I have one experimental event set up and it stopped working a few days ago. For the event trigger I now see this error:

Error calling the plug-in to get the trigger UI: Index was outside the bounds of the array.

Nothing really has changed with my configuration aside from an update to BI. Anyone have any ideas?

This article is related to a current event in the United States: the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.

An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three celestial objects is known as a syzygy.[1] Apart from syzygy, the term eclipse is also used when a spacecraft reaches a position where it can observe two celestial bodies so aligned. An eclipse is the result of either an occultation (completely hidden) or a transit (partially hidden).

The term eclipse is most often used to describe either a solar eclipse, when the Moon's shadow crosses the Earth's surface, or a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow. However, it can also refer to such events beyond the Earth–Moon system: for example, a planet moving into the shadow cast by one of its moons, a moon passing into the shadow cast by its host planet, or a moon passing into the shadow of another moon. A binary star system can also produce eclipses if the plane of the orbit of its constituent stars intersects the observer's position.

For the special cases of solar and lunar eclipses, these only happen during an "eclipse season", the two times of each year when the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun crosses with the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth. The type of solar eclipse that happens during each season (whether total, annular, hybrid, or partial) depends on apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon (which is a function of the elliptical distance in the Earth from the Sun and the Moon from the Earth, respectively, as seen from the Earth's surface). If the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, and the Moon's orbit around the Earth were both in the same plane with each other, then eclipses would happen each and every month. There would be a lunar eclipse at every full moon, and a solar eclipse at every new moon. And if both orbits were perfectly circular, the each solar eclipse would be the same type every month. It is because of the non-planar and non-circular differences that eclipses are not a common event. Lunar eclipses can be viewed from the entire nightside half of the Earth. But solar eclipses, particularly a total eclipse, as occurring at any one particular point on the Earth's surface, is a rare event that can span many decades from one to the next.

Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017

On Monday, August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be visible within a band across the entire contiguous United States. This eclipse will only be visible in other countries as a partial eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon's apparent diameter is larger than the sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometers wide.

The last time a total solar eclipse was visible across the entire contiguous United States was during the June 8, 1918 eclipse, and not since the February 1979 eclipse has a total eclipse been visible from anywhere in the mainland United States. The path of totality will touch 14 states (although a partial eclipse will be visible in all fifty states), and 16% of the area of the United States. The event will begin on the Oregon coast as a partial eclipse at 9:06 a.m. PDT on August 21, and will end later that day as a partial eclipse along the South Carolina coast at about 4:06 p.m. EDT.

There are expected to be logistical problems with the influx of visitors, especially for smaller communities. There have also been problems with counterfeit eclipse glasses being sold.

Future total solar eclipses will cross the United States in April 2024 (12 states) and August 2045 (10 states), and annular solar eclipses—meaning the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun—will occur in October 2023 (9 states) and June 2048 (9 states).

Attachment 62875
Attachment 62876

How to View a Solar Eclipse Without Damaging Your Eyes
By Calla Cofield, Space.com Senior Writer | August 19, 2017 11:48am ET

Editor's note: This story was originally posted on Feb. 2 and was updated on Aug. 19 with new resource links for eye safety during the 2017 total solar eclipse.

We're just days away from the total solar eclipse of Aug. 21 and it's a good time for a refresher course on how to safely observe the event. Your parents probably told you to NEVER look directly at the sun with your naked eye. In fact, you've probably been told that by lots of reputable sources (including our own Space.com). But according to NASA and four other science and medical organizations, it's OK to look at a total solar eclipse with the naked eye — but only when the face of the sun is totally obscured by the moon.

A total solar eclipse happens when the central disk of the sun is completely covered by the moon. Many people have probably seen a partial solar eclipse, in which the disk of the moon appears to take a bite out of the sun's disk, but never fully obscures it. But total solar eclipses are a much rarer sight. And on Monday, a total solar eclipse will cross the continental U.S. from coast to coast.

A joint statement from NASA and the four other organizations says that with the right information, skywatchers can safely view the total solar eclipse in its full glory with the naked eye.

