Solar eclipse 2012: Viewers dazzled around the world [watch live video]
The "ring of fire" solar eclipse dazzled viewers around the world, offering breathtaking views from Asia to North America. And the National Park Service planned to broadcast the eclipse live over New Mexico, viewable above between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
In Japan, Anthony Weiss, a native of Florida, battled passing clouds in his Tokyo neighborhood and feared he wouldn't be able to see the "ring" eclipse, when the moon blocks all but the sun's outer edge.
But then the clouds lightened up just enough for him to see the spectacle, which he photographed with his eight-year-old Canon PowerShot SD300.
"I could very clearly see the ring," Weiss told The Times.
But the news was not so good on top of Mount Fuji, where Panasonic, trying to showcase its solar technology, had hired a team of climbers to broadcast the "annular" eclipse from Japan's tallest peak. The crew members faced a windy snowstorm and battled to just keep their footing.
And in Hong Kong, a storm ruined the view. "Cloudy in Hong Kong, no luck for the solar #eclipse, so sad," tweeted @hanggyho.
From a vantage point in Southern California, the moon will block about 85% of the sun, leaving behind a skinny C-shaped sliver.
With NASA's eclipse website beginning to crash under the weight of eclipse frenzy, flat maps of the eclipse path by Jay Anderson, who runs the website Eclipser, are listed below. NASA has linked to Anderson's maps, and Anderson's website credits the eclipse tracks to NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak. Click on the images below or the following links to see a bigger map.
Those in the U.S. will want a view of the west and northwest. And avoid clouds.
| Location | Start Partial Eclipse | Start Annular Eclipse | Max Eclipse | End Annular Eclipse | End Partial Eclipse | % of sun diameter covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong (AM) | 5:08 | 6:06 | 6:08 | 6:10 | 7:16 | 94% |
| Taipei (AM) | 5:07 | 6:10 | 6:10 | 6:11 | 7:23 | 94% |
| Tokyo (AM) | 6:19 | 7:32 | 7:34 | 7:37 | 9:02 | 97% |
| Crescent City, CA (PM) | 5:07 | 6:23 | 6:26 | 6:28 | 7:35 | 97% |
| Albuquerque, N.M. | 6:29 | 7:33 | 7:35 | 7:38 | 8:36 | 97% |
| Redding, CA | 5:11 | 6:26 | 6:28 | 6:30 | 7:36 | 96% |
| Zion National Park | 6:23 | 7:31 | 7:34 | 7:36 | 8:37 | 96% |
| Lubbock, Texas | 7:31 | 8:33 | 8:36 | 8:38 | 9:34 | 96% |
| Lake Tahoe | 5:15 | 6:29 | 6:31 | 6:32 | 7:37 | 95% |
| Chico | 5:13 | 6:28 | 6:30 | 6:31 | 7:37 | 95% |
| Eureka | 5:09 | 6:25 | 6:27 | 6:29 | 7:36 | 95% |
| Grand Canyon | 5:25 | 6:33 | 6:35 | 6:37 | 7:38 | 94% |
| Yosemite Village | 5:18 | 6:33 | 7:39 | 92% | ||
| Sacramento | 5:15 | 6:31 | 7:38 | 92% | ||
| Las Vegas | 5:23 | 6:35 | 7:39 | 92% | ||
| San Francisco | 5:15 | 6:32 | 7:39 | 90% | ||
| Monterey | 5:18 | 6:34 | 7:41 | 88% | ||
| Palm Springs | 5:26 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 86% | ||
| Lancaster | 5:24 | 6:37 | 7:42 | 86% | ||
| Downtown L.A. | 5:24 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Malibu | 5:24 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Griffith Observatory | 5:24 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Burbank | 5:24 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Woodland Hills | 5:24 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Chatsworth | 5:24 | 6:37 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Santa Monica | 5:24 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Alhambra | 5:24 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Arcadia | 5:24 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Rowland Heights | 5:25 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Ontario | 5:25 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Anaheim | 5:25 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Oxnard | 5:25 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 85% | ||
| Long Beach | 5:25 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 84% | ||
| Redondo Beach | 5:25 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 84% | ||
| Palos Verdes | 5:25 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 84% | ||
| Huntington Beach | 5:25 | 6:38 | 7:42 | 84% | ||
| San Diego | 5:27 | 6:39 | 7:43 | 83% |
Sunday’s “ring” eclipse is the first of its kind to be visible from the continental United States since 1994.
ALSO:
Solar eclipse 2012: Fever is spreading to view historic event
Children, young adults suffer most from solar eclipse blindness
Solar eclipse: Next best chance for L.A. won't be until 2071
-- Rong-Gong Lin II
Photo: The ring eclipse in Tokyo. Credit: Anthony Weiss
EDITOR'S PICKS:
