Called Local NEWS Broadcaster To Have Them Make Correction!

[Fat Man]

OK, I was looking up some more information about the annular eclipse of the sun, and I came across this web site article by KTSM Channel 9 NEWS here in El Paso Texas.

http://www.ktsm.com/news/solar-eclipse- ... ment-52936

Solar eclipse weekend viewing tips
POSTED: Friday, May 18, 2012 - 17:06
UPDATED: Sunday, May 20, 2012 - 15:15

*

EL PASO-This Sunday at 6:33 pm the Borderland will have a chance to see an annular eclipse.

It happens when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, except the Moon is too close to Earth to block the Sun entirely. In Latin, annulus means "ring" and his annular eclipse will also be known as the Ring of Fire. It's the first eclipse in 2012 and it's the first time an annular has occurred in the U.S. in 18 years.

Do not look directly at the Sun during an eclipse. Specially designed Eclipse Shades have to be worn if you look directly at the sun. An alternative is to construct a pinhole shadow box made of cardboard. Even with one of these pinhole boxes, you still don't look at the sun directly, just look at the shadow cast in the box. Another option is to get a piece of paper, poke a pinhole through it and watch the eclipse cast a shadow on the ground.

The best advice is to look down and not up for any eclipse.

OK, I noticed a mistake in the above article.

It happens when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, except the Moon is too close to Earth to block the Sun entirely.

No, that should have been, the moon is TOO FAR from Earth to block the sun entirely, NOT too close.

The moon revolves in an elliptical orbit around the earth, having an average distance of 238,857 miles from the earth, with the closest distance being 225,622 miles and the furthest distance being 252,088 miles.

When the moon is at it's closest distance from the earth during a solar eclipse, then, the moon appears to be slightly larger than the sun, and then, it would completely cover the sun, the result being a total eclipse of the sun.

But, if the moon is at it's furthest distance from the earth, then it appears to be too small to completely cover the sun, in which case, there is an annular eclipse of the sun with a ring of light around the edge of the moon.

So, when I read the above article, I called KTSM Channel 9 NEWS to inform them of their error, and the lady said she would make the correction. In the meantime, I'm going to keep re-loading the web page to see if any changes have been made.

OK! OK! OK!

Just now, as I was typing this forum post, I went over to the web site, and re-loaded the web page, and the correction appears.

On Sunday May 20, around sunset, if you look to the northwest, you will have a chance to see an annular eclipse.

It happens when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, except the Moon is too far from the Earth to block the Sun entirely.

BINGO!

Now, that is much better!

What really irritates me is that there are people out there who know far less than I do about science, yet, they are making more money than I'll ever make.

Hey! Maybe I should call KTSM Channel 9 NEWS, and see if they have an opening for a job as science editor.

I knew this stuff when I was only in the second grade.

Now, if they would just boot Rush Limbaugh off the air from their KTSM 690 AM NEWS Talk Radio.

I have signed on line petitions urging advertisers to drop sponsorship of his Talk Show, or rather, his drooling moronic babble show!

Anyway . . . . .

I'm very happy that someone there listened to me, and made the necessary correction in their web page article.

They seriously need to get their facts straight!

So, today, KTSM just got schooled, by yours truly!!!

I love it!!!

* NOTE: I trans-loaded the above image of the annular eclipse to my photo-bucket page so that the image would not disappear from this topic after the article becomes out-dated.