* Astronomy

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Annular Solar Eclipse, 20th May 2012

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Annular Solar Eclipse

22:06:19 UT	Umbra eclipse begins. Contact at 109°40.4'E 20°35.2'N
22:09:02 UT	Start of central annular eclipse at 108°42.6'E 21°09.2'N, Obscuration: 86.8%
22:11:45 UT	Full umbra cone on Earth. Contact at 107°48.5'E 21°46.7'N
23:52:46.8 UT	Greatest Solar Eclipse at 176°16.5'E 49°05.6'N, Obscuration: 89.2%
1:33:45 UT	Umbra starts leaving Earth. Contact at 100°14.8'W 33°32.4'N
1:36:27 UT	End of central eclipse at 101°10.5'W 32' 55.0"N, Obscuration: 86.9%
1:39:09 UT	Umbra eclipse ends. Contact at 102°13.3'W 32°22.5'N
2:49:21 UT	Solar Eclipse ends. Contact at 124°20.8'W 22°46.7'N

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How to view the Sun safely

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On Sunday, May 20th, the Moon will pass in front of the sun, transforming sunbeams across the Pacific side of Earth into fat crescents and thin rings of light.
It's an annular solar eclipse, in which the Moon will cover as much as 94% of the sun. Hundreds of millions of people will be able to witness the event. The eclipse zone stretches from southeast Asia across the Pacific Ocean to western parts of North America
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Williams Astronomers, Students, to Study Solar Eclipse from New Mexico, California, and Space

An annular solar eclipse will sweep across Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and the western United States on May 20. Williams College astronomy professor Jay Pasachoff will observe it from New Mexico, joined by professional colleagues and by eight undergraduate students. At an annular eclipse, a ring of everyday sunlight remains around the silhouette of the Moon, even at the eclipses peak. Coordinated observations will be made with colleagues in charge of radio telescopes in California and of telescopes on spacecraft.
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The trio of sun, earth and the moon will depict an interesting view of partial solar eclipse on May 21 this year, which will be seen in the eastern part of the country.
This will be the first eclipse to be seen in India this year
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How to make a pinhole projector to view a solar eclipse safely (in Dhivehi)

This gives a simple methodology to see solar eclipse without any special gadgets nor a need to go to planatarium.

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Rare kind of eclipse will be visible from small Utah town

Even though only 400 people live in the town, Kanarravile will need toilets for about 5000. Why? Because the town is ground zero for a very rare astronomical event.
It's called the "Ring of Fire," a special kind of eclipse of the Sun. The Moon is a bit further from Earth, so it doesn't quite cover the Sun. Southern Utah will be in the sweet spot just before sunset on May 20.
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Google earth file: Annular Eclipse of 2012 May 20.kmz (14kb, kmz)

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The path of annularity starts in southern China and moves eastward over Japan, the northern Pacific Ocean, and to the western United States.

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Solar Eclipse in the USA

On Sunday, May 20th, the sun is going to turn into a ring of fire. It's an annular solar eclipse--the first one in the USA in almost 18 years.
An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of the sun, but the lunar disk is not quite wide enough to cover the entire star. At maximum, the Moon forms a "black hole" in the center of the sun.
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