Solar Eclipse 2002

On December 4, a shadow passed over the South Australian town of Ceduna and the sun disappeared for 32 seconds. It was the first time Australia had experienced a total solar eclipse since 1976.

From Tasmania, we did not see the spectacle of totality as Tasmania is quite a long way from the path, but it still was a once in a lifetime experience. Although partial solar eclipses occur every few years from any given location, total solar eclipses are quite rare due to the narrow path from which they can be viewed.

The most recent total solar eclipse visible from Tasmania occurred on May 9, 1910 and the next will not be until June 25, 2131, when totality will be viewed from the far north-west corner of the state.

The Director of the Launceston Planetarium, Martin George, has provided some general information about the phenomena (click here to read the full story).

Activities:

Many years ago the Chinese thought a dragon was swallowing the sun when eclipses occurred. In order to scare the dragon they would make as much noise as they could. Pretend you were living in China many, many years ago. Who were you - an emperor, a peasant, a soldier? Describe your life. Where were you when the eclipse occurred? How did you feel when the eclipse occurred? Were you frightened? What do you think it was? Did you hide? Were you observing or taking notes?

Pretend you are living in the 12th century and astronomers had not defined a solar eclipse. Complete the story starter below: It was the flutter of a bird's wing that caught my attention. Very soon clusters of birds appeared to be flying away for the night, yet it wasn't night. As I watched the people below from my window, I ...

Who invented the first telescope? Provide a list of interesting points on their background. Why was the invention of the telescope a breakthrough for astronomy and the world?

Create your own front page as a record of the December 4 solar eclipse in Ceduna, South Australia. Design a headline. Make a list of important points and write a news story for the front page. Remember, as the main story on the front page, it needs to catch the reader's attention. Here is a checklist for your story:

An eye-catching headline contains up to five words
The first sentence sums up the story
The story contains relevant facts and information
Check sentence structure, spelling and grammar
Read any articles on eclipses so that you can use the information/quotes in your story.

Eclipse watchers record the moment experts call totality – a 32-second period when the sun was completely covered by the moon.

Find some information about the Stonehenge. Some people believe that the Stonehenge is an ancient observatory. Make a choice on what you believe.

Make a list of reasons why technology is crucial to astronomy.

You are a cartoonist who is drawing a story about an eclipse. Select a favourite animal and tell the story through their experience.

Create your own front page as a record of the December 4 solar eclipse in Ceduna, South Australia. Design a headline. Make a list of important points and write a news story for the front page. Remember, as the main story on the front page, it needs to catch the reader's attention. Here is a checklist for your story:

An eye-catching headline contains up to five words
The first sentence sums up the story
The story contains relevant facts and information
Check sentence structure, spelling and grammar
Read any articles on eclipses so that you can use the information/quotes in your story.