Anyone in the United States on Aug. 21, 2017, will be able to see at least a partial solar eclipse (weather permitting, of course). But only those people in what's known as the "path of totality" will see a total solar eclipse. For the Aug. 21 eclipse, the path of totality is about 70 miles wide (112 kilometers), and extends from Oregon to South Carolina. Depending on where observers are located, the sun may be completely obscured by the moon for up to 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

"During those brief moments when the moon completely blocks the sun's bright face … day will turn into night, making visible the otherwise hidden solar corona (the sun's outer atmosphere)," according to NASA's Eclipse website. "Bright stars and planets will become visible as well. This is truly one of nature's most awesome sights."

But in order to see this awesome natural sight, skywatchers need to know how to view the eclipse safely. In an effort to inform the public on this topic, an information guide on safe viewing has been written up and released by NASA, along with the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Optometry and the National Science Foundation.

Eye protection for looking at the sun

Looking directly at the sun without eye protection can cause serious eye damage or blindness. But there are ways to safely observe the sun. During a partial solar eclipse, people often use pinhole cameras to watch the progress of the moon across the sun's surface (pinhole cameras are easy to make at home). This is an "indirect" way of observing the sun, because the viewer sees only a projection of the sun and the moon.

To view the sun directly (and safely), use "solar-viewing glasses" or "eclipse glasses" or "personal solar filters" (these are all names for the same thing), according to the safety recommendations from NASA. The "lenses" of solar-viewing glasses are made from special-purpose solar filters that are hundreds of thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses, according to Rick Fienberg, press officer for the American Astronomical Society (AAS). These glasses are so dark that the face of the sun should be the only thing visible through them, Fienberg said. Solar-viewing glasses can be used to view a solar eclipse, or to look for sunspots on the sun's surface.

But beware! NASA and the AAS recommend that solar-viewing or eclipse glasses meet the current international standard: ISO 12312-2. Some older solar-viewing glasses may meet previous standards for eye protection, but not the new international standard, Fienberg said.

"Manufacturers that meet this standard include Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics and Thousand Oaks Optical," according to the information sheet on safe eclipse viewing. (Click any of the company links to find out how to purchase eclipse glasses). "Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun."

Fienberg said some manufacturers are making solar-viewing glasses with plastic frames, rather than the traditional paper frames. While these may look like regular sunglasses, do not be mistaken. Sunglasses are never a substitute for solar-viewing glasses. Fienberg said some people may even try to view the sun through two or three pairs of sunglasses in an attempt to replicate the protective power of real solar-viewing glasses; however, even multiple pairs of sunglasses will not protect your eyes from sun damage.

Telescopes, cameras, binoculars and other optical devices need their own solar filters. Solar-viewing glasses are not a substitute for a proper solar filter on magnification devices. Never view the disk of the sun through a telescope, binoculars or camera without a proper solar filter. Solar-viewing glasses are not powerful enough to protect your eyes from magnified sunlight. Even if you are wearing solar-viewing glasses, viewing the disk of the sun through a magnification device will result in serious eye damage if the device is not equipped with a proper solar filter, according to the viewing safety sheet.

"The concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury," according to the safety recommendations. "Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device."

Fienberg said there is no need for skywatchers to use a telescope during the eclipse, but a pair of binoculars can be helpful during totality. But, as per the recommendations, do not attempt to look at the disk of the sun through binoculars, even with solar-viewing glasses.

The safety sheet offers these tips regarding solar filters/eclipse glasses/solar viewers:

Attachment 62877

Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched or damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter. Always supervise children using solar filters.
Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After glancing at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.
Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars or other optical device.

Safety during totality

Now that you have some general information about how to view the sun safely, here are NASA and the AAS's recommendations for how to safely view the total solar eclipse with the naked eye. Again, these tips come from NASA's safety information sheet here.

Viewers who are looking at the eclipse with solar-viewing glasses will be able to see when the sun's face is completely obscured by the moon (because, once again, the only light that can penetrate these solar-viewing glasses is the light from the sun's disk). Viewers will be able to observe the moon creep slowly over the sun's disk and eventually cover the sun entirely.

