Eclipses

Yesterday there was a penumbral lunar eclipse, which was seen best at its maximum eclipse from Canada. Completely invisible to the naked eye, it was also very difficult because of its small magnitude.

Still it's an interesting thing that doesn't happen so often. Here is an example of a total lunar eclipse:



Even more rare, is the total solar eclipse, which will be occurring on the 22nd of July this year:

This solar eclipse is the longest total solar eclipse that will occur in the twenty-first century, and will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132. Totality will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, with the maximum eclipse occurring in the ocean at 02:35:21 UTC about 100 km south of the Bonin Islands, southeast of Japan. The North Iwo Jima island is the landmass with totality time closest to maximum.

Totality will be visible in many cities such as Surat, Varanasi, Patna, Thimphu, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Shanghai, as well as over the Three Gorges Dam. A partial eclipse will be seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including most of South East Asia and north-eastern Oceania.

Looks like I'll have at least a chance at seeing this one.