Experience a total eclipse of the sun in Australia on 13/11/2012
This will be a truly unique event: in Italy the next visible one will not be until 2081
Perugia – experience a unique event that will not come round again with the same characteristics in the course of a lifetime. Add to this the fact that, woven into the event, there are cultural and social aspects that highlight the anthropological variances within the population. This is the project that Perugian photographer, Giulio Fratticioli – with the help of his staff – is putting into motion on the occasion of the total eclipse of the sun on 13 November in Australia. The resulting images will be published in a book that will be a mix of images and text as well as a video.
The eclipse of 13 November will be total: the moon, which is approximately 380 thousand kilometres away, will appear slightly bigger than the sun (149 million km away) and will cover it entirely for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
What happens during a total eclipse?? The surface in its entirety is little more than100 kmwide and several thousand long. The human eye will initially perceive only a slight drop in luminosity even when the sun is almost 99% blocked. The shadow of the moon, which will cover the sun in its entirety, will move towards the earth at about2800 kmper hr … in the moment of total coverage, it will be dark, there will be a fresh breeze and so many stars visible!
The next total eclipse will be on 20 March 2015 but will be visible only in the North Pole. According to calculations the next eclipse visible from land will be on 2 August 2027. In Italy we will have to wait until 2081 for the next visible total sun eclipse, the last one was 15 February 1961. Therefore, the meeting next November represents an extremely important occasion in its rarity. This event will also bring to our attention far away cultures such as the Maya and the aborigines (who, during the eclipse, will be equipped with special glasses).
The development of this project will be published, through various outlets, in the coming months, as the event approaches. The book will be published by the end of the year.