Today the Sun reaches its southernmost point [
http://www-spof.gsf…] in planet Earth's sky at 13:37 UT [
http://aa.usno.navy…]. This celestial event is known as a solstice, marking the beginning of Summer [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] in the Southern Hemisphere and Winter in the North. But this year, the solstice will be followed, on December 25th, by another geocentric celestial event [
http://aa.usno.navy…] -- the last eclipse of the millennium [
http://www.usno.nav…]! The Christmas day eclipse [
http://sunearth.gsf…PSE2000Dec25.html ] will only be a partial one as the silhouetted disk of the Moon obscures the Sun's edge. Visible [
http://sunearth.gsf…SE2000Dec25P.gif ] from much of Canada [
http://sunearth.gsf…PSE2000Dec25city2/PS E2000Dec25city2.html ], The United States [
http://sunearth.gsf…PSE2000Dec25city1/PS E2000Dec25city1.html ] and Mexico [
http://sunearth.gsf…PSE2000Dec25city3/PS E2000Dec25city3.html ], the appearance of the partially eclipsed Sun might remind you of the last holiday cookie [
http://www.cs.cmu.e…] you took a bite from. Still, the exact timing and degree of the eclipse will depend very much on your location. This image, from an annular eclipse [
http://www.astrosur…] in 1994, shows the lunar disk covering around 55% of the Sun's diameter. It is representative of what could be seen from Washington D. C. during the December 25 eclipse maximum which, for that location, occurs at 12:41 PM ET. As always, if you view the eclipse be extremely careful [
http://www.mreclips…TotalityCh11.html#In tro ] to protect your eyes.
Explanation
Today the Sun reaches its southernmost point [
http://www-spof.gsf…] in planet Earth's sky at 13:37 UT [
http://aa.usno.navy…]. This celestial event is known as a solstice, marking the beginning of Summer [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] in the Southern Hemisphere and Winter in the North. But this year, the solstice will be followed, on December 25th, by another geocentric celestial event [
http://aa.usno.navy…] -- the last eclipse of the millennium [
http://www.usno.nav…]! The Christmas day eclipse [
http://sunearth.gsf…PSE2000Dec25.html ] will only be a partial one as the silhouetted disk of the Moon obscures the Sun's edge. Visible [
http://sunearth.gsf…SE2000Dec25P.gif ] from much of Canada [
http://sunearth.gsf…PSE2000Dec25city2/PS E2000Dec25city2.html ], The United States [
http://sunearth.gsf…PSE2000Dec25city1/PS E2000Dec25city1.html ] and Mexico [
http://sunearth.gsf…PSE2000Dec25city3/PS E2000Dec25city3.html ], the appearance of the partially eclipsed Sun might remind you of the last holiday cookie [
http://www.cs.cmu.e…] you took a bite from. Still, the exact timing and degree of the eclipse will depend very much on your location. This image, from an annular eclipse [
http://www.astrosur…] in 1994, shows the lunar disk covering around 55% of the Sun's diameter. It is representative of what could be seen from Washington D. C. during the December 25 eclipse maximum which, for that location, occurs at 12:41 PM ET. As always, if you view the eclipse be extremely careful [
http://www.mreclips…TotalityCh11.html#In tro ] to protect your eyes.
Explanation
