First came the darkening skies, then the crescent-shaped shadows on the ground, and finally an eruption of cheers by crowds that gathered Saturday along the narrow path of a rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun.

It was a spectacular show for millions of people across the Americas as the moon moved into place and blocked out all but a brilliant circle of the sun’s outer edge.

Hundreds of people filed into the planetarium in the Caribbean resort city of Cancún to watch the eclipse. Some peered through box projectors, while others looked through telescopes and special glasses.

Excited children whistled, as some adults raised their arms toward the sky as if to welcome the eclipse.

  • over_clox@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Strangely, none of the telescopes in their video clip were pointing in the same direction. Did they forget where the solar eclipse is/was? 🤔

    • randon31415@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Probably did a star party the night before, and were all looking at different stuff. Without a filter, looking at even an annular eclipse through a telescope is a recipe for blindness.

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        They make lens caps ya know. They also make pinhole occluders, which is how I got my photo of it today without a magnifying lens, telescope, or special glasses.

        Just a piece of plastic with a tiny hole in it, placed in front of a piece of paper. Basically a crude homemade camera obscura, while I used my phone to photo the paper it projected on.

        Now don’t get me wrong, their photos are way better than mine, but still if I had such an advanced telescope, I’d try dialing in the angle in advance and just pop the lens protector back over it until the right time.

  • skeezix@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I ate a double Mexican feast last night with the habanero chicken burro with Diablo sauce and refried picante chilli beans.

    I didn’t see the eclipse but let’s just say I experienced my own “ring of fire.”

    • Blastasaurus@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Yeh totally. It’s pretty cool. You can feel the temperature dip significantly in the middle of the day and all the birds freak out.

      In person you can also find electronic music festivals and hippies on acid.