Astronomers Trace Homer's Wandering Hero

Hit the right spot and see 93M miles into the distance

(NEWSER) - Thousands of people will trek to the hinterlands on August 1 just to stand in the dark for three minutes. The reason: a total solar eclipse is set to sweep over a path spanning from China to Canada. Wired clues would-be eclipse chasers in on ways to maximize each sunless second.

1. Maximum shadow time: This year the Russian city of Nadym will see the longest total eclipse, set to click in at 2 minutes, 27 seconds. Don't waste your time traveling to a partial eclipse.

She says she was blinded by glare when she hit pedestrians

(NEWSER) - A San Francisco driver blamed the moon moving in front of the sun for preventing her from spotting the pedestrians moving in front of her vehicle. The 26-year-old woman told cops that she had looked at the "ring of fire" annular eclipse and had been temporarily blinded by its glare before running into a mother and daughter crossing the street, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The 10-year-old girl suffered a broken arm, while her mother received bumps and bruises. The driver has not been arrested or ticketed, but the eclipse excuse "probably won’t fly," says a police spokesman. More»

Annular solar eclipse visible from western US

(NEWSER) - For the first time this century, the sun will partially disappear behind the moon over the US tonight, leaving a “ring of fire” around the moon in what is known as an annular eclipse. The solar event will be best viewed from 33 national parks that will experience the full effect, the Christian Science Monitor notes, but more than 100 other parks lay in the path of the eclipse and guests will be able to view at least a partial show. But sorry, East Coast: In the US, the Eastern Seaboard will be completely unable to see the event, which starts at 8:24pm—after sunset. More»

Priceless artifacts from ancient Games stolen

(NEWSER) - As if Greece didn't have enough problems: A pair of armed robbers have stolen dozens of artifacts from a museum located at the birthplace of the Olympic Games, the BBC reports. The stolen items, mostly bronze and clay statuettes, were of "incalculable" value, officials say. Police say the robbers smashed glass display cases with hammers after immobilizing a female guard. Greece's culture minister submitted his resignation after the robbery. More»

Moon-lovers revel in 'orangy-red' color

(AP) - Moon watchers in the western US, Hawaii, and elsewhere across the globe were treated yesterday to a rare celestial phenomenon: a total lunar eclipse. For 51 minutes starting at 6:06 a.m. PST, the Earth's shadow completely blocked the moon. The moon took on a reddish glow, as some indirect sunlight continued to reach it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere scatters blue light, only red light strikes the moon, giving it a crimson hue. More»