narrow, hilly etc.
Hopefully both private and public sectors give the drivers a break/holiday over those 12 hours.
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  #343  
Old 26-10-2012, 11:10 AM
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Originally Posted by cyclone View Post
Great link. And thanks for the other details Terry.

Even Bob's Lookout on the Mulligan Highway is to be closed. I assume that parking off the highway at the end of the long straight east-west stretch before it turns north and heads up to Bob's Lookout will be ok? It looks like it would be reasonably easy to get off the road in that area? If the weather forecast suggests that is better than where I am staying on Newell Beach (Port Douglas), I plan to head there the evening before the eclipse and setup. But would prefer not to get moved on by police at 4am..
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  #344  
Old 26-10-2012, 11:30 AM
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Great link. And thanks for the other details Terry.

Even Bob's Lookout on the Mulligan Highway is to be closed. I assume that parking off the highway at the end of the long straight east-west stretch before it turns north and heads up to Bob's Lookout will be ok? It looks like it would be reasonably easy to get off the road in that area? If the weather forecast suggests that is better than where I am staying on Newell Beach (Port Douglas), I plan to head there the evening before the eclipse and setup. But would prefer not to get moved on by police at 4am..
I think the closure of Bobs Lookout is madness. It's a beautiful viewing spot. The closure won't affect me but I have recommended the spot to a few others. They should manage the traffic not tell people who have traveled 1000s of km to be there they they must view from a second-rate spot.

In general I think this announcement has come far too late. Perhaps if you are in Cairns getting advice a few weeks out is OK but many of us have been planning this all year. We should have known what the options were months ago.
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  #345  
Old 27-10-2012, 02:25 PM
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Arrrrrhhhhh I can't even get a hire car for the week they all sold out
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  #346  
Old 27-10-2012, 05:12 PM
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Arrrrrhhhhh I can't even get a hire car for the week they all sold out
now i am panicing - mine was supposed to be attached with the air tickets
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  #347  
Old 27-10-2012, 05:27 PM
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now i am panicing - mine was supposed to be attached with the air tickets
Can they move hire cars from Townsville ?
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  #348  
Old 27-10-2012, 08:30 PM
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Can they move hire cars from Townsville ?
no idea. i will have to make an inquiry monday
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  #349  
Old 28-10-2012, 04:40 AM
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The NASA map shows the path of totality as going across Mulligan Hwy - http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogl...13Tgoogle.html

Whereas the QLD Gov site shows it going across Peninsula Developmental Road - http://www.trc.qld.gov.au/whats-on/solar-eclipse-2012
Does anyone know how fast the moon's shadow will move across the landscape at the beginning and end of totality? (And will the speeds be different?)

I remember the eclipse of 1976 in southeastern Australia and we saw the shadow moving out across the Pacific Ocean, but by golly that was quick! I wonder how fast next month's shadow will move ... in km/hr (out of theoretical interest) and in tenths of seconds from horizon to horizon (out of practical interest)?
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  #350  
Old 28-10-2012, 05:47 AM
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Does anyone know how fast the moon's shadow will move across the landscape
The edge of the shadow will take less than two minutes to travel the approx 450km from the west coast of Cape York to the east coast with an average speed of approx 16,000 kph.
The high speed is because the sunlight (or in this case the absence of it) is at such a shallow angle to the edge of the earth - it being not long after sunrise. Later in the eclipse when the sun is higher in the sky, the speed over the ground (ocean) will be much slower.
Rgds,
Terry
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  #351  
Old 28-10-2012, 04:31 PM
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Despite my best intentions to get to Cairns, unfortunately our new Premier Campbell Newman has terminated my job, I have never seen a total eclipse and was looking forward to November, but having a mortgage changed the priorities and I will be looking for a job, so have fun everyone, I will just have to look forward to seeing all your fantastic photos instead.

Mike.
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  #352  
Old 28-10-2012, 04:39 PM
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iceman (Mike)
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Wow Jen you really scared me with that hire car story.

I rang the Villas (where I'm staying) and they've put a car aside for me. I was really worried I'd left it too late!
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  #353  
Old 28-10-2012, 06:33 PM
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If anyone hasn't already got a hire car reserved, you will be very lucky to get one, the companies have all been booked out for a long time.
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  #354  
Old 28-10-2012, 06:37 PM
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another option is to buy a cheap second hand car, then maybe sell it back for a cheaper price ?
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  #355  
Old 28-10-2012, 06:42 PM
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Wow Jen you really scared me with that hire car story.

I rang the Villas (where I'm staying) and they've put a car aside for me. I was really worried I'd left it too late!
Sorry Mike, yeah i had lots of trouble trying to get a car all the big popular companies have all been taken for months now but i finally managed to get one from a small business in Cairns called A1 Car Rentals (motel recommended) but they have bumped up the price about $25 more a day because of eclipse week they have only a few left if anyone is like me and and leaves things at the last minute
Not long to go now woooooohoooooooooooooooo
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  #356  
Old 29-10-2012, 07:21 AM
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erick (Eric)
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I'm flying in and out of Townsville and booked a hire car from Townsville airport last week, no problems.
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  #357  
Old 29-10-2012, 10:13 AM
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I just rang to confirm that i had a car booked - they confirmed i did - however the lady did say that if others have left it to the last moment they will need to catch the bus and/or walk - no cars left! that was with Budget

Last edited by h0ughy; 29-10-2012 at 01:47 PM.
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  #358  
Old 29-10-2012, 04:27 PM
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Car, accommodation, flights all booked and confirmed

Cheers Petra d.
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  #359  
Old 29-10-2012, 04:49 PM
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Sorry Mike, yeah i had lots of trouble trying to get a car all the big popular companies have all been taken for months now but i finally managed to get one from a small business in Cairns called A1 Car Rentals (motel recommended) but they have bumped up the price about $25 more a day because of eclipse week they have only a few left if anyone is like me and and leaves things at the last minute
Not long to go now woooooohoooooooooooooooo
Hi Jen,

You did well in picking up a vehicle from one of those smaller operators that operate
in downtown Cairns.

I wouldn't be complaining too much about the $25 a day extra.
To give you some sense of the demand, we booked our vehicle a year ago
and have confirmed online several times during the past year that the booking
is still good. I suspect large numbers of people coming from all around
Australia and the world would tell similar stories.

I gave a call to the rental car company desk at Cairns airport today just
to talk to a warm body to get some sense of where they are at.

He reported that the powers that be within their organization have been moving
vehicles from southern locations up to Cairns for some time now for the event
but they are fully booked and cannot accept any more bookings.

He reported those that have booked need not panic, their vehicles will be there.
But with things running so busy and so tight, there might be some hiccups but
they are prepared and will work to fix any.

See you there and drive safely!
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  #360  
Old 29-10-2012, 04:54 PM
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venus (Lydia)
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Do we have an eclipse countdown clock anywhere yet i think i need one
http://newcastleastronomicalsociety.wordpress.com/
I have one at the above link ....
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