Hybrid Solar Eclipse, snap shot from UAE's capital - Abu Dhabi

HYBRID PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE NOVEMBER 2013

A total solar eclipse will occur this November 3, 2013. It is a hybrid eclipse of the Sun with a magnitude of 1.0159. Total eclipse will be visible from the northern Atlantic Ocean (east of Florida) to Africa (Gabon (landfall), R. Congo, DR Congo, Uganda), with maximum of 1 minute and 39 seconds visible from the Atlantic Ocean south of Ivory Coast and Ghana. This solar eclipse will happen simultaneously with 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and it will be possible to observe a partial solar eclipse in Abu Dhabi before the sunset while the F1 race take place.

This eclipse is special because it is a hybrid eclipse (also called annular/total eclipse) shifts between a total and annular eclipse. At certain points on the surface of Earth it appears as a total eclipse, whereas at other points it appears as annular. Hybrid eclipses are comparatively rare.

In Abu Dhabi, this rare solar eclipse will last for seconds to minute only. So, for the amateur astronomers and photographers grab your cameras run into cornice side and wait till sunset.  The scenery of the sunset will give a beautiful subject plus the magic of the eclipse added.

The group will be gathered near gate 1 (public beach) in cornice.

OBSCURE EVENT SET TO THRILL CITY STAR GAZERS - ABU DHABI WEEK MAGAZINE

Sun-worshippers in the capital should brace themselves for partial disappointment on Sunday 3rd November, but astronomy fans will be rejoicing as a solar eclipse is due to cast its shadow across the city.

Star-gazers can expect to see this solar spectacle from 1.21pm on Sunday with the partial eclipse ending at 3.05pm. And even though this is only a partial eclipse, Andy Palado from the Abu Dhabi Astronomy Society is still excited by the event.

“For us, every sky event is amazing. Even though one third of the sun will be covered, it will still make for spectacular viewing,” said Palado.

The solar eclipse, which is the alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth, will be an amazing spectacle, but as Palado explained, it can still be harmful to an observer’s eyes.

“Of course looking directly at the sun is going to damage your eyes. If you want to see the eclipse, we suggest using a solar glass or X-ray paper. We will be using our telescopes, which will not be focused directly on the eclipse,” said Palado.

The astronomy club will be gravitating to the Corniche beach to watch the spectacle and the society’s founder also explained that anyone planning on attending should get in touch with him.

“We will be at the beach on the 3rd November. You will see me with my telescope! Please come and say hello and feel free to ask about the society and the eclipse,” Palado added.

-http://abudhabiweek.ae/obscure-event-set-to-thrill-city-star-gazers/#sthash.3kaGg9bk.mJzbqS38.dpbs

TWO COOL ANDROID APPS FOR AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

SKY MAP

STAR CHART


SKY MAP AND STAR CHART ARE FREE APPS FOR ANDROID

You can now have a virtual planetarium in your pocket! Look through the eyes of your Android device, to see a virtual window into the whole visible universe.

All you have to do is point your Android device at the sky and the Sky Map and Star Chart will tell you exactly what you are looking at.

Using state of the art GPS technology, an accurate 3D universe, and all of the latest high tech functionality, Sky Map and Star Chart puts you in real time to the current location of every star and planet visible from Earth.

So download either of these two apps and install it to your device then point out in the sky and see what's out there!

Click the link below to download:

Sky map
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.stardroid

Star chart
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.escapistgames.starchart

PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER, THE YEAR'S MOST SPECTACULAR METEOR SHOWER

One of the year's best astronomical events will light up the sky for the next few nights.  it's really easy to observe. You don't need telescopes or cameras, just a deckchair, blankets and a cooling drinks to fight the warm night.

The Perseids meteor shower is expected to peak in the early time skies on both 12 and 13 August.

Perseids meteor shower will be seen in the constellation of Perseus (the hero).

SUPERMOON, SUPER FUN

June 23, 2013, the day of "Supermoon", everybody are talking about this. Facebooks, twitters, text massages. Abu Dhabi Astronomy organized an event for this. SMS was sent to it's members plus email was also sent. We are excited to capture this event where the moon came to it's closest distance to the earth. Our call time for the group was 6pm and many people responded to this. They came on time and excitedly waited for the appearance of the moon. Telescope and cameras are with us. We talked about astronomy topics while waiting for the moon. We are in one language, the language of the universe.

