Sunday, March 27, 2016

Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

Full moon in the darkness of the night sky. It is patterned with a mix of light-tone regions and darker, irregular blotches, and scattered with varying sizes of impact craters, circles surrounded by out-thrown rays of bright ejecta.
For centuries, the Full Moon phase of the Moon figured prominently in the annual calculation
of the date of Easter. However, this could possibly change within the next decade.
(Image Sources: Wikipedia.org , By Gregory H. Revera - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11901243 )

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

Since the beginning, Astronomy has been used to calculate the date of Easter. In the 1930s and 1940s, a planetarium show explaining how Astronomy helped to calculate the date of Easter was shown to the public at several of the early planetaria, including Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

However, in January a leading theologian announced that several Christian denominations may soon reach an agreement to fix the date of Easter, once and for-all.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury of the Church of England, said he has been in on-going discussions with the Catholic, Coptic, and Orthodox churches regarding the selection of a fixed date for Easter. In addition to Archbishop Welby, these discussions included Pope Francis, the Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, head of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Last June, Pope Francis told a global gathering of priests in Rome, "we have to come to an agreement" regarding a common date for Easter. According to the Catholic News Agency, he joked that right now one Christian could tell another, "When did Christ rise from the dead? My Christ rose today, and yours next week."

Archbishop Welby said the agreed-upon date for Easter would probably be the second or third Sunday of April. However, changing the date of Easter may not occur for a decade or more. Secular governments would have to approve the change, and calendar and almanac publishers would have to be given advance notice of the date of implementation of such a change.

Actually, the effort to fix the date for Easter is nothing new. According to Archbishop Welby, "Equally, I think the first attempt to do this was in the 10th century." Others note that this is one of the longest running controversies of Christianity, possibly dating back as far as the 2nd century.

Currently, Easter is one of the moveable feasts, with the date determined by a lunisolar calendar, similar to the Hebrew Calendar. The difficulty in calculating Easter is due to the fact that our civil calendar does not match astronomical cycles.

A combination of Hebrew, Roman, and Egyptian calendars, along with local culture and customs, all contributed to the Easter calculations we have today. The Egyptians based their calendar on the cycle of the Sun, which was adopted by Roman, and later, Christian cultures. The Hebrew Calendar is based partly on the lunar cycle (the Islamic Calendar is also based on the Moon). The Easter calculations become complicated when both lunar and solar calendars are used, combined with the fact that different Christian sects use different mathematical formulas.

Jesus Christ's death and resurrection occurred during the Jewish holiday of Passover (which begins on the night of a Full Moon, immediately after the Vernal Equinox), according to the Christian Bible. However, this led to confusion of what date to celebrate Easter, with Christians celebrating the holiday on different dates.

In the year A.D. 325, the First Council of Nicaea of the Roman Catholic Church established only two rules for the annual determination of Easter: independence from the Jewish Calendar and worldwide uniformity. The rules for actual calculation of the date of Easter took centuries to work-out.

Calculating the date of Easter caused several controversies, partly because some Christians did not want Easter to be associated with the Jewish Passover. In at least one case, violence accompanied such a controversy.  In attempting to calculate the date of Easter, from astronomical observations, the 5th century astronomer and mathematician, Hypatia of Alexandria, was murdered by a clique of Bishop Cyril's zealots, according to the Church historian Socrates Scholasticus.

In 725, an English monk, the Venerable Bede (later known as Saint Bede) made the general rule for determining the date of Easter, by stating, “The Sunday following the full Moon which falls on or after the equinox will give the lawful Easter.” However, the Ecclesiastical rules are more specific.

Easter was determined to occur on the first Sunday, after the Ecclesiastical or Paschal Full Moon (actually determined to be the 14th day of an Ecclesiastical lunar month; this date could be a couple days away from the actual Full Moon), which occurs on or soonest after the Vernal Equinox (which is fixed as March 21, even if this Spring Equinox occurs on March 19 or 20, which often happens).

Traditional Easter is celebrated by most Western Christian sects today, March 27, the earliest the holiday has been celebrated in several years. Actually,  Easter was also on March 27 in 2005 and on March 23 in 2008. One of the reasons for the early Easter, this year, is due to the use of the Gregorian Calendar, a reform introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. By the Gregorian Calendar, Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25, within about seven days of the actual, astronomical Full Moon. The most common date for Easter, in the Gregorian Calendar, is April 19.

Orthodox or Eastern Catholic churches do not celebrate Easter, this year, until May 1, one of the latest dates this feast day can occur. These churches continue to use the Julian Calendar to calculate Easter and other feast days including Christmas (January 7). By the Julian Calendar, the March 21 date of the Equinox is equated with April 3 (in our current century), when converted to the Gregorian Calendar used as the civil calendar of all nations where the Orthodox Christianity is predominant. Then, Easter always falls between April 4 and May 8 of the Gregorian Calendar. The Julian Calendar Full Moon is always several days after the astronomical Full Moon, hence, the Orthodox Easter is often later, relative to the visible Moon phases, than the Western Easter.