In the moments before totality, viewers looking through their solar-viewing glasses will see a crescent of light from the sun growing thinner and thinner as the moon progresses over its face. In the last few seconds just before the disk of the sun is entirely covered by the moon, the crescent will break up into a series of small dots of light that look like beads on a string (typically there are about three to eight such dots, according to Fienberg). These are called Baily's beads (after Francis Baily, the British astronomer who discovered them). Once the last bead disappears, the face of the sun has been covered by the moon, and totality has begun. [Solar Eclipses: An Observer's Guide (Infographic)]

"If you are within the path of totality, remove your solar filter only when the moon completely covers the sun's bright face," according to the official safety information sheet.

The safety information sheet also recommends that viewers be aware of another drastic change that takes place during a total solar eclipse: light levels drop dramatically, as if the world has suddenly been plunged into dusk. This is one indicator that totality has begun, and it is safe to take off your eclipse glasses.

When should you put your glasses back on? The official recommendations from the agencies suggest that viewers put their solar-viewing glasses back on before any part of the sun's disk becomes visible again.

"Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright sun begins to reappear, replace your solar viewer to glance at the remaining partial phases," the information sheet said.

In order to anticipate when the disk of the sun will reappear, viewers should first be aware of about how long the total eclipse should last where they are standing — the total eclipse will last, at most, about 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The nearer that viewers are to the edge of the path of totality, the shorter the total eclipse will be. Viewers who want to observe the total solar eclipse with the naked eye should try to move closer to the center of the path, so there is ample time to observe the eclipse safely.

Fienberg said that viewers should be aware of the moon moving across the surface of the sun during totality. The side of the sun that was the last to disappear behind the moon will be opposite to the side that is first to reappear. On the side of the moon where the sun will reappear first, viewers should look out for the "reddish hue" of the chromosphere, the layer of the sun's atmosphere that is closest to its surface. The sun will begin to reappear just as it disappeared — first as dots of light. If a dot of sunlight appears on the edge of the moon, it means totality is complete.

Baily's beads and diamond rings

The AAS and NASA are expecting huge crowds to flock to the path of totality for the 2017 total solar eclipse, including more experienced eclipse watchers. These seasoned observers may start shouting "Baily's beads!" when the spots of light appear at the edge of the moon. As the eclipse nears totality, people may also shout "Diamond ring!" Fienberg explains that when only one "bead" is still visible at the edge of the moon just before totality, it will glow like a diamond, and the red corona of the sun will create a circular band of light. Together, they will look like a diamond ring.

Experienced observers may decide to look at the eclipse with the naked eye just before the sun is completely covered by the moon, when the diamond ring appears.

"If you're in a group you'll hear people start screaming 'Diamond ring! Diamond ring! Filters off!'" Fienberg said. "If you're paying strict attention to the recommendation that you should not look at the sun without a filter, when any part of the bright face is still visible, you'll wonder if all those people are going blind, but they're not. The reason they're not is because it only lasts a second or so, and then it's gone and you see the corona, and its dark and its spectacular and beautiful."

While you may see some people removing their solar-viewing glasses before the eclipse reaches totality, this is not recommended by the official eclipse-viewing guide from NASA and the AAS.

What you'll see during a total solar eclipse

While Fienberg is adamant about eclipse-viewing safety, he is equally insistent that skywatchers should view the total solar eclipse with the naked eye, because the experience is like nothing else on Earth.

The sun's atmosphere "is always there but we can't see it," Fienberg said. "Satellites in orbit that block out the bright disk of the sun can see it, but from ground, we don't see it except during totality. And it is just magnificently beautiful. It's awesome in the truest sense of the word. It just makes your jaw drop. The first time you see it you just can't believe how beautiful it is. And it brings tears to people's eyes."

The sun's atmosphere isn't a uniform haze like the Earth's atmosphere, Fienberg said. It's "a tangle of streamers and jets and loops and twists and all kinds of stuff because its controlled entirely by the sun's magnetic field, which is very tangled and twisted."

The chromosphere, the atmosphere closest to the sun's surface, "is an unbelievably beautiful, pure magenta-red color. If the chromosphere is active and there are eruptions going on on the edge of the sun, you'll see prominences — they look like flames or jets of this really beautiful hot-pink magenta gas that are extending out beyond the silhouette of the moon," he said.

