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Worldwide Picks: - USA - Aus/NZ - Canada - France - Germany - Spain - Italy - Norway - Sweden - Denmark - Brazil - Asia
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Worldwide Picks: - USA - Aus/NZ - Canada - France - Germany - Spain - Italy - Norway - Sweden - Denmark - Brazil - Asia
We've had fun discovering those sites that make Yahoo! UK & Ireland one of the best places to find UK or Irish sites on the Internet, and we enjoy sharing a few of them with you. Feel free to send us a note about any sites you think we should consider for a future issue or any general thoughts and comments about Picks of the Week. Click here if you only want to view the list of sites.
On 11th August 1999 between approximately 11.10am and 11.20am, something very exciting will be visible in the skies above Great Britain. No, it's not the new British Airways livery, but a full solar eclipse, possibly the only full solar eclipse that we'll be able to witness in our lifetime. The skies will go dark, the stars will be visible and the moon will pass directly in front of the sun for just a few minutes. This rather mystical experience has been receiving huge amounts of coverage in the news, and this week, the Picks Team have been trawling through the World Wide Web to bring you a few related sites about this incredible phenomenon.
Kicking things off with Eclipse 1999 from BBC News - a company that can always be relied upon for its in-depth coverage of major events. The site is fairly straightforward and easy to navigate, offering news and information on the event as well as some scientific background and the latest weather forecasts. Most interestingly is a chance to watch the full solar eclipse that happened in Venezuela last year, and you can see what a treat we have in store for us providing the weather holds up.
When it comes to safety, much has been made about the fact that viewing the eclipse directly can seriously damage your eyesight. The BBC has its "safety in sight" section which offers all manner of information on what steps to take if you don't want to burn your retinas, but more practically, How to Make a Pinhole Projector is a single page that lets you know how to do just that. All it takes is a cardboard box, some tin-foil and a razor-blade (careful, kids), and unlike Blue Peter, you don't even need an empty washing up bottle or any sticky-back plastic.
The Guardian, has got in on the act too with its NewsUnlimited Eclipse 99 section. Though it has a rather familiar layout - it looks more like a straightforward news page - there's plenty of stuff here to keep the eclipse enthusiast happy. As well as all the latest news and links to other sites, there's some funky animations showing you the path of the eclipse, and an archive of the Manchester Guardian's coverage of the 1927 full solar eclipse... no doubt our great grandfathers remember it well.
Now onto one of the dedicated eclipse sites: We already featured the Cornwall Eclipse 99 site in a picks earlier this year, but it's worthy of another mention, seeing as it has a bit more of a commercial bias, with information on booking holidays, hotels, and property in the Cornwall area. There's even merchandise: "My Sister Went To See The Eclipse And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt..."
For those of a slightly more scientific persuasion, hoping to delve deeper into the mysteries of this solar spectacular, The Great Eclipse from New Scientist Magazine is well worth a look. More than just being something cool to look at, and a chance to cash-in on all that eclipse-related merchandise, the solar eclipse holds a great deal of value for scientists and astronomers alike, as it gives them the opportunity to solve the great mysteries of the sun's atmosphere. It's all to do with the corona (not the beer), the fiery radiance encircling the sun, and scientists have never had such a good opportunity to study it until now. The New Scientist site provides plenty of information about this, and delves way deeper than most other eclipse sites out there about the scientific consequences of this stella phenomena.
Finishing off this week with something starting Friday 6th and lasting all the way through until the eclipse itself on Wednesday 11th, the Megadog Total Eclipse Festival in Plymouth, Devon promises 5 days of full-on music and eight days of camping, as well as a wonderful viewing location for that little occurence in the skies on Wednesday. Acts confirmed include Orbital, Asian Dub Foundation, Courtney Pine, Jah Wobble, Gregory Isaacs and Coldcut, and there's also hundreds of DJs spinning the decks in what promises to be a huge event. And it's not just music, there's cabaret, comedy, acrobatics and even something for the kids. Should be massive... just don't forget your E's and Whizz...
That's all from Eclipse of the Week (sorry) for now, and don't forget, you can keep up to date with all the latest news with our Yahoo! Eclipse Full Coverage.