Due to the need to use Astronomy to calculate the date of Easter and other moveable feasts, the Roman Catholic Church has supported an astronomical observatory for several centuries. The Vatican Observatory, originally established as the Observatory of the Roman College of Rome in 1774, is now located in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. The Holy See, since 1993, also operates the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope at the Mount Graham International Observatory in southeastern Arizona.

If the date of Easter is ever fixed, Astronomy will no longer be part of this particular determination. But of course, even if Easter is designated as a certain Sunday in April, Astronomy will still be needed for the determination of the civil calendar for the actual date Easter falls on each year.

                                 Internet Links to Additional Information

More on Easter: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

More on a Lunisolar Calendar: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunisolar_calendar

More on an Ecclesiastical Full Moon:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesiastical_full_moon 

More on the Gregorian Calendar: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar

More on the Julian Calendar: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar

More about Hypatia of Alexandria ---
Link 1 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypatia
Link 2 >>> http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/15700720-12341264

More on the petition to designate March 20 (Vernal Equinox) to commemorate the life of Hypatia:
Link >>> https://www.change.org/p/canada-s-parliament-commemorating-the-first-female-astronomer-hypatia-of-alexandria

More about the Vatican Observatory: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Observatory

Related Blog Posts ---

"Dim Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Early Wed. Morning" (During March Full Moon). 2016 March 22.

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/03/dim-penumbral-lunar-eclipse-early-wed.html

 

"Fly-By of Twin (?) Comets Heralds Beginning of Spring." 2016 March 20.

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/03/fly-by-of-twin-comets-heralds-beginning.html  


Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 March 27.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/01/astronomical-calendar-2016-january.html

                             Like This Post? - Please Share!

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Dim Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Early Wed. Morning


Photographs of a Penumbral Lunar
Eclipse in January of 1999 shows the
dimming of the Southern Hemisphere
of the Moon (left photo) compared to
the Moon seen outside of the Earth's
shadow (right photo).
(Image Sources: Wikipedia.org , By
SockPuppetForTomruen (talk) - I
created this work entirely by myself.
Transferred from en.wikipedia, Public
Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/
w/index.php?curid=17097701 )

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

Early on Wednesday Morning, 2016 March 23, very observant viewers may be able to see a dim Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon or Lunar Eclipse.

A Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon is dimmer than a Partial Eclipse of the Moon. During an eclipse of the Moon, the Earth's solar shadow shines on part or all of the Moon, at the time of the Full Moon. The Earth actually casts two shadows: the main and darker Umbral Shadow along with the secondary and dimmer Penumbral Shadow.

In the case of a Total Lunar Eclipse, the Earth's Umbral Shadow completely envelops the Moon. In the case of a Partial Eclipse of the Moon, only part of the Moon is covered by the Umbral Shadow. In the case of a Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon, only the dimmer Penumbral Shadow covers part or all of the Moon.

Of course, weather conditions have to be clear to have a chance to see this eclipse. A Lunar Eclipse or Eclipse of the Moon is the type of eclipse which is safe to look at with the naked-eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. However, the shading of the Moon during such a Penumbral Eclipse is extremely subtle, and not everyone may be able to tell when the eclipse is occurring.

The entire eclipse could be visible to viewers in western North America, Hawaii, Alaska, eastern Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the Pacific Ocean. Part of the eclipse, before local moon-set, would be visible in eastern North America and South America. Parts of central and eastern Asia could experience part of the eclipse after local moon-rise. Europe and Africa will not experience this eclipse at all.

                                                       Times of Eclipse Phases
             (EDT = Eastern Daylight Saving Time; UTC = Coordinated Universal Time)

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Begins:                                   5:39:28 a.m. EDT / 9:39:28 UTC
Greatest Penumbral Lunar Eclipse:                                7:47:13 a.m. EDT / 11:47:13 UTC
Moon Phase - Full Moon:                                                 8:01 a.m. EDT / 12:01 UTC
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Ends:                                      9:54:54 a.m. EDT / 13:54:54 UTC

Special Note: Although the times given for the beginning and ending of the Penumbral Eclipse are the correct times, it is highly unlikely that the beginning and ending can be viewed visually. Observations of when the Penumbral Eclipse is first visible, and when the Eclipse is no longer visible, would be valuable to Science. On average, a Penumbral Eclipse is only visible a half-hour before until a half-hour after the time of greatest eclipse.

And, that bright star-like object near the Moon is the planet Jupiter.

More on the Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2016 March 23 ---
Link 1 >>> http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2016Mar23N.pdf
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_2016_lunar_eclipse

More about a Lunar Eclipse or Eclipse of the Moon:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 March 22.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

                             Like This Post? - Please Share!

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Fly-By of Twin (?) Comets Heralds Beginning of Spring

Close Cometary Call
Comet P/2016 BA14 (Pan-STARRS) will make a safe but extremely close pass of Earth on March 22nd.
NASA / JPL
- See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/p2016-ba14-closest-comet-in-almost-250-years03162016/#sthash.KgXD06pg.dpuf
Close Cometary Call
Comet P/2016 BA14 (Pan-STARRS) will make a safe but extremely close pass of Earth on March 22nd.
NASA / JPL
- See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/p2016-ba14-closest-comet-in-almost-250-years03162016/#sthash.KgXD06pg.dpuf
Close Cometary Call
Comet P/2016 BA14 (Pan-STARRS) will make a safe but extremely close pass of Earth on March 22nd.
NASA / JPL
- See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/p2016-ba14-closest-comet-in-almost-250-years03162016/#sthash.KgXD06pg.dpuf
Close Cometary Call
Comet P/2016 BA14 (Pan-STARRS) will make a safe but extremely close pass of Earth on March 22nd.
NASA / JPL - See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/p2016-ba14-closest-comet-in-almost-250-years03162016/#sthash.KgXD06pg.dpuf
On March 22, Comet P/2016 BA14 (Pan-STARRS) will pass the Earth at a safe, but
extremely close, distance.
(Image Sources: NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory / California Institute of Technology,
Sky and Telescope Magazine)

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

On the first two full days of Spring (March 21 and 22) two, possibly related, comets will pass very close to the Earth. The second and smaller of the two comets is predicted to become the second closest comet to ever approach the Earth.

The day before the first comet fly-by, March 20, marks the beginning of Spring. And, there is now an effort to have the day of the Vernal Equinox designated to commemorate the life of the first female astronomer, Hypatia of Alexandria, in ancient Egypt.

This will be the first time two comets have come close to the Earth only a day apart. Scientists are eagerly awaiting their arrival, hoping to learn much more about the nature of comets. In fact, the Hubble Space Telescope and several ground-based telescopes will be used to watch these two comets as they fly by our planet.

The first of the two comets, Comet 252P / LINEAR, will probably be the brightest comet, but it will not come the closest to Earth. This comet will come within about 3.3 million miles / 5.3 million kilometers of our planet on March 21, which will still make it one of the ten closest comets to ever approach the Earth. But, this is not real close, considering that the Earth's Moon, on average, is 238,855 miles / 384,400 kilometers from our planet.

During the last weeks of March, Comet 252P / LINEAR will be primarily visible in the Southern Hemisphere—perhaps even naked-eye visibility, but only away from city lights. In North America, binoculars will probably be needed to see this comet, but, again, you need to be away from city lights. And, remember such observations are always weather-permitting. At the end of this blog post there will be a link to an article from Sky and Telescope Magazine, which includes two star charts for finding this comet during the last weeks of March and the beginning of April.

This comet was not expected to be this bright, but amateur astronomers have noticed it brightening more rapidly than expected. According to University of Maryland's Matthew Knight, Comet 252P / LINEAR has a bright emerald-green color, from carbon gas emanating from the comet.

The second comet, trailing Comet 252P / LINEAR, was quite a surprise. At first they thought this object was an asteroid, until Matthew Knight discovered the object had a tail. Designated Comet Pan-STARRS P / 2016 BA14, both comets seem to have the same path through the Solar System. Hence, it is conjectured that both comets may have originated from the same single comet.

On March 22 at about 12:00 Noon Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 16:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) Comet P / 2016 BA14 is expected to become the second closest comet to ever approach Earth, when it comes within 2.1 mllion miles / 3.4 million kilometers of Earth. However, despite coming closer to Earth, this comet is dimmer, and a telescope will be needed to see it.

Lexell's Comet was the closest comet to ever approach the Earth. This comet came within 1.4 million miles / 2.2 milion kilometers of our planet on 1770 July 1. Although actually discovered by famous astronomer Charles Messier, it became popularly known as Lexell's Comet after the comet's orbit was calculated by astronomer and mathematician Anders Johan Lexell.

For a time during the 20th century, the Comet of 1491 was considered the closest comet to ever come near the Earth, at 873,784 miles / 1,406,219 kilometers from the Earth. However, Japanese researcher Ichiro Hasegawa, of the Faculty of Socio-Cultural Studies at Otemae University retracted this claim in 2002, saying "The orbital elements for Comet 1491 II = C / 1491 B1 (Hasegawa 1979) are to be retracted, because the records of this comet were misunderstood."

The season of Spring, in Earth's Northern Hemisphere, begins at the Vernal Equinox: early Sunday Morning, 2016 March 20 at 12:30 a.m. EDT / 4:30 UTC --- the time of the posting of this blog post. And this year, Spring begins on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian faith.

In the Southern Hemisphere, this marks the astronomical beginning of the season of Autumn.

This year, Spring arrives earlier than any previous year since 1896! In fact, ever since the year 2000, which was a leap year (unlike the year 1900 which was not a leap year and the year 2100 which will not be a leap year, due to Pope Gregory's calendar reform of 1582), the Vernal Equinox of each succeeding leap year in the 21st century will be earlier than that of the previous leap year!