None of these features will be visible to viewers wearing eclipse glasses.

Fienberg is an eclipse chaser; he has traveled all over the world to see total solar eclipses. On his very first eclipse-viewing trip, before seeing the event, he met a man who hosted a music radio show in the city where Fienberg lives. The radio host was an eclipse chaser, and Fienberg said he'd never heard the host talk about astronomy on his show.

"I'm not interested in astronomy," the man told Fienberg. "I'm interested in beauty."

"That that told me right then on my first trip, this isn't just about astronomy," Fienberg said. "This is about beauty. This about being out in nature and being one with the universe — I mean it sounds silly! But you really feel like you're just part of it all and you're privileged to be able to see such a beautiful thing."

The unified message from Fienberg, NASA, the AAS and many other sources regarding the upcoming eclipse: Observe safely, and get to the path of totality on Aug. 21, 2017!

Personally in the 1960's we were told the safest way to view an eclipse was via a pinhole projector.

pinhole projector

Putting together a pinhole projector is about as easy as it gets, and while it doesn’t quite have the same “wow factor” as looking directly at the partially blocked Sun, it’ll still let you safely view what’s happening without potentially going blind.
Supplies

There are many ways to make a pinhole projector, but you really just need two things: something with a pinhole in it, and something to project the image on.

If you’re in a rush or on a budget, just take two stiff pieces of paper (paper plates or card stock tend to work well, but even regular printer paper should do the job) and poke a pinhole in one with a pin. If you’re really in a pinch, you can even make a pinhole projector by just curling your fingers to only let a pinprick of light through.

Attachment 62882

Click on this link to put your zip code in to see the best time for viewing the eclipse.

What time is the eclipse?

The point of greatest duration is where totality lasts the longest along the very center of the path of totality. The greatest duration during the Aug. 21 eclipse is 2 minutes, 40.2 seconds near Makanda, Illinois. Carbondale, Illinois, is the closest large town and will experience 2 minutes, 37 seconds of totality.

The Faroe Islands experienced a total solar eclipse in 2015.

Attachment 62884

Ahead of Monday's eclipse in the US, here are four tips from the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, which experienced one in 2015.

[youtube]pBiX6IPxXhY[/youtube]

Attached Images

     

I have a high power Zwave switch. Has been working fine for months. Yesterday it stopped reporting power usage. I thought it was reacting to on/off commands as in the interface the device reacts to on/off commands. But looking at the switch, it stays on when I turn it off. I had a look in Z-Seer+, and its showing as direct connection to my controller. Testing the node, command test 10/10. But, the repsonse test is a complete fail. I guess that is why its not reporting power any more ? I have tried rescanning, optimizing etc, no change.
When I ran the response test, I had this error message in the log:

Z-Wave Warning New Interface : Secure message received from node 16. It was successfully decrypted but the data sequence ID is out of sequence. (Not Processed)

I could exclude and include it, but I have quite a few scripts and events connected to this device so it would be a lot of work to do that

Attached Images

 

Hello all! I've always had issues with Intermatic switches and outlets losing their association in Homeseer. With the Z-Troller I would of course take the Troller to the device, remove it then add it again. With the Smartstick it doesn't seem that easy. I was able to add an Intermatic lamp module using Ztools+ but I can't seem to add light switches or outlets. Do I still need to use the Z-Troller for adding these devices?
Suggestions please!

Thanks in advance!
Butch


HS3 running on Win10 under VMWare workstation 12.

How can I write and event that will turn a device on for 2 hours and then off. Then cycle that event every day.
Is there a way without having to write it to turn on 8am off 10am on 12pm off 2pm etc...
Looking for a loop or cycling feature.

Thanks

Hi everyone/Don,

Quick question. I have Caseta right now everywhere in my home and it works fine. I really want nice keypads though like the Radio RA2 ones but switching fully to Radio RA2 doesn't really make sense as I learned I can't use Caseta dimmers with it, so wouldn't be cost effective to replace it all.

