Total Solar eclipse on 20th March 2015?

The total eclipse will only be visible in the Faroe Islands and Svalbard in Norway.

Look for the tiny black shadow on the next slide!

Solar EclipseSolar Eclipse

A partial solar eclipse will be visible from the UK from 0826 to 1041 on Friday 20 March 2015 - a school day! It will be at maximum at 0931.

More than 80% of the Sun will be covered by the Moon. A total solar eclipse will be visible from The Faroe Islands and Svalbard.

The next time a decent partial eclipse will be visible from the UK of this magnitude will be 12 Aug 2026. After that the next total solar eclipse for the UK will be 23 Sept 2090. The previous one was the very cloudy day of 11 Aug 1999.

It is the last total solar eclipse visible in Europe until the eclipse of August 12 2026.

The eclipse occurs as the Sun rises at the north pole for the first time in six months.

Upcoming UK Solar Eclipses

20 March 2015 80% of the Sun covered10 June 2021 30%25 October 2022 25%12 August 2026 80%23 September 2090 100% - total solar eclipse

The next total solar eclipse in the UK

Tips and ideas for viewing

• Do not look directly at the Sun at any time during a partial eclipse

• Do not look through binoculars or a telescope - you can cause very serious damage to your eyes

• Project the Sun onto a piece of card placed behind binoculars or telescope

• Measure the radioactivity in the direction of the Sun – the Moon should block some cosmic rays

• Contact a school at least 100 miles away and compare precise timings to calculate the distance to the Sun

• Observe what happens in nature• Measure the light intensity e.g.

Using the LuxMeter app• Measure the temperature

throughout

Moon Size

Due to the Moon’s elliptical orbit

Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse

Shadow of the Moon on Turkey and Cyprus, seen from the ISS during a 2006 total solar eclipse

Solar Eclipse

Umbra

Penumbra

Why don’t we get a solar eclipse every month when the Moon goes between the Earth and Sun?

The orbital plane of the Moon is tilted at 5o so the new Moon is usually above or below the Sun in the sky

What are we going to look for?

• Temperature changes throughout

• Radiation changes

• Changes in light levels

• Changes in nature– Bird song?– Roosting behaviour?– Plants/ flowers?

• Observe a projected image of the eclipse

How to make a pinhole camera:

Project with 2 pieces of card•When using any kind of pinhole projector, you should stand with your back towards the sun. Do not look at the Sun through the pinhole or through the paper.•You need:•2 pieces of plain white paper - the kind you use for printing is perfect.•A thumbtack or a sharp pin.•What to do:•To make a quick version of the pinhole projector, take a piece of paper and make a very small hole in the middle of it using a pin or a thumbtack. Make sure that the hole is round and smooth.•With your back towards the Sun, hold one piece of paper above your shoulder allowing the Sun to shine on the paper. •The second sheet of paper will act as a screen. Hold it at a distance so that an inverted image of the Sun is projected on it through the pinhole.•To make the image of the Sun larger, move the screen further away from the pinholed sheet.

Resources for cloudy day

Explanation

•http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/total-solar-eclipse.html

Live online Viewing from SLOOH:

•http://www.space.com/19195-night-sky-planets-asteroids-webcasts.html

BBC stargazing live

•http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05n2br2