These earlier Vernal Equinoxes during the 21st century are due to the difference between the Tropical Year or Solar Year (whch is measured from the time of the Vernal Equinox of one year to the time of the Vernal Equinox of the next year: 365.242 days) and the common calendar year of an even 365 or 366 days. The earliest Vernal Equinox of the 21st century will occur on 2096 March 19 at 10:03 a.m. EDT / 14:03 UTC.

The Vernal Equinox is used in the solar calendars of Iran and Afghanistan as the beginning of their calendar year. In ancient times, the Vernal Equinox, then celebrated by the old style calendar on or near March 25, was also the beginning of the calendar year for many ancient civilizations.

The Vernal Equinox is also the first day of the National Cherry Blossom Festival held each year in Washington, DC. This festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the Mayor of Tokyo to the City of Washington. The festival runs through April 17 this year.

Physicians have declared the first week of Spring as Medicine Cabinet Clean-Up Week. They urge families, as part of their annual Spring cleaning, to clean-out the medicine cabinet of old and expired pharmaceuticals which are no longer being used. This would prevent other family members from using these old drugs by accident, or the beginning of drug abuse.

Astronomical historian Ari Belenkiy, who just finished an academic paper on the life and death of the first female astronomer, Hypatia of Alexandria, has started an effort to have the day of the Vernal Equinox, March 20, designated as a day commemorating Hypatia's life.

Hypatia was a Greek astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher, daughter of the mathematician Theon Alexandricus, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt during the late 4th and early 5th centuries. At that time Alexandria was part of the Eastern Roman Empire, which had a great rivalry with the Church of Rome. This led to deep divisions in Alexandria.

Due to the fog of time, there is much dispute regarding the events surrounding the death of Hypatia. According to the Church historian Socrates Scholasticus, a clique of Bishop Cyril's zealots killed Hypatia, due to a deep conflict between the Governor and Bishop of Alexandria. Hypatia's astronomical calculations regarding the date of Easter may have set the mob against her.

Although none of Hypatia's writings survive, she is reported to have made significant academic contributions in the fields of Astronomy and Mathematics.

                                 Internet Links to Additional Information

Sky and Telescope Article with Star Charts for Finding Comet 252P / LINEAR (one star chart is half-way down the page; another star chart is near the end of the article):
Link >>> http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/p2016-ba14-closest-comet-in-almost-250-years03162016/

More on the Vernal Equinox ---
Link 1 >>> http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/VernalEquinox.html
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_equinox

More on the Season of Spring: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_%28season%29

More on the Gregorian Calendar Reform of 1582:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar

More on Medicine Cabinet Clean-Up Week:
Link >>> http://www.pamedsoc.org/FunctionalCategories/About/Media/Medicine-Cabinets-Spring-Cleaning.html

More information on the National Cherry Blossom Festival:
More about Hypatia ---
Link 1 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypatia
Link 2 >>> http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/15700720-12341264

More on the petition to designate March 20 to commemorate the life of Hypatia:
Link >>> https://www.change.org/p/canada-s-parliament-commemorating-the-first-female-astronomer-hypatia-of-alexandria

Related Blog Post ---

"Comet of 1491: Self-Correction of Science." 2016 Feb. 20.

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/02/comet-of-1491-self-correction-of-science.html


Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 March 20.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

                             Like This Post? - Please Share!

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Some States to Abandon Daylight Saving Time ?

Samuel Pierpont Langley.jpg
Samuel Pierpont Langley, second Director of Pittsburgh's
Allegheny Observatory and third Director of the Smithsonian
Institution (then considered the nation's highest scientific
appointment) assisted the railroads in the establishment of time
zones by providing precise time signals via the telegraph.
(Image Sources: Wikipedia.org , By Low resolution in context, Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1496860 )

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

At the moment of the posting of this blog post (Sunday Morning, 2016 March 13 at 2:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time / 7:00 Coordinated Universal Time), Daylight Saving Time has taken effect in the Eastern Time Zone with 2:00 becoming 3:00.

At this time, most Americans will be advancing their clocks by one hour (except for computerized clocks which advance automatically) in the annual “Spring-Forward” exercise to accommodate Daylight Saving Time—unless they advanced their clocks before going to bed Saturday night. And, there are always some who forget (and who may be late to church) or procrastinate and need to change their clocks on Sunday.

Since 2007, the last time the law changed, clocks in America have advanced an hour on the second Sunday of March (previously, the first Sunday in April) and returned ("Fall-Back") to Standard Time on the first Sunday in November (previously, the last Sunday in October). This year, clocks will return to Standard Time on November 6, when 2:00 a.m. Daylight Saving Time will become 1:00 a.m. Standard Time.

Actually, the states of Hawaii and Arizona do not observe Daylight Saving Time, except for some Native American nation reservations in Arizona. Several American territories also do not observe Daylight Saving Time including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands of the United States, American Samoa, and Guam.

