This Eclipse occurred on 11 August 1999, something that seems quite distant right now, but I actually do remember when it happened even though from here in Macedonia we didn't really have the best experience possible, but I do remember this weird kind of sensation in the sky and all those constant warnings of not to be staring at the Sun directly at that time without any sunglasses and all...as if it is pretty fine to be doing it at other times.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across the surface of the Earth, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible over a region thousands of kilometres wide.
The path of the Moon's shadow during this time began in the Atlantic Ocean and, before noon, was traversing the southern United Kingdom, northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, southern Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, and northern Serbia (Vojvodina). Its maximum was in Romania (next to a town called Ocnele Mari near Râmnicu Vâlcea); and it continued across Bulgaria, the Black Sea, Turkey, Iran, southern Pakistan and Srikakulam in India and ended in the Bay of Bengal. It was the first total eclipse visible from Europe since 22 July 1990, and the first visible in the United Kingdom since 29 June 1927.
Due to the high population densities in areas of the path, this one is considered as one of the most-viewed total solar eclipse in human history; although some areas in the path of totality (mainly in Western Europe) offered impaired visibility due to adverse weather conditions.
So if you have an experience to share with this or some other Solar eclipse you have witnessed, please do so in the comments section...would be an interesting read :)
Click on the link below and see what others have shared today!
Very original event and stamp! I think I remember this eclipse (or maybe it was another, earlier?).Staying in the roof with special glasses and seeing... nothing :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder wher I was at the time as I don't remember it. Fine stamp.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting and striking way of showing its path. Although it was a partial eclipse here in the UK it didn't matter because it was cloudy although on the plus side you could see it outlined through the clouds and no need of glasses. I remember an earlier one as a child when we looked at it through red coloured ashtrays (not as random as it seems as my friends parents ran a pub).I'm not sure about the health and safety of that but then people were still smoking in public places then, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI watched the total eclipse on tv, I remember it well, it was just a partial eclipse for where I was at the time :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent mini-sheet!
An interesting and special event indeed. What a nice stamp to commemorate it.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I remember this! I was at work and we weren't able to see the full eclipse there but we did see what there was. My sons drove all the way to Cornwall to see the full thing, along with thousands of others I believe.
ReplyDeletea great event to be commemorated on a stamp. the full sheet shows it well.
ReplyDelete(love Joy's comment too)