APOD: Like a Diamond in the Sky (2012 Nov 17)

APOD Robot · Post by **APOD Robot** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:05 am

Like a Diamond in the Sky

Explanation: A dark Sun hung over Queensland, Australia on Wednesday morning during a much anticipated total solar eclipse. Storm clouds threatened to spoil the view along the northern coast, but minutes before totality the clouds parted. Streaming past the Moon's edge, the last direct rays of sunlight produced a gorgeous diamond ring effect in this scene from Ellis Beach between Cairns and Port Douglas. Winking out in a moment, the diamond didn't last forever though. The area was plunged into darkness for nearly 2 minutes as the Moon's shadow swept off shore toward Australia's Great Barrier Reef and out into the southern Pacific. Ranging from 1/4000 to 1/15 seconds long, five separate exposures were blended in the image to create a presentation similar to the breathtaking visual experience of the eclipse.

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Boomer12k · Post by **Boomer12k** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:39 pm

"Breath taking" is right! What a wonderful spot for an eclipse!!!

:---[===] *

LocalColor · Post by **LocalColor** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 6:00 pm

Thank you for including info on how the photo was "built". Beautiful.

Ann · Post by **Ann** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:11 pm

What I like so much about this picture is that it shows the gradual effects of the solar eclipse in the landscape.

I have never seen a total eclipse myself, mostly because I haven't found it worth my time and money to travel far enough to see one. But a couple of years ago, we had a partial eclipse where I live, perhaps a 70% eclipse or so. It was fascinating to see and feel how the landscape changed when the Sun was partly blocked. It grew colder. Birds fell silent. And the color of daylight took on a blue-violet cast, as if preferentially more of the Sun's short-wave light and less of its long-wave light made it to the Earth.

Today's APOD reminds me of that day. I particularly like the rather strange "feel" of the daylight in this picture. Of course the blackened Sun is also quite spectacular!

Ann

ta152h0 · Post by **ta152h0** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:21 pm

I drove a long ways to witness the totality at Goldendale, Washington in 1977 ?. It was an unforgetable experience, icecold surroundings within seconds, animals quit " talking " and i recorded the event in super 8 film, stored somewhere in the cavern called " garage ".

Beyond · Post by **Beyond** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 8:14 pm

ta152h0 wrote:I drove a long ways to witness the totality at Goldendale, Washington in 1977 ?. It was an unforgetable experience, icecold surroundings within seconds, animals quit " talking " and i recorded the event in super 8 film, stored somewhere in the cavern called " garage ".

Time for a little spelunking in the cavern

ta152h0 · Post by **ta152h0** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 8:31 pm

definitaly want to go find it and digitise the images. You can really see the diamond well

neufer · Post by **neufer** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 8:51 pm

The Kimberley "diamond well"

ta152h0 wrote:
You can really see the diamond well

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hole wrote:
<<The Big Hole, Open Mine or Kimberley Mine (Afrikaans: Groot Gat) is an open-pit and underground mine in Kimberley, South Africa, and claimed to be the largest hole excavated by hand. The first diamonds here were found on Colesberg Kopje by members of the "Red Cap Party" from Colesberg on the farm Vooruitzigt belonging to the De Beers brothers. The ensuing scramble for claims led to the place being called New Rush, later renamed Kimberley. From mid-July 1871 to 1914 up to 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, yielding 6,000 lb of diamonds. The Big Hole has a surface of 42 acres and is 463 metres wide.>>

Beyond · Post by **Beyond** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 12:41 am

neufer wrote:

The Kimberley "diamond well"
ta152h0 wrote:
You can really see the diamond well
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hole wrote:
<<The Big Hole, Open Mine or Kimberley Mine (Afrikaans: Groot Gat) is an open-pit and underground mine in Kimberley, South Africa, and claimed to be the largest hole excavated by hand. The first diamonds here were found on Colesberg Kopje by members of the "Red Cap Party" from Colesberg on the farm Vooruitzigt belonging to the De Beers brothers. The ensuing scramble for claims led to the place being called New Rush, later renamed Kimberley. From mid-July 1871 to 1914 up to 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, yielding 6,000 lb of diamonds. The Big Hole has a surface of 42 acres and is 463 metres wide.>>

They don't know how deep it is

ta152h0 · Post by **ta152h0** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 12:45 am

good place to try out the " Europa Diver 1 "

TNT · Post by **TNT** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:25 pm

Lucky Shot!

Starship Asterisk*

APOD: Like a Diamond in the Sky (2012 Nov 17)

APOD: Like a Diamond in the Sky (2012 Nov 17)

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