Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Yet Another Solar Eclipse Flop...

Yesterday, some cosmic joker scheduled a solar eclipse and rain for the same day here in Japan. So instead of seeing the first eclipse visible in this area in 46 years, we saw lots of gloomy clouds and people with umbrellas, which are visible here approximately every 46 minutes. It rains a lot in Japan, in case you don't know. And this has been the story of my life. I remember another washed-out eclipse years ago, when I was in elementary school.

It's probably just as well. A few people in scattered areas enjoyed this rare astronomical treat, but a science magazine and other well-meaning groups distributed 50,000 solar eclipse viewers-- including some with clear lenses. Prior to the eclipse, the Japan Science and Technology Agency issued warnings not to use the defective viewers or risk blindness.

They should have distributed umbrellas!

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