Sun was set already but the moon did not showed up yet. But we are still patiently waiting with excitement. In front of us are huge building that may be blocked us from seeing the moon in the beginning. The light from the sun was already disappear and we almost lost our excitement. My intuition told me to go in front of the place where are and checked that maybe the moon hiding behind those buildings, and I wasn't mistaken. I took my cellphone and take a shot and went back to the group and showed it to them. Everybody almost jumping to their excitement for in few moment the moon rise up from those giant buildings.

We set-up once and  WALLAH!!!! here comes the moon, yellowish in color. So big, so beautiful.

Finally we capture one of the historical event in 2013. Supermoon, super fun.

JUNE 2013 SUPER MOON

        

 

       What it is super moon? And how special is the June 23, 2013?

Full moon falls on June 23, 2013 at 11:32 universal time (15:32 Abu Dhabi time). This full moon is not only the closest and largest full moon of the year. It also presents the moon’s closest encounter (221853 miles) with Earth for all of 2013 . The moon will not be so close again until August, 2014.

Astronomers call this phenomenon as perigee full moon. This describes the moon’s closest point to Earth for a given month. Last year, we heard this term again to describe the year’s closest full moon on May 6, 2012. Now the term super moon is being used a lot. Last month May was was also a super moon but the June full moon is even more bigger. In other words, the time of full moon falls even closer to the time of perigee, the moon’s closest point to Earth.

BASIC ASTRONOMY LECTURE

The Abu Dhabi Astronomy with Emirates Astronomy Society will give a free "Basic Astronomy" Lecture
on June 18, 2013 at New York University, Khalifa St. Abu Dhabi - the lecture is in English and will
start at 7:00 pm.

PLANETARY TRIO

DATES TO REMEMBER WITH THIS AWESOME PLANETARY TRIO:

On May 23, Jupiter and Venus converge to less than 5 degrees apart, close enough for simultaneous binocular viewing.

On May 24, Mercury passes Venus less than 2 degrees from Venus in right ascension. Around this time, the three planets will begin to look like a triangle in the twilight.

On May 26, the triangle of Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will be most compact.

By May 27, the triangle is beginning to disperse, but wait … keep watching.

On May 28, Venus passes Jupiter in right ascension, at a distance of 1 degree. The two brightest worlds 1 degree apart! It’ll be an awesome sight.

A MAVEN FOR ASTRONOMY by Wilbert Cantor

taken at Corniche Beach

Last Thursday morning (April 25, 2013), I received a call from my friend, Andy Palado, the founder of Abu Dhabi Astronomy, an astronomy enthusiast; he invited me to have a sky watching at Corniche beach, Abu Dhabi, UAE. I got excited about the invitation, so I decided to set my mood on what things to expect from the scenario. After I finished my tutorial lessons with my students I went to directly to my room and hastily packed my things for my overnight experience. I swiftly went to the bus stop and spotted a ride in going to his flat. I was almost running out of time when I reached his place because Andy informed me that we need to be at Corniche Beach at exactly 8:00 pm for us not to miss things for the sky watching.

AT ABU DHABI WEEK MAGAZINE PAGE

Abu Dhabi Week Magazine

Thank you for the effort of Mr. Jack Dignum of Abu Dhabi Week magazine. Abu Dhabi Astronomy got a space in lifestyle section of one of the nations renowned magazine.

INVITATION TO MEET

The 2013 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest

From now through Earth Day, April 22, an on-line “Earth and Sky” photo contest is open for submission by any photography enthusiasts of any age from around the world. International projects The World at Night and Global Astronomy Month along with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory are the organizers of the Earth and Sky Photo Contest. The contest was founded by TWAN and Dark Skies Awareness project in 2008 as a regional program. It was expanded to an international effort in 2009 during the International Year of Astronomy. In 2012 participants from about 50 countries submitted a wonderful collection of nightscape images. The contest news was broadcasted by major science news media world-wide and the winning images were widely promoted. With the growing efforts of Astronomers Without Borders (AWB), the organization behind the Global Astronomy Month, the Earth and Sky Photo Contest will have an even larger feedback this year.

click the link below for further inquiry:
http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/news.asp?newsID=6078