… Hey, Humboldt! Hate inky fingers? Flip through the NCJ Digital Edition …
summer fun
Summer of Fun 2012
Ahh, the sounds of the season …
“Maaaaa! Make me a sandwich!”
Or who can forget …
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To Be Queen
Elsewhere in this week’s Journal, voters can delve into the thoughtful nuances of our …
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Summer Music Festival Guide 2012
Summer’s just around the corner, which makes it time for another round of music …
Ring of Fire
Sun and moon will perform a rare pas de deux in Humboldt skies on Sunday
Everything you need to know about solar eclipses can be summed up in one number: 400. During an eclipse of the sun, when the moon comes between our star and the Earth, it’s a near-perfect fit: they look just about the same size. That’s because, while the diameter of the sun is some 400 times greater than that of the moon, the sun is about 400 times farther away. Pure fluke. When the moon is close to us in its elliptical orbit, the lunar disk appears slightly larger than that of the sun, so when they’re in line, we experience a total eclipse of the sun. This Sunday, however, the moon is nearly at “apogee” — when it’s farthest from us — so its disk is smaller than that of the sun, giving us an annular, or ring, eclipse.
In any given spot, an annular eclipse — with a full ring of light visible around the moon — is a rare thing, about as common as a total eclipse of the sun. Humboldt won’t see another for decades. From 2001 on through 2020, just 15 annular eclipses will be visible from anywhere on the planet, along with 13 total eclipses and a couple of hybrids (total or annular, depending on your location).
Visually, an annular eclipse is a starkly different experience from totality, when no sunlight gets past the moon, giving the weird impression of a black hole in the sky. At that time, naked eye viewing is fantastic, letting us see the corona of hot gases which surround the sun and, sometimes, pink solar flares or prominences. This Sunday, sorry: no flares, no corona. Just a ring of bright sun that’s dangerous to look at directly without special eye protection. It’ll feel more like a bright overcast than heavy twilight.
If You Tweet in a Forest
My thoughts don’t go much deeper than the length of this column. Once I think an idea through I’m on to my next thought. But two letters that my March …
Going Viral
What makes something “go viral” and bounce exponentially around the Net garnering countless tweet pointers, Facebook shares and millions of hits? It’s hard to say. One thing’s for certain, that …
(K)SlugFest
Will foolishly steps into KSLG bullshit exposer John Matthews’ torture chamber.
publisher
My Bully Pulpit
From the time the Journal was founded in 1990 up until a few election cycles …
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Unfair to Lovelace
Editor:
I believe I am qualified to set the record straight regarding an accusation made …
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Dem Dilemma
Editor:
Thanks for Ryan Burns’ reporting on the “The Dem Schism Gets Real,” (Blog Jammin …
Brew at the Zoo (Saturday)
events, music / 6-10 p.m. Sequoia Park Zoo, 3414 W St., Eureka. Beer, pub-style grub and music by Ishi Dube ... at the zoo! Proceeds benefit Sequoia Park Zoo.. www.sequoiaparkzoo.net. 442-5649.
Today
Boss Levelz
music / 9 p.m. Cher-Ae-Heights Casino, 27 Scenic Dr., Trinidad. Take your ears to new heights with DJ Masta Shredda and DJ Itchie Fingaz. 677-3611.
Karaoke
music / 8 p.m. Bear River Casino, 11 Bear Paws Way, Loleta. 733-9644.
Local Filmmakers Night
events, movies, lecture, etc. / 6:30-9 p.m. Access Humboldt Community Media Center, Eureka High School, Eureka. Featuring chroniclers of Kinetic madness the Kinetic Street Team: Steve Spain and Joe and Winston Lowe. Sponsored by Access Humboldt and filmHUMBOLDT. $5. www.accesshumboldt.net. 476-1798.
For Better
theater / 8 p.m. Redwood Curtain Theatre, 220 First St., Eureka. Romantic comedy for the digital age pokes fun at our overdependence on the gadgets in our lives. $10/$15 Fri. and Sat. 443-7688.
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