I have the Caseta plugin for HS3, and noticed there's this Radio RA2 one. Does the keypads for Radio RA2 work similar to Caseta Pico's, in that in the HS3 plugin I could do my own scenes or actions? So for example, have a keypad button called "Pathway" but when pressing that, it triggers a HS3 event that turns on a Hue and Z-Wave light? So basically not really use Radio RA2 programming but more just HS3 to run everything on it.

If so, what is the minimum I would require strictly to just use Radio RA2 keypads with HS3? I assume I'd need the normal Main Repeater? Then do I also need the Connect Bridge or anything? Lastly, would Radio RA2 make the most sense for this or would HomeWorks QS work also? Thanks!

Are there any ZWave or Home Seer integrated pool controllers available?

I have Jandy pool controls - but would love to integrate something into my Home Seer as well.

I have entered all the ID's and Auth token and its not working. Any troubleshooting ideas?

Are these modules supported? I can not seem to get them to work.

Are these older lamp modules supported?

I have just installed a GoControl/Linear garage door controller GD00Z-4. It is added successfully to HS3.

From both my web browser and HS3 Touch I can see and control it fine. However, on both the browser and the HS3 Touch app I don't get a status change, it always shows Closed.

What am I missing here?

Attached Images

 

I am slowing converting my HS3 over to raspberry pi - Jessie. I have a script that runs under windows just fine, but I get the following error when I run it under Jessie.

Running script /usr/local/HomeSeer/scripts/Lightsonv2.vb :Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation.Invalid IL code in scriptcode3.VBWrapper:Main (object): IL_01d2: nop

I have no idea what this means. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

There is the script. I did not write it, but I copied it from somewhere. So I have limited understanding of how it works.

Sub Main(Parm As Object)

'Script to display Light Status

Dim Status
Dim DeviceVal

Dim Offf'0
Dim OnOn'1
Dim Lightson as Integer





OnOn = ""
Offf = ""
Lightson=0
Dim col As New Collections.Generic.List(Of Scheduler.Classes.DeviceClass)
Dim dv As Scheduler.Classes.DeviceClass

Dim EN As Scheduler.Classes.clsDeviceEnumeration
EN = hs.GetDeviceEnumerator
Do
dv = EN.GetNext
If dv Is Nothing Then Continue Do
col.Add(dv)
Loop Until EN.Finished

If col IsNot Nothing AndAlso col.Count > 0 Then
For Each dv In col
If dv Is Nothing Then Continue For

If dv.Location2(Nothing)= "Lights" then
DeviceVal= hs.DeviceValue(dv.Ref(Nothing))

If DeviceVal = 0 then
Offf = Offf & dv.Name(Nothing) & ", " & "<Br>"
Else
OnOn = OnOn & dv.Name(Nothing) & ", " & "<Br>"
Lightson=Lightson+1
End If

'hs.writelog ("OK", OnOn)
'hs.WriteLog("Ref: " & dv.Ref(Nothing), dv.Name(Nothing) & " " & DeviceVal & " " & Status) 'Update HS Log
'hs.WriteLog("Ref: " & dv.Ref(Nothing), dv.Name(Nothing) & " " & dv.Location(Nothing) & " " & dv.Location2(Nothing))

End If
Next
End If


If OnOn = "" then OnOn = "All Lights are Off"
hs.SetDeviceString(14, Trim(OnOn), True)
hs.SetDeviceValueByRef(14, Lightson, True)


End Sub

I have a GE switch that has a mechanical issue so I need to replace it. The switch is online and on the network. This switch is part of a number of events and I want to make sure that when I replace the switch the new one takes the old ones spot without breaking my events.

On the zwave tab of the device the "replace node" and "remove bad node" appear to be for when the device is not responding.

What's the procedure to replace a working device without breaking events when the new switch is added in?

Thanks

Hi from France,
I've just received a 2nd hand Zee S2;
All's good locally when I access the box via its local adress.
Now, I'd like to test the remote actions
But I'm unable to remote access my box.
Following STEP #2 (https://homeseer.com/guides/HomeTrol...rted-Guide.pdf)
If I try to record a new accound: System says the item has already been recorded
If I try to login with the prévious user name and PW; System says invalid user name or password.

Any help welcome.

This article is related to a current event in the United States: the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.

