Hi all, thought you might be interested in this.
The last full lunar eclipse to occur until 2014 is on THIS SATURDAY, the 10th of December.
The eclipse will not be fully visible to much of the world, but lucky Yunnan residents get to see the whole thing! (Check out shadowandsubstance.com/20111210ecl/USA12102011a.png for a world map).
Having seen a similar event earlier this year in India, I can recommend making the effort to get out and see it.
The local timings for viewing the event in Kunming, courtesy of NASA at eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JLEX/JLEX-AS.html, are as follows.
The initial penumbral (partial / 'shadow cast by the edge of the earth's atmosphere') eclipse begins at 19:34.
The partial umbral (actual hard shadow from the earth) eclipse begins at 20:46.
The total eclipse begins at 22:06. As this begins, be on the look out for special colours on the moon. Once it sets in, the moon will apparently be coloured with a reddish or orange hue of unknown nature, due to unpredictable atmospheric conditions at the time. Mid-eclipse will occur almost half an hour later at 22:32. The total eclipse will end at 22:57. The partial eclipse will end at 00:18 and the penumbral eclipse will end at 01:30AM on Sunday, December 11.
It might be worth getting a little out of town to see this. I'm thinking of going to see from the cemetery parking lot on Yu'an Shan, accessible by a small road leading off the main one up to Bamboo Temple. To get there, head directly west from Xuefu Lu / Huangtupo.
If someone has a car I'd appreciate a lift!
Enjoy,
Walter
Fishing 'season' ends on slowly reviving Dianchi Lake
Posted byLooks like it's taxi distance from 大学城南站.
Fishing 'season' ends on slowly reviving Dianchi Lake
Posted byErp more correct 'Junk Rig' or 'Chinese lugsail': en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_rig
Fishing 'season' ends on slowly reviving Dianchi Lake
Posted byWow, I thought this was a picture of the fake boats in northern Dianchi (shallow part, between Xishan and Daguanlou Gongyuan) but in fact apparently someone manufactured a bunch of these little square-riggers for the south of the lake (晋宁县沙堤村码头), and they are actually in use! I would be super keen to go check them out. Probably it's a good season, since fishing is over, it's still warm before the winter, the boats are idle, so we should be able to have a sail. I've never sailed a square-rigger, they are apparently very difficult to turn. See Wikipedia for background: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_rig
Anyone interested in a trip this weekend? tigertiger?
Divine Prototypes: The natural terraces of Baishuitai
Posted byYes I also had doubts about that. (For example there were extensive such formations in New Zealand in the past, though many were destroyed by volcanic activity.) Otherwise, great article as always Jim! The forest above Baishuitai is amazing, if you have the time spend a day climbing in mushroom season: you won't regret it.
Intrepid pilots recreating World War II 'Hump' air route
Posted byRight. The shorter/'real'/'high' hump route from which the name derives was to upper Assam / Dinjan over the Kachin lands. Mandalay seems close to flying the second half of the longer/'low' hump route from Calcutta. Sad they couldn't make this happen. Maybe the China connection was a bit bureaucratically touchy in India, where communist era China marched an army!