Fed2 Star - the newsletter for the space trading game Federation 2

The weekly newsletter for Fed2
by ibgames

EARTHDATE: August 6, 2017

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REAL LIFE NEWS: COUNTDOWN TO THE AUGUST TOTAL ECLIPSE

by Hazed

In case you haven’t heard, there’s going to be a total eclipse of the sun on August 21, and it will be visible from many parts of the US. Here’s a rundown of some of things you need to know.

The path of the eclipse forms a band that stretches across the country, from Oregon on the west coast to South Carolina in the east. This article has a map which shows the route: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3163/1

Just knowing the route isn’t enough, though. You need to pick a spot where the sky will be cloud-free. In the UK we had a total eclipse a few years ago but in London it was grey and cloudy so we didn’t see a damn thing! This article discusses the best place for eclipse watching: http://gizmodo.com/the-best-place-to-view-the-total-solar-eclipse-this-sum-1796448439

Of course if you haven’t made your plans already you will probably find that all hotels and guest houses along the path of the eclipse are completely booked up. Better take a tent.

Scientists have been making their plans, and they have a number of experiments ready to run during the eclipse. You can read about them here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/29/great_american_eclipse/

Finally, wherever you plan to view the eclipse from, remember the rules: don’t look directly at the sun even when the moon is in front of it, because you’ll fry your retinas. You can buy special glasses that filter out the harmful rays, but beware: there are reports of fake solar glasses being imported into the US with falsified ISO safety stickers. These won’t offer you the protection you need and if you look at the sun while wearing them, you risk being blinded. To check whether your glasses are the real thing, put them on and look at the lights in your house – if the light bulb is visible, the filters are too weak and you risk damaging your eyes. More info about these substandard glasses here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/08/02/avoid_dodgy_solar_eclipse_glasses/

If you are not able to see the eclipse in person, I am sure you’ll be able to find a TV channel showing it as it happens.

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