eclipse

Full eclipse only in America. Haven’t they been in the dark since they elected The Trumper?

Rednecks out in the streets in the Bible Belt, screaming that The Rapture is here!

The orbit of the moon comes between the path of the Earth’s orbit and the Sun. The distance from Earth to Sun is 92,960,000 miles and the distance from Earth to moon is ‘only’ 238.900 miles. Therefore the Sun, which is massively larger than the Moon, can be eclipsed by the Moon, being very much farther away from the Earth.

Or maybe it’s the Man in the Moon taking the p***. I could never make up my mind. But it’s definitely not The Rapture, I don’t care what Donald Trump’s followers say.

There you go, Steve, pick one! ???

Now I have a headache, Ed!

Flat Earthers can never explain why, if it is flat and also rotating, centripetal and centrifugal force means that different areas of the Earth should be rotating at different speeds. And anything not heavily nailed-down at the Poles, would fly off, followed eventually by everything else. Then point out that there is a horizon, and why there is a horizon. Those objections make them search for more nonsensical explanations, but then you can get technical and geological on their asses, and watch their brains implode.

And yes, I met one once. Surprisingly, he was German, of the WWII generation, and extremely pedantic. As I totally destroyed his argument in front of other Germans, he ended by saying that my German was poor, to which another German retorted that it was better than HIS English.

Idiocy is international. A pleasing thought..

I saw the August 1999 one in west Wales, on our wedding anniversary holiday. I can see what effect it might have upon people centuries ago, but nowadays even the poorest Third World countries can access some form of knowledge about the cause. US Rednecks and Creationists are a different story though…

I have dug out the German chart of Historic Solar Eclipses and found a few. The 2005 “partial” was a nothing here and for some reason I cannot even remember seeing the 2006 partial. 2008 there was a total but it must have been a bust, I don’t recall seeing it. Same for the 2011 partial.

There will be 2 partials for the UK in 2 consecutive years: August 12 2026 and August 2 2027. Next Total for England will be October 7, 2035. If I am still on my perch, I will probably be raving at the government for not building enough nuclear power stations and causing blackouts!??

Not bothered about seeing another, TBH. But I knew you knew, just extracting the urine.?

I just found a chart online, details no different to the one I have: https://tinyurl.com/yc482qp2    – Enjoy! ?

Eclipses still generate some weird reactions and beliefs in the Middle East/Sub-Contintent lapsed sun/Moon worshipers (most of the religions in the area have a sun and or moon element in them, even Islam). I recollect having to cancel a whole slew of meetings during the 1999 Asian eclipse as either people would not travel or they suddenly pleaded sickness. It took a Hindu to educate me that many in the area still believe that ‘bad things’ happen during a time of total eclipse and that I was wasting my time trying to organise meetings. His particular belief was the eclipse enabled one or more of the zillion demons in the area to escape , and all this from an otherwise well-educated and urbane individual. Humanity still has the ability to astound.

Religion does not touch me, confirmed non-believer. Just yesterday we had a bunch of Freakies around this Senior Ghetto, knocking on doors and asking if we had let God into our lives. I chased them off, after telling them that we had a beautiful Christian church about 200 yards away and if He wasn’t working today, he would be there on Sunday. Then told them this is Sheltered Housing (it’s not, not anymore) and they cannot knock on our doors, but can push leaflets through for us to recycle.

Exit one bunch of religious Freakies, stage left.

I like cathedrals, but when I enter one I always think of all the peasants who built it and died early.

The Duke wrote:

They died happy doing God’s work.

… but the pay and conditions were terrible. Wonder if God accepts a TUC presence in Heaven? ??

Angels in a Union. Just throwing it out there, might ask the Archbishop of Cant. Can’t ask a local Vicar, she moved down to a richer Southern Parish, all we have is a churchwarden. Ladies & gentlemen, God has left the building. ??