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To: PHYSHARE@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
Subject: SOLAR ECLIPSE ON MAY 10TH
Newsgroups: L
Organization: Virginia's Public Education Network (Fredericksburg)

Newsgroups: va-pen.sci-museum
Path: mwc!hearst.acc.Virginia.EDU!vdoe386!kwilson
From: kwilson@vdoe386.vak12ed.edu (Kenneth D. Wilson)
Subject: SOLAR ECLIPSE ON MAY 10TH
Message-ID: <1994Apr14.122444.3907@vdoe386.vak12ed.edu>
Organization: Virginia's Public Education Network (Richmond)
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 94 12:24:44 GMT
Lines: 76

The Solar Eclipse of May 10, 1994

What?

An annular eclipse of sun.  An annular solar eclipse
takes place whenever the moon passes in front of the sun and
blocks out all but a thin ring of sunlight (the annulus).  This
differs from a total eclipse of the sun where the moon blocks
out all of the visible disk of the sun.

Will it be safe to directly view?

NO!  NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN, ESPECIALLY THROUGH A
CAMERA, TELESCOPE, OR BINOCULARS.  STARING DIRECTLY AT THE SUN,
EVEN WITH THE NAKED EYE, CAN CAUSE SEVERE AND PERMANENT EYE
DAMAGE, EVEN DURING AN ECLIPSE!  SUNGLASSES, EXPOSED FILM, AND
SMOKED GLASS DO NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION!  An image of
the sun may be safely projected on to a white piece of paper
from a pinhole, binoculars, or a telescope; but, DO NOT, under
any circumstances, look through them directly at the sun!
Special filters for safely viewing the sun may be available at
your local science or telescope store.

Where?

Some part of this eclipse will be visible throughout North
America, eastern Europe, northwest Africa, the north Atlantic
ocean, and parts of the eastern Pacific Ocean.  Most of these
areas will see a partial eclipse of the sun.  Observers along
an approximately 120 mile wide path reaching from southeast of
the Hawaiian Islands across northwest Mexico, southeast New
Mexico, northwest Texas and Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois,
southeast Michigan, northwest Ohio, southern Ontario, New York,
and across New England will see the annular aspect of the
eclipse.  Places in Virginia will only see a partial eclipse
where the moon will cover about 75% of the sun's disk.

When?

Tuesday, May 10, 1994.  E.D.T. times of key events in Virginia
are:

                                                Maximum % of
City             Starts         Maximum Ends    sun eclipsed
    .
Alexandria      11:39 am        1:26 pm 3:14 pm 80 %
Arlington       11:39 am        1:26 pm 3:14 pm 80 %
Bristol         11:25 am        1:10 pm 3:02 pm 76 %
Charlottesville 11:35 am        1:22 pm 3:11 pm 78 %
Chesapeake      11:41 am        1:28 pm 3:16 pm 79 %
Danville        11:31 am        1:18 pm 3:08 pm 74 %
Hampton         11:39 am        1:27 pm 3:15 pm 73 %
Lynchburg       11:33 am        1:19 pm 3:09 pm 76 %
Newport News    11:38 am        1:26 pm 3:15 pm 73 %
Norfolk         11:39 am        1:27 pm 3:16 pm 73 %
Petersburg      11:36 am        1:24 pm 3:13 pm 75 %
Portsmouth      11:39 am        1:27 pm 3:15 pm 73 %
Richmond        11:37 am        1:24 pm 3:13 pm 76 %
Roanoke         11:31 am        1:17 pm 3:07 pm 77 %
Virginia Beach  11:39 am        1:28 pm 3:16 pm 72 %

When was the last partial eclipse of the sun visible in
Virginia?

July 11, 1991.

When will the next eclipse of the sun be visible in Virginia?

February 26, 1998.
_______________________

Prepared by:  Ken Wilson, Director, Ethyl Universe Planetarium
and Space Theater -1/21/94.

kwilson@vdoe386.vak12ed.edu


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        Brion Patterson, Rappahannock Co. High School, Sperryville, VA 22740