I thought I’d lend my “space” here to my friend Kelly Beatty from Sky & Telescope Magazine. For the past 20 years or so a bunch of us have been meeting on Sunday afternoon/evenings on Compuserve’s Astronomy Forum to chat about astronomy and other such topics. On Wednesday October 27 there will be a lunar eclipse, and we’re inviting everybody who’s got a good view of the eclipse to log in to the forum (it’s open to those with CIS, AOL, and AIM accounts) and share their observations with others! Here’s Kelly’s invite:

I invite everyone to join us in the Chat Room of Compuserve’s
Astronomy Forum on Wednesday night, Oct. 27th, to talk about the total
lunar eclipse as it’s happening (it’s a real-time exchange — no time
lag!!). This’ll be a great chance to describe what you’re seeing and
to learn how it looks to others. These kinds of visual observations
can actually be valuable for post-eclipse analyses.

Tentatively, the chat will start at 10 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. PDT) — I
might be there a few minutes earlier or later, depending on how the
weather is here in Boston and on how the Red Sox are doing in Game 4.

To get to the Astronomy Forum, go to
http://community.compuserve.com/astronomy. To join the chat you’ll
need to login with an AOL, CompuServe, or AIM account. Use the login
button at upper right on the Forum’s home page. (I’m told that AIM
accounts are free.)

I hope to “see” you there on Wednesday!

clear skies,
Kelly

P.S. For times and other background info on the eclipse, see the
messages posted in the Astronomy Forum or go to the observing section
of SkyandTelescope.com

On November 23, 2003, total eclipse of the Sun will be visible from a narrow track across Antarctica, while a partial eclipse will be visible over the tip of South America and parts of Australia and New Zealand. It will occur between 5:24 and 6:14 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The folks at Sky & Telescope have a group scheduled to fly over Antarctica at an altitude of 38,000 feet. Those aboard will experience 2 minutes 26 seconds of totality — 29 seconds more than is possible from the ground. Other expeditions include a group from the University of Arizona, doing a similar flyover to catch the eclipse from planes laden with scientific equipment. And, of course, there are sea and land-based trips for folks to get their “umbral” fix that way, as well.

So what’s the draw of an eclipse? I’ve traveled to five total solar eclipse paths since 1979 and have seen 3 full totalities. The others were clouded out. There is no way to completely describe the awesome sight of the Sun gradually disappearing behind the Moon. But it is awesome. And it makes you want jump and shout and turn all about… so, I can completely understand the need of umbraphiles to get more umbra.

I won’t be along with them this time but I will try to follow along on my computer on Sunday night as the excitement begins. Want to join me? If you aren’t on one of the many expeditions bound to the southern hemisphere to see this event, check out these links:
SkyandTelescope.com. They’ll be posting images on their site sometime after the plane lands.
“LIVE! ECLIPSE 2003” from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
Antarctica 2003 – Soleil noir sur Continent blanc la Fondation Polaire Internationale (et en francais). You have to register to use the site, but it’s free.

Also, the Discovery Channel will be airing the eclipse live on Sunday night during a program called Discovery Special Presentation: Solar Eclipse Live from Antarctica. Check your local schedule for showtime listings.

Happy eclipse watching!