An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three celestial objects is known as a syzygy.[1] Apart from syzygy, the term eclipse is also used when a spacecraft reaches a position where it can observe two celestial bodies so aligned. An eclipse is the result of either an occultation (completely hidden) or a transit (partially hidden).

The term eclipse is most often used to describe either a solar eclipse, when the Moon's shadow crosses the Earth's surface, or a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow. However, it can also refer to such events beyond the Earth–Moon system: for example, a planet moving into the shadow cast by one of its moons, a moon passing into the shadow cast by its host planet, or a moon passing into the shadow of another moon. A binary star system can also produce eclipses if the plane of the orbit of its constituent stars intersects the observer's position.

For the special cases of solar and lunar eclipses, these only happen during an "eclipse season", the two times of each year when the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun crosses with the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth. The type of solar eclipse that happens during each season (whether total, annular, hybrid, or partial) depends on apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon (which is a function of the elliptical distance in the Earth from the Sun and the Moon from the Earth, respectively, as seen from the Earth's surface). If the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, and the Moon's orbit around the Earth were both in the same plane with each other, then eclipses would happen each and every month. There would be a lunar eclipse at every full moon, and a solar eclipse at every new moon. And if both orbits were perfectly circular, the each solar eclipse would be the same type every month. It is because of the non-planar and non-circular differences that eclipses are not a common event. Lunar eclipses can be viewed from the entire nightside half of the Earth. But solar eclipses, particularly a total eclipse, as occurring at any one particular point on the Earth's surface, is a rare event that can span many decades from one to the next.

Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017

On Monday, August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be visible within a band across the entire contiguous United States. This eclipse will only be visible in other countries as a partial eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon's apparent diameter is larger than the sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometers wide.

The last time a total solar eclipse was visible across the entire contiguous United States was during the June 8, 1918 eclipse, and not since the February 1979 eclipse has a total eclipse been visible from anywhere in the mainland United States. The path of totality will touch 14 states (although a partial eclipse will be visible in all fifty states), and 16% of the area of the United States. The event will begin on the Oregon coast as a partial eclipse at 9:06 a.m. PDT on August 21, and will end later that day as a partial eclipse along the South Carolina coast at about 4:06 p.m. EDT.

There are expected to be logistical problems with the influx of visitors, especially for smaller communities. There have also been problems with counterfeit eclipse glasses being sold.

Future total solar eclipses will cross the United States in April 2024 (12 states) and August 2045 (10 states), and annular solar eclipses—meaning the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun—will occur in October 2023 (9 states) and June 2048 (9 states).

Attachment 62886
Attachment 62887

How to View a Solar Eclipse Without Damaging Your Eyes
By Calla Cofield, Space.com Senior Writer | August 19, 2017 11:48am ET

Editor's note: This story was originally posted on Feb. 2 and was updated on Aug. 19 with new resource links for eye safety during the 2017 total solar eclipse.

We're just days away from the total solar eclipse of Aug. 21 and it's a good time for a refresher course on how to safely observe the event. Your parents probably told you to NEVER look directly at the sun with your naked eye. In fact, you've probably been told that by lots of reputable sources (including our own Space.com). But according to NASA and four other science and medical organizations, it's OK to look at a total solar eclipse with the naked eye — but only when the face of the sun is totally obscured by the moon.

A total solar eclipse happens when the central disk of the sun is completely covered by the moon. Many people have probably seen a partial solar eclipse, in which the disk of the moon appears to take a bite out of the sun's disk, but never fully obscures it. But total solar eclipses are a much rarer sight. And on Monday, a total solar eclipse will cross the continental U.S. from coast to coast.

A joint statement from NASA and the four other organizations says that with the right information, skywatchers can safely view the total solar eclipse in its full glory with the naked eye.

Anyone in the United States on Aug. 21, 2017, will be able to see at least a partial solar eclipse (weather permitting, of course). But only those people in what's known as the "path of totality" will see a total solar eclipse. For the Aug. 21 eclipse, the path of totality is about 70 miles wide (112 kilometers), and extends from Oregon to South Carolina. Depending on where observers are located, the sun may be completely obscured by the moon for up to 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

"During those brief moments when the moon completely blocks the sun's bright face … day will turn into night, making visible the otherwise hidden solar corona (the sun's outer atmosphere)," according to NASA's Eclipse website. "Bright stars and planets will become visible as well. This is truly one of nature's most awesome sights."

