[Dschur]

For all you that want to plan an interesting trip.. there will be an annular solar eclipse in 2012 coming thru Arizona.. Will be up mostly in the four corners area.. Including Canyon De Chelley and Horseshoe Bend (along the center line) even up to Monument Valley I think from the map... The Annular eclipse will be at sunset should make for cool pictures....
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2012May20Agoogle.html

[Rob del Desierto]

I hope to be at Horseshoe Bend for this!

[Jim_H]

Did someone say 4 corners area? This should be pretty neat in May. Right at sunset is easier to see, too. I wonder how the ancients would have interpreted it, and if they would have predicted it?

[azbackpackr]

I didn't notice this thread when it was posted. I was just talking to a friend about it. Looks like I can go fairly close north of Springerville to see it, or maybe I'll go all the way to Page. I will have to see what that day brings. And it's only a little over a month away, so it's a good time to start planning.

[Rob del Desierto]

Totality will pass right through the center of Horseshoe Bend - should be pretty spectacular.

[azbackpackr]

Rob I may drive up there, will be looking for free place to camp or couch surf. Please PM me with cell # since I have lost it. Will get back to you about it later.

[gummo]

I hope this'll be better than the lunar eclipse of 2010. When I was up waiting for it to happen, the moon, all of a sudden, disappeared on me.

[azbackpackr]

I hope this'll be better than the lunar eclipse of 2010. When I was up waiting for it to happen, the moon, all of a sudden, disappeared on me.

Haha!

[Dschur]

I wouldn't want to be anywhere near Horseshoe Bend can you figure out how many people will be at that overlook... We are checking around still my husband has a portable solar scope that he is going to be using... Just have to find a spot not too crowded... anywhere with a view all the way to the horizon will be good..

[azbackpackr]

Yeah, I agree. That road is not going to hold all that traffic. I just now called to try to get a reservation at Marble Canyon Lodge, and it's booked up. (It's never booked up this far in advance, so the eclipse has to be the reason.) I am not sure where I want to go to try to see it. Maybe somewhere out on the rez. I'm going to look at the map again. It is not going to be super safe afterwards because all the roads around there are substandard or narrow, and the eclipse basically ends at sunset. With as much traffic as there is going to be, I don't really want to be driving 89 that day.

It has occurred to me that the top of the Spencer Trail would be the perfect place to see it, but then I don't want to walk down in the dark (and walking up, it's going to be pretty HOT, so you'd have to be well prepared, lots of water.) Spending the night up there would be fun indeed. Lots of room up there to camp. No permit required as far as I know.

I just don't know what I am going to do, I had a tentative plan but now I don't have the motel part of it taken care of. You can forget the campground at the Ferry. That is going to be full for sure. I have a family member who may join me who isn't going to want to backpack up the Spencer Trail.

[Rob del Desierto]

I wonder what arches would align with the eclipse...

[azbackpackr]

In researching this on the internet I am becoming pretty annoyed. It is going to be a total zoo up there around Horseshoe Bend Also, no one seems to know what time it is going to occur, because most of the people on the internet do not know that while most of Arizona is not on DST, the Navajo Rez IS on DST, but the path of the eclipse in AZ is mostly on the Rez. Revise: I did read on the NASA website how to convert from UT to regular time. It is going to take me awhile to figure it out. I am not good with that sort of thing.

Canyon de Chelly looks like it is going to be a total zoo, also. The problem is trying to get somewhere after it is over with, since it is all on the Rez, you are not supposed to camp just anywhere.

Ugh. Hope to find a quiet place to just hang out. Hike the Spencer Trail, maybe, with a couple gallons of water.

I'm the sort of person who wouldn't be caught dead going to the State Fair, Renaissance Festival, Gem Show, Rose Parade, or any other of a host of attractions which cause parking, driving and crowd grief. But this is a fantastic natural phenomenon, not some stupid human event with too many booths. So, I don't want to miss out.

