SPECTACULAR “RING OF FIRE”
ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE IN AUSTRALIA
www.washingtonpost.com - Later
yesterday and today over parts of Australia and the Pacific ocean, the
moon passes in front of the sun, leaving behind all but a golden trail
of light. The term for this dramatic alignment of the moon and sun is an
annular or “ring of fire” solar eclipse. The last annular eclipse
occurred May 20, 2012, and was viewable over parts of the western U.S.
This year’s version will not be visible over North America, but will be
broadcast online via the Slooh Space Camera for all to see.
The
website Earth Sky provides a detailed location-based timeline of the
eclipse evolution. And AccuWeather provides a forecast of sky conditions
along the eclipse’s path; it is generally favorable for viewing. Here
are some viewing tips for the solar annular eclipse.
Do
not look at the eclipse with the naked eye or with a camera or
telescope without a solar filter. Doing so could cause irreversible eye
damage. NASA warns: the concern over improper viewing of the Sun during
an eclipse is for the development of “eclipse blindness” or retinal
burns. For safe viewing with your eyes, obtain special solar eclipse
sunglasses (ordinary sunglasses will not protect you) or create your own
eclipse viewing device. For photographing the eclipse directly, you
need a solar filter for your camera. Viewing or photographing the
eclipse indirectly - via the ground - is possible without eye protection
or filters.
The
next solar eclipse viewable in the U.S. will be a partial solar eclipse
on October 23, 2014. But just wait until August 21, 2017 when a total
solar eclipse traverses the country crossing the U.S. from the Pacific
to the Atlantic.
This first solar eclipse of 2013 occurs today. It will transform the sun into a dazzling "ring of fire" for observers in Australia, weather permitting. Also known as an annular eclipse, it happens today, starting in Western Australia, it will move over the Northern Territory, crossing Cape York and passing through Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Two Aboriginal communities, Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw, will experience it in full, whereas other parts of the world only will be able to see a partial solar eclipse. These cosmic events reminds us when the gopīs of Vrindāvana and the residents of Gokula, met Krishna at Kuruksetra during a solar eclipse.
WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?
After
His separation from Vṛndāvana 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 - Canto 1: “Creation”
Chapter 10 - Verses 9 - 10
Chapter 13 - Verses 3 - 4
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase
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