Services for observing eclipses and astronomy events

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

timeanddate.com plans to extend its current astronomy section with new tools that provide information that is currently hard to find or compile through other sources. For our coverage of total or solar eclipses, we add a new dimension where these can be looked up by state or country, with crucial information such as the type of eclipse with a map, when it starts and end, and the cities within the state/country where it can be seen. Improving our eclipse maps to clarify where the weather is expected to be clear, how deep an eclipse is, zooming down to street level, and seeing the shadow of totality move fast over the map. An eclipse is more than the start, maximum, and end phases. There are many things the man in the street can observe, some by watching the sun/moon directly or through eclipse glasses, others by looking around at the terrain and the sky. Especially for total solar eclipses, there are many events you can experience, and we hope it will make the experience of an eclipse so much more than just waiting for totality to happen. For the unique experience of a total solar eclipse, you have to wait a long time unless you are traveling. We want to make a tool showing exactly how long you need to stay at any location - and which places are more fortunate than others. Other events in the sky than eclipses are also covered; we want to make an astronomy calendar tool that tells about events to look for when to look for them, where to look for, and what to expect so that people can plan.