Can China control the weather?
Posted by lowellr | Filed under Total Solar Eclipse: Live from China
I read a press release today from Xinhua News Agency about Beijing firing over 1000 rain dispersal rockets to break up a series of rain clouds that were planing on crashing the Olympic opening ceremonies. Well if you saw the opening ceremonies, they were not only beautiful but dry. What’s interesting about this story is that we were also told in Yiwu (although after the eclipse) that several rockets were fired to clear our little view of the Eclipse. I mean that is top-notch service, although after you watch the eclipse webcast replay you might say, ” hey… as long you were firing off some cloud killing rockets about a few extras for us nervous eclipse chasers.”
Tags: weather
Return to Urumqi
Posted by lowellr | Filed under Total Solar Eclipse: Live from China
The drive back to Urumqi felt a bit faster than the trip out. It was pretty hot, probably above 40 °C most of the way. In contrast to our trip to Yiwu (the outbound trip), it actually rained a bit, creating a cooler surreal trip across the desert. It’s hard to ignore the irony that Beijing has been dying for rain to cut down on its airborne pollution, while Xinjiang was engulfed in clouds and rain, scaring eclipse chasers with every breeze. (Of course, today we know it worked out). Below is a time-compressed video of of our trip out to the Weizi Gorge (Yiwu) along China’s cloud-covered Silk Road.
Tags: time lapse, travel, weather
clouds are not your friends
Posted by lowellr | Filed under Total Solar Eclipse: Live from China
There’s been a lot of talk about the weather lately, and it’s not because we’re sitting on the front porch sipping lemonade – it’s because when you chase eclipses, clouds are not your friends. Most modern eclipse expeditions are planned at least a year in advance, and it really comes down to 3 things: location, location, location.
An eclipse’s path of totality is usually around 10,000 miles long but only 100 miles wide. Before you choose your spot, you should know that not all points on the path are equal. Why not? Well, nobody ever said that celestial mechanics had to be fair. Think of it this way. Imagine you’re at rock concert, except that the stage is moving and you’re moving and the lights are moving…
What all eclipse chasers are trying to do is be under the moon’s shadow for as long as possible (to maximize totality), but we also want to be in the front row. So at a rock concert, I could get stuck behind a speaker or a Nordic volleyball team, but at a solar eclipse, who’s going to block my way? Here’s a hint: it rhymes with crowd.
Now, I’m not saying clouds are evil; who doesn’t like white, fluffy clouds? There’s one that looks like Snoopy…oh, that one looks like a cute little bear! Unfortunately, Snoopy and that cute little bear don’t want you to see the eclipse that you traveled around the world to see. So, when planning the best place to lay out your blanket on the path of totality, you’re looking for the longest viewing time but you’re also wondering where’s your best chance for clear skies.
That why when it rained at dinner the other night we were pretty quiet. Snoopy, why do you torment us?
Tags: prediction, skies, weather