[Jim_H]

Using the NASA Map, and the line to the west of AZ giving a UTC time of 0130, it can be interpreted that the Page area is maybe 5 minutes ahead of that. In Page it will be 7 hours behind, and on the Reservation it will be 6 hours behind. So it will be 0630 (1830) in Page, and 0730 (1930) on the Reservation. Plus, perhaps 5 minutes.

You guys do realize that if you go to see the "eclipse", you will be going to stare at the sun with no visible eclipse, and the sun will overwhelm your ability to observe anything unless you have a telescope with a device to filter the light. http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEplot/SEplot2001/SE2012May20A.GIF That link from the NASA page has a nice map which indicates that well west of Page, the P4 line is where the moon basically starts to block some of the sun's surface. In other words, that is where the two object begin to contact. Page is outside of that area, and even within it, the slow progression would mean that you will need to be out to sea to observe anything. You will be driving for nothing and will see nothing out of the ordinary, except for the moon and sun in close proximity. Page sure would like the business, though. Just have someone who can drive and will not go blind from looking at the sun. Sorry guys, this just isn't anything to get worked up over.

[johnlp]

Not sure I agree Jim, but it is hard to read your link. This one is easier to figure out. Loks like you should be able to see it without leaving home. http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigur ... -Fig02.pdf

[Jim_H]

I emailed a NASA scientist, and he sent me back this simple equation to help me better understand the eclipse. I hope this clarifies for everyone.



The below link is the only useful link I have found, in a vast sea of garbage for nerds, one of them produced a useful link that anyone can interpret clearly, and without a degree in advanced physics.
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/xSE_GoogleMapFull.php?Ecl=+20120520&Acc=2&Umb=1&Lmt=1&Mag=1&Max=1&dT=66.8

I was wrong in my interpretation of the P4 line. To me, the P4 line and what it is supposed to be seems like where the 2 circles of the moon and sun should meet, and then as you move west, more and more of the sun should be covered by moon. This is not the case.

[big_load]

@Jim_H: I don't do Laplacians any more.

[Jim_H]

Here is my incorrect interpretation of the internal/external penumbra, or P4 on the lousy NASA product. If you have 2 circles, one slightly small than the other with the larger being the sun and the smaller the moon in the sky, I thought P4 was where the moon would just touch the sun on the outside, and then begin to move gradually over the sun more and more until the maximum point was where the sun would be almost entirely covered by the moon, and then gradually more and more of the sun is revealed until the moon eventually last touches the sun in the sky. That was ay off. It turns out that P4 is sort of the where what I thought the maximum occurs.

[Dschur]

Here is a good map of how long totallity will last on eclipse day and all the places you can see it http://www.eclipse-maps.com/Eclipse-Maps/Gallery/Pages/Annular_solar_eclipse_of_2012_May_20_files/ASE2012_detailmap_UtahArizona_1.jpg... Everything inside the line will see the total annual eclipse for anything from 30 secs to almost 5 minutes along the center line. And even if you are outside the outside lines you will still get to see a partial eclipse for quite a ways... from the Glen Canyon NP website..

Many parks in the west will be great viewing locations for this rare eclipse of the sun. Glen Canyon will have one of the best views to see the moon blacken most of the sun while leaving only a slight ring around the outside. This rare event will only last 3-4 minutes in most locations before the sun sets below the horizon. Make sure you are in a location with an unobstructed view of the western horizon and you use Solar Safety Glasses to view the eclipse.

Below are the MST times to best view the eclipse from a variety of hilltop locations within Glen Canyon and the adjacent town of Page, Arizona on May 20.

5:26pm Start of partial eclipse
6:32pm Start of annular eclipse
6:35pm Maximum annular eclipse before sun drops below the horizon
7:31pm Sun sets before the eclipse is complete

[azbackpackr]

Thanks for the info! By the way, all hotels in the area are booked up.

[Trishness]

I won't be in Page until the 23rd so it looks like I'll miss the eclipse AND the crowds.

Trish