March 13 is also the conclusion to the annual National Sleep Awareness Week. Sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation, this week highlights the importance of people getting enough sleep each night. And, this is particularly important when the last day of this week occurs on the day clocks are advanced an hour, with the possibility that people may lose an hour of sleep if they do not plan for getting an additional hour of sleep that night.

And, it is strongly suggested to use the twice-a-year time change to check, and possibly replace, batteries in vital warning instruments such as smoke / fire detectors / alarms, carbon monoxide (CO) detectors / alarms, and NOAA Weather / Hazard Alarm Radios (and / or other portable, transistor radios used to obtain weather broadcasts and other emergency news and information).

Although it may seem odd to have such a time change occur at a time when most people are asleep, there is a logical reason for the 2:00 time for the change to occur. With fewer people awake, and few important events occurring at 2:00 in the morning, this time change can happen fairly seamlessly, with no major activities being adversely affected. Although 12:00 Midnight may seem like a more logical time for such a change, more people are awake, and more activities are still happening, at Midnight, particularly on a Saturday night / Sunday morning.

However, several states are considering abandoning Daylight Saving Time, while a few states are even considering moving to a different time-zone, year-round!

Instigated by the railroads to simplify passenger schedules, time zones were established in the 19th century. Technological advances of the time, such as the telegraph and the transit-telescope, allowed Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory to assist the railroads with precise time for the new time zones.

However, time zones are fairly large, meaning that sunrise and sunset occurs at significantly different times for a town on the eastern edge of a time zone and one on the western edge of the same time zone. In the early 20th century, some people wanted to provide more daylight in the evening hours during the Summer months and proposed to advance all clocks by one hour for “Daylight Saving Time.”

Actually, changing daily habits to take advantage of more daylight during the Summer months was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, while he was a diplomat in Paris. In an anonymous letter that was published, he used satire to suggest that it would be better to use the sunlight of the morning rather than to waste candles in the evening. Although, it should be noted that he did not actually propose a plan similar to the Daylight Saving Time we know today.

Robert Garland, a Pittsburgh industrialist and a member of the Pittsburgh City Council for 28 years (1911 to 1939), is considered the “Father of Daylight Saving,” as he chaired the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's national “Special Committee on Daylight Saving.” He fought hard for the establishment of Summer Daylight Saving Time.

It was not until 1918, shortly after the United States entered World War I, that U.S. President Woodrow Wilson instituted the Daylight Saving plan to help the War effort. Although spurred by farmers and other agricultural interests who never liked Daylight Saving Time, the U.S. Congress repealed the plan seven months later. However, several cities including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City continued using Daylight Saving Time during the Summer months.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt resurrected Daylight Saving Time as “War Time” for the duration of World War II. However, after the War, Daylight Saving Time did not become Federal law during peace time until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 was enacted. Hawaii never observed Daylight Saving Time while Arizona (except some tribal nations in the state) opted-out in 1968. Most of Indiana did not observe Daylight Saving Time until 2006; now the entire state observes it.

To reduce energy consumption during the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973, year-round Daylight Saving Time was established in the United States beginning on 1974 January 6. However, many mothers were quite upset that this meant that their children had to travel to school during the dark early mornings in the Winter months. Thousands of these mothers (including the author's mother, Eleanor A. Walsh) wrote letters to their representatives in Congress complaining about this. After receiving thousands of letters from angry mothers, Congress did not renew year-round Daylight Saving Time, and this plan expired on 1975 February 23.

Now several states, including the nation's largest, California, have proposed ending Daylight Saving Time altogether. And, there are even some states such as Alaska and some New England states which wish to join a different time zone, along with eliminating Daylight Saving Time.

California State Assembly member Kansen Chu (D-San Jose) has introduced a bill which would allow the state's voters to decide whether to continue the twice-a-year changing of the clocks, or to switch to either Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time year-round.

Other states considering similar measures include Florida, Kansas, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Texas also considered such a change recently, but has decided not to proceed with a change at this time.

Several New England states are considering seceding from the Eastern Time Zone to the Atlantic Time Zone, which is currently used by most of the Maritime Provinces of Canada as well as the American Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. By moving to the Atlantic Time Zone, these states would be observing the equivalent of Eastern Daylight Saving Time year-round.

Connecticut, which is home to a lot of people who commute each weekday to New York City, would probably stay in the Eastern Time Zone along with New York State.

And, Alaska is considering moving to the Pacific Time Zone, abandoning its own Alaska Time Zone. As in New England, this would have the effect of having Alaska Daylight Saving Time year-round in Alaska. Of course the Alaska Time Zone would remain, as one of the world's 24 time zones, but it is unclear what it would be called if Alaska moved to the Pacific Time Zone.

