The last solar eclipse of the year is this weekend - here's how to watch   
       
   Business Insider   
   By Jessica Orwig   
   September 10, 2015 1:40 PM   
   Solar Eclipse(REUTERS/Abdel-Halim Shahaby)   
   This is a great month for eclipses and kicking it off right is the partial   
   solar eclipse happening this Sunday, Sep. 13.   
       
   It's the last solar eclipse of the year, and the next won't come around until   
   March 9, 2016.   
       
   Unfortunately, most of us are not in the right spot to see the eclipse, which   
   will take place over the southern tip of Africa, most of Madagascar, and parts   
   of Antarctica.   
       
   During a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and Earth, casting its   
   shadow over our planet's surface, like in the GIF below.   
       
   That shadow is what we see as the black menace devouring the sun in our night   
   sky. But the moon's shadow is not large enough to cover all of Earth, which is   
   why during each solar eclipse there are only certain parts of the world that   
   will see the event.   
       
   The online observatory, Slooh, is hosting a live broadcast - starting at 12:30   
   am ET on Sep. 13 - of the event online, for those of us who still want to   
   check out the last solar eclipse of the year, but don't want to travel to the   
   bottom half of the world. (You must register to become a Slooh member in order   
   to access the broadcast.)   
   Check out the map below, courtesy of timeanddate.com, to see where on Earth   
   this weekend's partial solar eclipse will take place:   
       
   The reason for this has to do with how the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned in   
   space at the time of the event.   
       
   During a total solar eclipse, the moon must pass directly between the sun and   
   Earth in such a way that you could draw a straight line connecting each of the   
   three celestial objects' centers. This alignment is rare, and we usually only   
   have one total solar eclipse a year.   
       
   It's more common to have a slight misalignment where the moon still passes   
   between the sun and Earth, but it's slightly off center, and so all of its   
   shadow does not cast over Earth. The result is that we only see part of the   
   sun disappear, like what we will see this Sunday.   
       
   And don't miss the second eclipse happening at the end of this month on Sep.   
   27. A spectacular lunar eclipse will take place around the same time as a   
   supermoon. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.   
       
   Now check out this amazing video by retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak,   
   of a partial solar eclipse last year that will look similar to this Sunday's   
   event.   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.99   
    * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)