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2026 Eclipse Webcams

jonty.github.io

131–140 of 149 posts

Re: 2026 Eclipse Webcams

#131
post #107

Eclipse + perseids, which means people in Iceland/Spain will see shooting stars when the skies go dark, wow! How often does this happen? Like, never?

Don't forget 6-planet alignment.

Aligned with what, exactly?

It is true that 6 planets have found themselves on the night-side: excluding Venus (currently an "Evening Star"); with Pluto setting just before Mercury and Jupiter rise.

But the chances of seeing them all aren't great; Jupiter's only about 10° away from the Sun as it rises. Uranus and Neptune, as always, are far too dim to see without a good telescope.

But they are not aligned with one another, and not particularly aligned with anything in the sky. 6 planets on the night-side is not a rare occurrence by any means.

It is just the stupidity of social media clickbait that promotes these "Planetary Parades" as something exciting. Just go see planets. There are plenty of opportunities. Sometimes they are even in conjunction with one another. Now is not one of those times.

Re: 2026 Eclipse Webcams

#133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are such a typical German, afraid of the law. There are laws that are important like murder and stealing and then there are laws that are not important like jaywalking and being a public nuisance. You need to stop treating the latter like the former.

Not having your kids in school is an offense that is ranked significantly higher than jaywalking. I don’t see how you are comparing it to murder. Afraid of the law is a silly statement. Laws are made by the democratic system. Adhere to them. There is a reason not bringing your kids to school can lead to jail time. It’s a serious offense.

I now read that German police will stop and check families with kids in airports the days immediately before and after public holidays. Chilling "Ihre papiere bitte" vibes there. Not doing a great job at avoiding stereotypes, you guys maybe could historically benefit from saner laws and a healthier relationship with them.

Re: 2026 Eclipse Webcams

#134
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you pan to the right, it shows that it actually starts in a bit of russia

That area (Taymyr Peninsula) looks crazy remote and inaccessible. It would be wild to be there, let alone experience an eclipse there. I think it might even be illegal to do so without a permit, though I'm also curious what enforcement looks like in an area so far from what we think of as normal infrastructure.

It still started in russia though, even if nobody was there to see it

Re: 2026 Eclipse Webcams

#135
post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget 6-planet alignment.

Aligned with what, exactly? It is true that 6 planets have found themselves on the night-side: excluding Venus (currently an "Evening Star"); with Pluto setting just before Mercury and Jupiter rise. But the chances of seeing them all aren't great; Jupiter's only about 10° away from the Sun as it rises. Uranus and Neptune, as always, are far too dim to see without a good telescope. But they are not aligned with one an…

> Aligned with what, exactly?

The ecliptic plane? Which all planets are aligned onto so people take a ruler put and are like "OMG planets align" when they end up in the same rough patch of the sky.

Re: 2026 Eclipse Webcams

#136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW there’s a better one next year which skirts through southern spain and norther Africa.

What makes it better?

Higher magnitude (coverage) at maximum, and because it'll be late morning the totality will last much longer. Also almost entirely over land, where this one was mostly over the ocean.

Re: 2026 Eclipse Webcams

#137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thales' supposed prediction of a solar eclipse is not considered plausible by experts in the history of astronomy. At the time and for long afterward there was no sufficiently accurate data / theory to predict solar eclipses. There are a wide range of speculations about what Herodotus might have meant by the relevant passage: > [...] another combat took place in the sixth year, in the course of which, just as the bat…

It is well documented that the Antikythera mechanism could predict solar and lunar eclipses. The device's operation was based on 7th century BC Babylonian astronomy, specifically the Saros cycle, and Greek astronomy. The theory and data was definitely present in Thales' time.

The Antikythera mechanism is 4 centuries after Thales, during which time there was extensive additional study done by Greek astronomers. Evidence of old solar eclipse predictions seems pretty sparse; I can't figure out when the first successfully predicted solar eclipse was that we are certain about.

Re: 2026 Eclipse Webcams

#138
post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best spot (imo) was Leon, just in the south of Asturias where the sky was clear.

I live near Lisbon. Checked windy yesterday for cloud forecast, topography, within the center of the totality area, and night sky quality (for the perseids after), and quickly decided on that area. Rented a small commercial van, drove around 6h30 and ended up in a tiny village named Abia de Las Torres, in the top of a small hill surrounded by sunflower fields with a whole bunch of people, with perfect weather (other…

I live in Osorno la Mayor and had to travel to Abia to see the eclipse because of the huge crowd around the town. I watched the eclipse from the hill with the geodesic point. In the total dark phase I heard the crowd in Abia cheering and also in the villages around. Did you looked north to the suddenly towering mountains of the Sierra Palentina. What a sight!

Re: 2026 Eclipse Webcams

#140
post #69
post #25

This is mine! Built it quickly in 2024 for the US eclipse [1] and finished minutes before totality started. I completely forgot about it until a friend asked this morning. Coordinating a DDOS on cameras across Iceland and Spain was not on my to-do list for today. Fingers crossed it doesn't break for you all - I will be watching it with my own eyes this time. [1] https://jonty.github.io/2024_eclipse_webcams/

How did you find all these cameras? Am I stupid?

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