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

[APOD Robot]

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]

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

:---[===] *

[LocalColor]

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

[Ann]

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]

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]

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]

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

[neufer]

The Kimberley "diamond well"

You can really see the diamond well

<<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]

The Kimberley "diamond well"

You can really see the diamond well

<<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]

good place to try out the " Europa Diver 1 "

[TNT]

Lucky Shot!