Boston Globe columnist Tom Emswiler first proposed the New England time zone switch last Autumn. Since then, Massachusetts State Senator John Keenan (D-Quincy) and Rhode Island State Representative Blake Filippi (I-Block Island) have sponsored bills in their respective legislative chambers to move their state to the Atlantic Time Zone.

An Internet web site < https://stopdst.com/ > and companion Twitter campaign has recently started to lobby for an end to Daylight Saving Time.

Many of the advocates of ending Daylight Saving Time cite several studies that show that advancing the clock adversely affects people's health, including more heart attacks, traffic accidents, and workplace injuries. Economists say that there is no real economic reason for Daylight Saving Time, save for the possible reduction in energy usage; although, they say this reduction is not definitive. If the energy savings caused by Daylight Saving Time was significant in past decades, they say that the advancement of technology and the change in lifestyle habits negates most such energy savings today.

Abandonment of Daylight Saving Time, and particularly changing time zones, by several states will have an affect on national transportation and communication networks. Amtrak rail, Greyhound bus, and airline schedules will have to be changed and adapted in the states where such changes take place. National radio and television network schedules may have to be adapted, otherwise New England may receive programs an hour later than their normal Eastern Time Zone broadcast.

Federal law does allow states to exempt themselves from Daylight Saving Time, as Hawaii and Arizona already do. Changing time zones is another matter. Approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation or the Congress would be required if a state wished to change time zones.

Some economists doubt Daylight Saving Time will ever be completely eliminated, due to the influence of special interests (particularly the travel, transportation, and communication industries) as well as Americans favoring long, sunny Summer nights. However, there is no doubt the debate regarding Daylight Saving Time will continue.

More on Robert Garland and the establishment of Daylight Saving Time:
Link 1 >>> http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/March-2009/Curse-You-or-Bless-You-Robert-Garland/
Link 2 >>> http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/dst.html

More on the Uniform Time Act of 1966: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Time_Act

More on Daylight Saving Time: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time

More on Samuel Pierpont Langley: Link >>> http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/bio/LangleySP.htm

More on Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory:
Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/08/centennial-new-allegheny-observatory.html

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 March 13.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Response to Proposed Pittsburgh Transit Fare Policy Overhaul

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

The Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT), Pennsylvania, the primary public transit agency serving Metropolitan Pittsburgh, has proposed a major overhaul of the public transit system's fare system policy.

The proposed changes include eliminating the Downtowner Zone (free-of-charge zone for buses serving the Downtown area; subway service Downtown and on the Lower North Side would remain free-of-charge) and Zone 2, to have one flat zone for the entire transit system. This would mean that riders in Zone 2 would receive a major transit fare decrease, in the hope that suburban ridership would increase to make-up for the lost revenue.

Cash fare would increase by 25 cents, to incentivize the use of the electronic fare card known as the “ConnectCard;” the cost of a transit ride would remain the same as today (Base Fare: $2.50) when the ConnectCard is used. A $7 Day Pass would be added to the Weekly, Monthly, and Annual Passes already available. All fares would be paid as one enters a bus, rail car, or rail station (currently, fares are pay-enter on inbound vehicles and pay-exit on outbound vehicles, except after 7:00 p.m. when all bus fares are pay-enter for the security of the transit operators).

Paper transfers would be discontinued. Hence, people paying cash fares would have to pay the full fare for each transit ride. Transfer fees would continue to be accommodated using the ConnectCard.

Continuation or Courtesy Transfers (CT), which are free-of-charge transfers provided for riding between main bus or rail lines and shorter, feeder or shuttle bus lines, would also be eliminated according to the proposal. Continuation Transfers are also provided, on request, to people riding between Downtown and Mount Washington when using the Duquesne or Monongahela Inclines; hence, this would be a fare increase for most Incline riders.

Beginning next year, according to the proposal, the purchase of a ConnectCard would cost $2 per card, for acquiring new or replacement cards. Currently, ConnectCards are available for no charge.

Most of these changes would be implemented on the bus system on or after 2017 January 1. Changes on the rail systems (both the “T” Light Rail / Subway System and the Monongahela Incline) would be implemented on or after 2017 July 1. When implemented on the rail systems, all fares would be completely cash-less; ConnectCards would be required for use on the Light Rail System and the Monongahela Incline. As The Duquesne Incline is operated by the private Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline, some PAT regulations will not apply on this Inclined Plane.

PAT held three public hearings regarding this proposal; two on February 24 and one on March 8. PAT will continue to receive public comments on this proposal until March 31, via the PAT web site, electronic mail, or the U.S. Mail. More information and all details of the proposed fare policy changes can be found at this link:


Long-time public transit advocate Glenn A. Walsh spoke at one hearing on February 24 and the hearing on March 8. Following the February 24 statement, Mr. Walsh was interviewed by WPXI-TV 11, WESA-FM 90.5 (link to text article near the end of this blog post), and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Following Mr. Walsh's March 8 hearing statement, he was interviewed (video and audio) by Pittsburghers for Public Transit. Following Mr. Walsh's public statement before the PAT Board of Directors meeting of April 29, he was interviewed by Elaine Effort of KQV-AM 1410 NewsRadio, and his public statement was quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (link to news article near the end of this blog post).