But in order to see this awesome natural sight, skywatchers need to know how to view the eclipse safely. In an effort to inform the public on this topic, an information guide on safe viewing has been written up and released by NASA, along with the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Optometry and the National Science Foundation.

Eye protection for looking at the sun

Looking directly at the sun without eye protection can cause serious eye damage or blindness. But there are ways to safely observe the sun. During a partial solar eclipse, people often use pinhole cameras to watch the progress of the moon across the sun's surface (pinhole cameras are easy to make at home). This is an "indirect" way of observing the sun, because the viewer sees only a projection of the sun and the moon.

To view the sun directly (and safely), use "solar-viewing glasses" or "eclipse glasses" or "personal solar filters" (these are all names for the same thing), according to the safety recommendations from NASA. The "lenses" of solar-viewing glasses are made from special-purpose solar filters that are hundreds of thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses, according to Rick Fienberg, press officer for the American Astronomical Society (AAS). These glasses are so dark that the face of the sun should be the only thing visible through them, Fienberg said. Solar-viewing glasses can be used to view a solar eclipse, or to look for sunspots on the sun's surface.

But beware! NASA and the AAS recommend that solar-viewing or eclipse glasses meet the current international standard: ISO 12312-2. Some older solar-viewing glasses may meet previous standards for eye protection, but not the new international standard, Fienberg said.

"Manufacturers that meet this standard include Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics and Thousand Oaks Optical," according to the information sheet on safe eclipse viewing. (Click any of the company links to find out how to purchase eclipse glasses). "Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun."

Fienberg said some manufacturers are making solar-viewing glasses with plastic frames, rather than the traditional paper frames. While these may look like regular sunglasses, do not be mistaken. Sunglasses are never a substitute for solar-viewing glasses. Fienberg said some people may even try to view the sun through two or three pairs of sunglasses in an attempt to replicate the protective power of real solar-viewing glasses; however, even multiple pairs of sunglasses will not protect your eyes from sun damage.

Telescopes, cameras, binoculars and other optical devices need their own solar filters. Solar-viewing glasses are not a substitute for a proper solar filter on magnification devices. Never view the disk of the sun through a telescope, binoculars or camera without a proper solar filter. Solar-viewing glasses are not powerful enough to protect your eyes from magnified sunlight. Even if you are wearing solar-viewing glasses, viewing the disk of the sun through a magnification device will result in serious eye damage if the device is not equipped with a proper solar filter, according to the viewing safety sheet.

"The concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury," according to the safety recommendations. "Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device."

Fienberg said there is no need for skywatchers to use a telescope during the eclipse, but a pair of binoculars can be helpful during totality. But, as per the recommendations, do not attempt to look at the disk of the sun through binoculars, even with solar-viewing glasses.

The safety sheet offers these tips regarding solar filters/eclipse glasses/solar viewers:

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Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched or damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter. Always supervise children using solar filters.
Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After glancing at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.
Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars or other optical device.

Safety during totality

Now that you have some general information about how to view the sun safely, here are NASA and the AAS's recommendations for how to safely view the total solar eclipse with the naked eye. Again, these tips come from NASA's safety information sheet here.

Viewers who are looking at the eclipse with solar-viewing glasses will be able to see when the sun's face is completely obscured by the moon (because, once again, the only light that can penetrate these solar-viewing glasses is the light from the sun's disk). Viewers will be able to observe the moon creep slowly over the sun's disk and eventually cover the sun entirely.

In the moments before totality, viewers looking through their solar-viewing glasses will see a crescent of light from the sun growing thinner and thinner as the moon progresses over its face. In the last few seconds just before the disk of the sun is entirely covered by the moon, the crescent will break up into a series of small dots of light that look like beads on a string (typically there are about three to eight such dots, according to Fienberg). These are called Baily's beads (after Francis Baily, the British astronomer who discovered them). Once the last bead disappears, the face of the sun has been covered by the moon, and totality has begun. [Solar Eclipses: An Observer's Guide (Infographic)]

"If you are within the path of totality, remove your solar filter only when the moon completely covers the sun's bright face," according to the official safety information sheet.

