A Rare Eclipse of the Midnight Sun   
       
   May 31, 2011: It sounds like an oxymoron: a solar eclipse at midnight.   
       
   According to NASA, it's about to happen.   
       
   "It might sound like a contradiction to have a solar eclipse in the middle of   
   the night, but this is what we will see in northern Norway, Sweden and Finland   
   on June 1st," says Knut Joergen Roed Oedegaard, an astrophysicist at the   
   Norwegian Centre for Science Education in Oslo.   
   [...]   
   A previous "midnight Sun" eclipse photographed by Oddleiv Skilbrei in northern   
   Sweden on July 31, 2000. The eclipse of June 1, 2011, will be more than twice   
   as deep.   
       
   At this time of year, he explains, the sun doesn't set in Arctic parts of the   
   world, so a solar eclipse is theoretically possible at all hours of the day.   
   When the clock strikes local midnight in northern Norway at the end of June   
   1st, about half of the lingering sun will be covered by the Moon.   
       
   "The eclipse can also be seen from Siberia, northern China, remote parts of   
   Alaska and Canada, and Iceland," writes Fred Espenak of the NASA Goddard Space   
   Flight Center, where the eclipse circumstances were calculated. "Greatest   
   eclipse occurs at 21:16 Universal Time on June 1st. At that time, an eclipse   
   of magnitude 0.601 will be visible from the Arctic coast of western Siberia as   
   the midnight sun skirts the northern horizon."   
       
   Not all places in the eclipse zone are in line for a midnight event. Espenak   
   notes that Reykjavik, Iceland, will experience a 46% eclipse just before   
   sunset--a nice way to end the day--while northern China gets its eclipse at   
   sunrise. A table from NASA lists key times for major cities.   
   [...]   
   A map of the June 1st eclipse zone. Credit: NASA/GSFC [larger image] [details]   
       
   The fact that this eclipse is partial rather than total will not diminish its   
   beauty. On the contrary, it could be spectacular. At midnight in Norway, the   
   bloated golden disk of the sun will be hanging low in the north. Imagine that   
   disk transformed into a crescent, surrounded by the red and orange hues of a   
   sunset sky.   
       
   "This is going to be good," predicts Oedegaard.   
       
   Sky watchers in the area should be alert for long, crescent-shaped shadows   
   cast by the eclipsed sun, especially on surfaces (walls and cars) located   
   behind leafy trees.   
       
   No trees? Try this trick: Criss-cross your fingers waffle-style and let the   
   sun shine through the matrix of holes. You can cast crescent suns on   
   sidewalks, driveways, friends, cats, dogs and so on. The creative   
   possibilities for hand shadows are sky-high (see the winking turkey, below).   
   [...]   
   Above: Crescent sunbeams photographed during a partial eclipse in June 2002.   
   [more]   
       
   This will be the first midnight Sun eclipse in Norway since 2000 and the   
   deepest one since 1985," says Oedegaard. "Scandinavians must wait until 2084   
   for an even deeper midnight eclipse."   
       
   Norwegian readers will be interested to know that the eclipse can be viewed   
   from the counties of Mre og Romsdal, Trndelag, Nordland, Troms, Finnmark as   
   well as Spitsbergen. The event begins at 22:37 local time (20:37 UT) and ends   
   at 00:22 (22:22 UT).   
       
   For the rest of us, Oedegaard will attempt to broadcast the event live at this   
   URL. "Weather permitting," he cautions.   
       
   Return to Science@NASA post-eclipse for images of the event.   
       
       
   Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA   
       
   More Information   
   Animated Eclipse Map -- from ShadowAndSubstance.com   
       
   NASA's Solar and Lunar Eclipse Home Page   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.61   
    * Origin: NCS BBS (1:3828/7)