TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: The staff of spaceweather.com are in Australia this week to witness a total eclipse of the sun on Nov. 13/14. The path of totality cuts right across Port Douglas and Cairns, Qld--a.k.a. the "Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef." People on , divers in the reef, and thousands of people standing along beaches of the Coral Sea will witness the early morning sun disappear behind the Moon for more than two minutes. It's going to look something like this:
The only cloud on the horizon is ... well ... clouds. Residents are hoping that the gray skies they have been seeing in recent mornings will turn blue before the big moment arrives. Totality begins on Wednesday, Nov. 14th, at 06:38 am local time in northeast Australia (the afternoon of Nov. 13th in the USA) with the rising sun just 14 degrees above the horizon.
Spaceweather.com author Dr. Tony Phillips will be running the Solar Eclipse Marathon, which begins at 3rd contact when the first ray of sunlight lances over the limb of the retreating Moon. Race organizers say its "the first marathon with an intergalactic starting gun." Actually, it's the first marathon with a rubber chicken. Phillips' running mate in the race will be the fowl Camilla, who is incorporating the 26 mile run into her astronaut training.
Stay tuned for photos and updates from the path of totality.
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