The following is the prepared text of Mr. Walsh's March 8 comments:


Hearing Statement --                         Glenn A. Walsh

Board of Directors of                         P.O. Box 1041

Port Authority of                                Pittsburgh PA 15230-1041 U.S.A.

 Allegheny County:                            Telephone: 412-561-7876

Proposed Fare                                     Electronic Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >

Policy Changes                                    Internet Web Site: < http://www.planetarium.cc >

                                                              Space Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
                                                              2016 March 8



Good afternoon. I am Glenn A. Walsh, 633 Royce Avenue, Mt. Lebanon, a regular Light Rail and bus rider who has chosen not to drive a motor vehicle since 1985, to help save energy, protect the environment, and reduce city traffic congestion. I have been an active transit advocate for more than 38 years, including 3 terms (1984 to 1989) on the Allegheny County Transit Council as a Charter Member. My comments today are my own and do not reflect those of any organization.



First, as I mentioned last month, free-of-charge Continuation Transfers should be retained, at least for the Inclines. Otherwise, this would be a clear fare increase for Incline riders, making Incline ridership to Downtown less attractive, and very possibly increasing crowding on rush-hour buses which serve Mount Washington.



I do approve of the establishment of a Day-Pass. This is long overdue.



I opposed the elimination of Zone 3 some years ago, and today, I also oppose the elimination of Zone 2. It is quite clear that, fifty years ago when PAT had 13 zones, this was rather ridiculous. However, three zones seems quite reasonable and provided greater equity in assigning the true cost of public transportation. I am dubious that one flat zone will greatly increase suburban ridership, particularly in these times of low gas prices. I fear the additional income lost by this change will result in a substantial fare increase for everyone in the next year or two.



As I testified last year, even if you charge a fee for a ConnectCard at the automated machines at rail stations and other locations, ConnectCards should continue to be available for no charge at the PAT Service Center. This would provide an option for people with limited incomes.


gaw

"Port Authority formally approves new flat fare system in January."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2016 April 30.
One rider, Glenn Walsh, told the board the fare policy is a hidden increase of $1 for passengers on the Monongahela Incline because there no longer will be free transfers from certain bus routes to the incline. The transfer fee will be $1 for ConnectCard users and the full incline fare for cash customers. About 2,000 use the incline on weekdays and Sundays and about 3,500 on Saturdays. Riders who use transfers to feeder routes on busways also complained about the transfer fee or double fare during public hearings about the fare policy in March, but the authority didn’t change that provision.

"Statement before Board of Directors, Port Authority of Allegheny County: Proposed Incline Fare Increase." Public Statement
Glenn A. Walsh 2016 April 29.

"PAT Board Scheduled to Approve Hidden Fare Increase for Incline Riders." News Release.
Glenn A. Walsh 2016 April 28.
 
Kovash, Sarah. "Public Weighs In On Port Authority's Single Fare Proposal."
 WESA-FM 90.5 Pittsburgh 2016 Feb. 24.
Glenn Walsh, who lives in Mt. Lebanon and uses public transportation to get Downtown, said he worries the change will negatively affect the inclines.
“This is going to discourage incline ridership (and) make it more difficult for the inclines, particularly the Duquesne Incline, which is operated privately, to continue operating,” Walsh said.
Link >>> http://wesa.fm/post/public-weighs-port-authoritys-single-fare-proposal

More on the Port Authority of Allegheny County:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Authority_of_Allegheny_County

More on The Duquesne Incline: Link >>> http://inclinedplane.tripod.com/

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 March 12.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Monday, March 7, 2016

Pacific Ocean Solar Eclipse March 8 to 9 w/ Web-Casts

Solar eclipse animate (2016-Mar-09).GIF

This map shows the path of the Solar Eclipse of 2016 March 8 to 9.
(Image Sources: NASA, Wikipedia.org )

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

The first Solar Eclipse or Eclipse of the Sun of 2016 occurs primarily over the Pacific Ocean March 8 to 9. The Total Solar Eclipse will be seen within a narrow corridor in Indonesia and the Pacific Ocean. A Partial Solar Eclipse can be viewed over a wider area including Hawaii, western section of Alaska (except extreme northwestern tip of the state), most of Australia, southeastern and eastern sections of Asia, Oceania, and a large swath of the Pacific Ocean.

A Solar Eclipse or Eclipse of the Sun occurs when the Moon, in its orbit around the Earth, partially or totally blocks light from the Sun from shining on part of the Earth. During a Total Solar Eclipse, for a short period of time, all sunlight shining in a narrow corridor along a section of the Earth is completely blocked. This small area of the Earth experiences darkness similar to nightfall, during this short period of time. A Partial Solar Eclipse differs from a Total Solar Eclipse as the Moon does not completely block-out light coming from the Sun.

