[From Tim Debenedictis at SouthernStars]
Greetings from Port Douglas, Queensland! Australia's total solar eclipse takes place tomorrow, and we'll be on the beach to see it. Feel free to stop by and say hi! The weather forecast is iffy - fingers crossed. Here's some viewing information:
http://www.news.com.au/travel/austra...-1226515142164
SkySafari is on sale to celebrate, thru November 15th. The basic version is free for iOS and Mac, and just AUD $1 for Android. Plus and Pro are 20% and 25% off. Even tho the eclipse is only visible from Australia, sale prices are good worldwide.
Although many of you on this list already own SkySafari, events like this are a "teachable moment" for the general public, and an introduction to astronomy that might last a lifetime for a generation of kids.
If you aren't in Australia, seeing it with SkySafari is the next best thing! Here are a couple of demos you can try:
1) Set location to Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
2) Set time to 6:00 AM Nov 14th, 2012.
3) Center Sun
4) Animate forward at 1 minute per step.
If you have Plus or Pro, try this:
1) Animate to time of mid-eclipse, as per above.
2) Find Moon. Tap Orbit button.
3) Zoom in until you're exactly at the Moon's center (o km from moon)
4) Find Earth and Center.
5) Zoom in until Earth and Moon's shadow fill view. Swipe to move Moon's shadow to center of screen.
6) Single-step animation, minute by minute, to see where the shadow goes.
If you've mastered the above:
7) Select Earth, and orbit Earth.
8) Swipe around to the Earth;s dawn terminator. You can see just how elongated the Moon's shadow really is.
9) Save all of these as Settings files, so you can recall them easily and show to other people.
Above all - have fun! That's what it's all about, in the end. Clear skies & best wishes to all.
Bill & Tim
