THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
70 Falmouth Street      Portland, Maine 04103
(207) 780-4249      usm.maine.edu/planet
43.6667° N    70.2667° W Founded January 1970
2022-2023:   LXXV
Sunrise:  6:41 a.m.
Sunset:   6:56 p.m.
Civil twilight begins: 6:12 a.m.
Civil twilight ends:  7:24 p.m.
Sun's host constellation: Pisces
Moon phase:  Waxing crescent  (1 % illuminated)
Moonrise: 7:18 a.m.
Moonset: 8:17 p.m.
Julian date:   2460026.29
               "                           "
                            -Marcel Marceau (whose 100th birthday is today.)


THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Two Solar Eclipse Questions

Yesterday's article about the APRIL 8, 2024 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE prompted
two questions from subscribers which I would like to answer today.

*-You're talking a lot about the April 2024 solar eclipse. Isn't there one
this year too that we can see?- -N.A.*

Yes, a solar eclipse will occur on October 14, 2023. Although it will be an
annular eclipse along the 'totality path,' we'll only see a partial solar
eclipse here in New England. Refer to the graphic below. During an *annular
eclipse*, the moon does not entirely cover the Sun, but instead leaves a
ring of light around it, hence the name 'annular,' from the Latin word
'annulus,' meaning 'ring.'

[image: aas_ase2023_zeiler_1150x475.jpg]

Observers within a path extending from the north Pacific through regions of
Central and South America will see the annular eclipse.   Those on either
side of this path will see a partial solar eclipse, the magnitude of which
decreases with increasing distance from it.

Here, in the Portland area, the maximum eclipse will occur at 1:25 p.m.
 At maximum, the eclipse will appear like this:

[image: download.png]

At maximum, 15.3% of the Sun will be obscured by the moon.      Though
visible -when seen through protective shades- this eclipse will have little
effect on the daylight intensity at that time.

And, speaking of Portland....

*-How much of the April 2024 eclipse will we be able to see in Portland?*
*                       -MCJ*

At maximum eclipse, which occurs at 3:31 p.m. on April 8, 2024, the eclipse
will look like this:

[image: download (1).png]

The obscuration at maximum will be 96.5%.   While almost all of the Sun
will be blocked, one will not be able to see all of the corona, the
outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere.  However, skies in the Portland
area will go nice and dark for a bit.  If one is unable to travel to the
totality  path on this date, one will still be able to watch the
progression of the moon across the solar disk.


And, speaking of Portland. we want to add something wholly gratuitous.


PORTLAND RANKS # 1:

NO, not in the rent/average income ratio
NO, not in the percentage of microbreweries relative to population
(We were recently overtaken there by the US House of Representatives.)

Portland ranks # 1 as the best beach town in which to retire. US News and
World Report conducted an analysis of the 150 largest metropolitan areas in
the nation and determined that  our humble peninsula ranks # 1.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/the-best-beach-towns-to-retire-in-the-u-s/ar-AA18UBlx?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=2d0cfda7d7ac4c2492bbca62ae492b0d&ei=39

I thought that with  the deluge of negative news the media heaps upon us at
the behest of the pharmaceuticals that dispense antidepressants, it would
be a novelty to focus on something, well, positive. Moreover, the passage
related to Portland also mentions the University of Southern Maine as one
of the principal attractive features.     That aspect alone should gratify
us at least as much as it perplexes Orono.

Enjoy this blissful day.

-The infernal pests at the Southworth Planetarium


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