As always with astronomical observing, viewing this eclipse is weather-permitting. If clouds obscure the Sun, this eclipse can not be seen at all. Although, even if it is cloudy, the sky will darken during the total phase of the eclipse, and perhaps during very deep phases of the partial eclipse.

Directly viewing a Solar Eclipse or Eclipse of the Sun with the naked-eyes is very dangerous, as any direct sunlight entering your eyes could cause permanent eye damage and possible blindness. Eye damage can occur quickly, without your knowledge, as there are no nerve endings in the eyes; hence, eye damage can occur without feeling any pain.

Blindness is very likely if looking directly at a Solar Eclipse or Eclipse of the Sun when using a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device which enlarges celestial objects, without also using proper filtering equipment.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER look directly at the Sun or any type of Solar Eclipse with a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device, unless you have the proper training and the proper instruments to do so safely.

This Total Eclipse of the Sun can be viewed safely on the Internet via the Slooh Community Observatory web site. This web site will offer free-of-charge, live, viewing of the event on Tuesday Evening, 2016 March 8 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) / 23:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and ending at 9:00 p.m. EST / March 9, 2:00 UTC, at this Internet link: Link >>> http://main.slooh.com/event/total-solar-eclipse/

San Francisco's Exploratorium science museum, in collaboration with NASA and the National Science Foundation, is also sponsoring a live, Internet Web-Cast of the Total Solar Eclipse from Micronesia, 2016 March 8, 8:00 to 9:15 p.m. EST / March 9, 1:00 to 2:15 UTC:
Link >>> http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse

If you live in the area where the Total or Partial Solar Eclipse can be seen in the sky, and you do not have the proper training and proper equipment to watch a Solar Eclipse safely, you should check to see if there is a public viewing of the eclipse in your area. Often local planetarium and / or astronomical observatory institutions, science centers or museums, college or university science departments, or amateur astronomy clubs have public viewing sessions of Solar Eclipses, where properly-trained astronomers will show the Solar Eclipse safely to the public using the proper equipment.

Another way to safely view a Solar Eclipse is by making a Solar Pinhole Viewing-Box, with a pinhole at one end of the box and a white piece of paper (where the Solar Eclipse will be projected upon) at the other end. Light from the Sun would shine through the pinhole, projecting a very small image of the Sun onto the white piece of paper at the other end of the box. You would place your head inside the Solar Pinhole Viewing-Box and look at the eclipse on the white piece of paper-projection screen (it is NOT safe to look at the Sun through the pinhole !!!).

Such a Solar Pinhole Viewing-Box would look like this:
(Graphic by Eric G. Canali, former Floor Manager of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science and Founder of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers amateur astronomy club)

A third way to safely observe a Solar Eclipse is to obtain special “Solar Eclipse viewing glasses” (available for purchase from certain vendors, including on the Internet) which look like sunglasses but are much darker to protect the eyes. Regular sunglasses are NOT safe enough to view a Solar Eclipse, nor is smoked glass or exposed X-Ray film.

Made of aluminized Mylar usually in a cardboard frame, such Solar Eclipse viewing glasses should be checked before each time they are used, to ensure they are still safe. Point the Solar Eclipse glasses at a lighted light bulb. If you see any tiny holes of light coming through the Solar Eclipse glasses, then that pair of Solar Eclipse glasses is not safe and should be cut-up and discarded. If such a pair of defective eclipse glasses would be used to view the Sun or a Solar Eclipse, the dangerous solar energy would go through the tiny holes and could damage your eyes.

Such Solar Eclipse glasses usually cost only a couple of dollars. So, it is better to buy a new pair than to use a defective pair of eclipse glasses, that could damage your eyes. But, always check any new pair of eclipse glasses, with a lighted light bulb, to be sure the new pair is safe to use.

Here are the times for the Solar Eclipse of 2016 March 8 to 9 (Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC) ---

Partial Solar Eclipse Begins: March 8, 6:19:20.4 p.m. EST / 23:19:20.4 UTC
Total Solar Eclipse Begins: March 8, 7:15:57.3 p.m. EST / March 9, 0:15:57.3 UTC
Moon Phase: New Moon – Lunation # 1153: March 8, 8:54 p.m. EST / March 9, 1:54 UTC
Time of Greatest Eclipse: March 8, 8:57:11.5 p.m. EST / March 9, 1:57:11.5 UTC
Total Solar Eclipse Ends: March 8, 10:38:20.7 p.m. EST / March 9, 3:38:20.7 UTC
Partial Solar Eclipse Ends: March 8, 11:34:55.4 p.m. EST / March 9, 4:34:55.4 UTC

More on a Solar Eclipse: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse

More on the Solar Eclipse of 2016 March 8 to 9 ---
Link 1 >>> http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2016Mar09Tgoogle.html
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_March_9,_2016

Safe Way to View a Solar Eclipse / Eclipse of the Sun:
Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/solflyer2.htm

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 March 7.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >