Star Points for December, 2001; by Curtis Roelle December's Sunset Solar Eclipse First item of business is did you see the magnificent Aurora Borealis on the evening of November 5? The display of "northern lights" was so intense that it was visible all the way down to Alabama! I took a camera out and recorded the brilliant colors as seen near New Windsor. You may view them on line by visiting the Star Points web site. Scroll down to the "New Stuff" section and click on the Aurora Borealis link. Late last year this area enjoyed a partial solar eclipse on Christmas Day. Did you see it? Several images taken from New Windsor on that bitter cold and windy day are posted on the web site too. Scroll down to the "Other Stuff" heading and click on the Christmas Day eclipse link. As luck would have it a year later we are treated to another December partial eclipse. This year it shall occur on the afternoon of Friday the 14th. The event times are presented later in this article. In Westminster at maximum eclipse 16% of the surface of the Sun shall be covered by the New Moon. That is considerably less than the 42.5% coverage at the Christmas eclipse. However, the upcoming event is very unique because the Sun sets during the eclipse. As you may have heard extreme caution must be used when viewing the Sun, even when partially eclipsed. The only time it is safe to view the sun without filtration is when an eclipse is total AND you are viewing it from within the narrow path of totality where 100% of the Sun's bright photosphere is being blocked by the Moon. There is no place on Earth where a total eclipse can be viewed on December 14. A pin-hole projector is the safest method of viewing. Plans for a safe "Solar Eclipse Theater" may be found on the Star Points web page near the bottom of the main page. A plate of density #14 welding glass is also safe for naked eye solar viewing. Just hold the welding glass in front of the eyes. But do not try staring into a telescope or binoculars using this method! The concentrated heat from the magnified image of the sun could cause the glass to shatter. When the sun is low in the sky near sunset it is viewed through a thicker layer of atmosphere than when it is high in the sky. Thus the atmosphere acts as a natural attenuator by weakening the Sun's light at sunset. This dimming effect makes it easier to glance at the sun without filtration. According to Sky & Telescope magazine's December issue, "Glancing at a deeply dimmed and reddened Sun at sunset is not unsafe, but staring at it or viewing it with unfiltered optical aid should be avoided." The best place to view the sunset eclipse on December 14 is from a hill with a clear horizon to the west-southwest. This way the partially eclipsed sun with one "bite" missing can be seen as it slips beneath the horizon. According to Fred Espenak of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), 1st contact for Washington and Baltimore occurs at 4:13 p.m. EST. At that time the first tiny notch will appear at the Sun's edge. Maximum eclipse for our region happens at sunset when some 16% of the Sun will be obscured. In Westminster the sun shall set at 4:45 p.m. Good luck and safe viewing. Share your own impressions by dropping me an email at starpointsusa@yahoo.com. The Star Points web page address is http://members.fortunecity.com/starpoints/.