000
NOUS44 KOUN 071603
PNSOUN
OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-082300-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1103 AM CST THU APR 7 2005

ON FRIDAY APRIL 8...RESIDENTS OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS MAY HAVE A 
CHANCE TO VIEW A PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. A PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 
OCCURS WHEN THE MOON PASSES IN FRONT OF THE SUN AND PARTIALLY COVERS 
THE SUN'S DISK. 

IN THE OKLAHOMA AND NORTH TEXAS AREA...THE MOON WILL ONLY COVER 
ROUGHLY 5 TO 15 PERCENT OF THE SUN DURING MAXIMUM ECLIPSE. THIS WILL 
NOT DIM THE SUN ENOUGH TO BE NOTICEABLE TO MOST PEOPLE. WHAT MAY BE 
MORE NOTICEABLE IS THE PRESENCE OF CLOUDS THAT COULD OBSCURE OUR 
VIEW OF THE ECLIPSE. CURRENT FORECAST DATA INDICATE A LIKELIHOOD OF 
BROKEN TO OVERCAST HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS OVER MUCH OF THE PLAINS BY 
FRIDAY AFTERNOON. 

THIS WILL BE THE LAST SOLAR ECLIPSE TO BE VISIBLE IN THE SOUTHERN 
PLAINS - OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES - UNTIL 
MAY 2012. 

...WARNING...
EXTREME CAUTION MUST BE TAKEN WHEN VIEWING THE DUN FOR ANY REASON. 
NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITH THE NAKED EYE OR THROUGH ANY 
OPTICAL DEVICE...SUCH AS A CAMERA...BINOCULARS...TELESCOPE...ETC. 
SEVERAL TYPES OF SOLAR FILTERS ARE AVAILABLE WHICH ARE DESIGNED 
SPECIFICALLY FOR SOLAR ECLIPSE VIEWING. SEE
HTTP://SUNEARTH.GSFC.NASA.GOV/ECLIPSE/SEHELP/FILTERS.HTML

THERE IS ALSO A PINHOLE PROJECTION METHOD WHICH CAN BE USED TO 
MONITOR THE ECLIPSE INDIRECTLY. DETAILS OF THIS METHOD ARE READILY 
AVAILABLE FROM MOST ECLIPSE INFORMATION SOURCES.  

SPECIFIC ECLIPSE INFORMATION FOR SELECTED CITIES IN AND AROUND THE 
OKLAHOMA AND NORTH TEXAS AREA ARE GIVEN BELOW...COURTESY OF NASA 
GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER.  FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON 
THE WEB AT HTTP://SUNEARTH.GSFC.NASA.GOV/ECLIPSE/ECLIPSE.HTML.

2005 APR 8       BEGINS   MAX.     ENDS     MAG.  ALT. DURATION
ABILENE TX       424 PM   509 PM   551 PM   .185   36  1H27M 
AMARILLO TX      437 PM   507 PM   537 PM   .085   37  1H 0M 
DALLAS TX        426 PM   511 PM   553 PM   .194   33  1H27M   
OKLAHOMA CITY OK 437 PM   511 PM   543 PM   .106   33  1H 6M
TULSA OK         441 PM   512 PM   542 PM   .093   31  1H 1M
WICHITA KS       451 PM   511 PM   531 PM   .038   32  0H40M

ALL TIMES ARE CDT. 

MAG. (MAGNITUDE) - FRACTION OF THE SUN'S DIAMETER ECLIPSED BY THE 
MOON DURING MAXIMUM ECLIPSE. 

ALT. (ALTITUDE) - ANGLE OF THE SUN (DEGREES) ABOVE HORIZON DURING 
MAXIMUM ECLIPSE.   

DURATION - LENGTH OF THE ECLIPSE IN HOURS AND MINUTES. 

$$

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