THE 2012 TOTAL
ECLIPSE OF THE SUN
www.theage.com.au
- Nature has bestowed a treat on solar scientists. About an
hour after sunrise in north Queensland, the moon passed directly in
front of the sun. Those fortunate enough to be in Cairns enjoyed an
early morning total eclipse lasting two minutes with the sun roughly 14
degrees above the eastern horizon.
For
astrophysicists, it meant an opportunity to glimpse the outermost
workings of the sizzling sun. Eclipses give scientists their best chance
to study the corona, the immensely hot outer atmosphere of the sun that
boils off into space and wafts past the planets. Even with modern
Earth- and space-based telescopes, scientists can only observe parts of
the corona normally because of the sun's overwhelming brightness. These
phenomena change over days or weeks, and so the corona appears to be
quite different at every solar eclipse.
This
provides scientists with a better understanding of the corona as well
as the solar wind, the charged particles that stream from the sun. The
eclipse itself did not “directly” reveal anything about the sun's
activity because there is always large day-to-day variability; just like
today's weather does not reveal anything about a decade's climate
trends, says Curtin Univeristy astrophysicist Rob Soria. “This eclipse
occurs near the peak of what is known as Cycle 24, when coronal
activity, mass ejections, solar flares are expected to be more
energetic,” Dr Soria says.
This cycle is
the weakest it has been in more than 100 years. The current cycle
follows a series of three strong solar cycles that occurred between 1980
and 2000. If scientists get a better understanding of temperature,
structure and energy processes in the solar corona and the solar wind,
they can then make better predictions about the long-term solar
variability and the effect it has on the Earth's climate and magnetic
field.
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A
total solar eclipse is the only time the sun's corona can be viewed
from Earth. Then, almost as fast as the sky darkened, a twinkle of light
emerged and the moon continued its journey across the sun. The second
solar eclipse of 2012 occured above northern Australia just moments ago
giving thousands of observers in Queensland an early morning treat.
Today’s events came a decade after Australia’s last solar eclipse and
were the first in the region in over 1,300 years. Always thousands and
thousands of people go to see a total eclipse of the sun or moon.
Eclipses wonderful events are related in Vedic history. For example,
when the gopīs and the residents of Vrindāvana met Krishna at Kuruksetra
during the Solar eclipse, they wanted to take Krishna back to the
village of Vrindāvana and enjoy His company in the groves.
WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?
Lord Śrī Krishna is so attractive for the living beings, especially for
the devotees, that it is impossible for them to tolerate separation. ...
After His separation from Vrindāvana and the innocent rural cowherd
boys, girls, ladies and others, they all felt shock throughout their
lives, and the separation of Rādhārāṇī, the most beloved cowherd girl,
is beyond expression. Once they met at Kurukṣetra during a solar
eclipse, and the feeling which was expressed by them is heartrending.
... Krishna, Baladeva and Subhadrā are represented in the famous
Jagannātha temple of Purī, and the temple is still visited by thousands
of pilgrims daily. This temple is in remembrance of the Lord's visit at
Kuruksetra during an occasion of solar eclipse and His subsequent
meeting with the residents of Vrindāvana. The meeting of Rādhā and
Krishna during this occasion is a very pathetic story, and Lord Śrī
Caitanya, in the ecstasy of Rādhārāṇī, always pined for Lord Śrī
Krishna at Jagannātha Purī.
Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa)”
Canto 1 - Chapter 10 - Verses 9 & 10
Canto 1 - Chapter 13 - Verses 3 & 4
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase Network
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