The safety information sheet also recommends that viewers be aware of another drastic change that takes place during a total solar eclipse: light levels drop dramatically, as if the world has suddenly been plunged into dusk. This is one indicator that totality has begun, and it is safe to take off your eclipse glasses.

When should you put your glasses back on? The official recommendations from the agencies suggest that viewers put their solar-viewing glasses back on before any part of the sun's disk becomes visible again.

"Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright sun begins to reappear, replace your solar viewer to glance at the remaining partial phases," the information sheet said.

In order to anticipate when the disk of the sun will reappear, viewers should first be aware of about how long the total eclipse should last where they are standing — the total eclipse will last, at most, about 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The nearer that viewers are to the edge of the path of totality, the shorter the total eclipse will be. Viewers who want to observe the total solar eclipse with the naked eye should try to move closer to the center of the path, so there is ample time to observe the eclipse safely.

Fienberg said that viewers should be aware of the moon moving across the surface of the sun during totality. The side of the sun that was the last to disappear behind the moon will be opposite to the side that is first to reappear. On the side of the moon where the sun will reappear first, viewers should look out for the "reddish hue" of the chromosphere, the layer of the sun's atmosphere that is closest to its surface. The sun will begin to reappear just as it disappeared — first as dots of light. If a dot of sunlight appears on the edge of the moon, it means totality is complete.

Baily's beads and diamond rings

The AAS and NASA are expecting huge crowds to flock to the path of totality for the 2017 total solar eclipse, including more experienced eclipse watchers. These seasoned observers may start shouting "Baily's beads!" when the spots of light appear at the edge of the moon. As the eclipse nears totality, people may also shout "Diamond ring!" Fienberg explains that when only one "bead" is still visible at the edge of the moon just before totality, it will glow like a diamond, and the red corona of the sun will create a circular band of light. Together, they will look like a diamond ring.

Experienced observers may decide to look at the eclipse with the naked eye just before the sun is completely covered by the moon, when the diamond ring appears.

"If you're in a group you'll hear people start screaming 'Diamond ring! Diamond ring! Filters off!'" Fienberg said. "If you're paying strict attention to the recommendation that you should not look at the sun without a filter, when any part of the bright face is still visible, you'll wonder if all those people are going blind, but they're not. The reason they're not is because it only lasts a second or so, and then it's gone and you see the corona, and its dark and its spectacular and beautiful."

While you may see some people removing their solar-viewing glasses before the eclipse reaches totality, this is not recommended by the official eclipse-viewing guide from NASA and the AAS.

What you'll see during a total solar eclipse

While Fienberg is adamant about eclipse-viewing safety, he is equally insistent that skywatchers should view the total solar eclipse with the naked eye, because the experience is like nothing else on Earth.

The sun's atmosphere "is always there but we can't see it," Fienberg said. "Satellites in orbit that block out the bright disk of the sun can see it, but from ground, we don't see it except during totality. And it is just magnificently beautiful. It's awesome in the truest sense of the word. It just makes your jaw drop. The first time you see it you just can't believe how beautiful it is. And it brings tears to people's eyes."

The sun's atmosphere isn't a uniform haze like the Earth's atmosphere, Fienberg said. It's "a tangle of streamers and jets and loops and twists and all kinds of stuff because its controlled entirely by the sun's magnetic field, which is very tangled and twisted."

The chromosphere, the atmosphere closest to the sun's surface, "is an unbelievably beautiful, pure magenta-red color. If the chromosphere is active and there are eruptions going on on the edge of the sun, you'll see prominences — they look like flames or jets of this really beautiful hot-pink magenta gas that are extending out beyond the silhouette of the moon," he said.

None of these features will be visible to viewers wearing eclipse glasses.

Fienberg is an eclipse chaser; he has traveled all over the world to see total solar eclipses. On his very first eclipse-viewing trip, before seeing the event, he met a man who hosted a music radio show in the city where Fienberg lives. The radio host was an eclipse chaser, and Fienberg said he'd never heard the host talk about astronomy on his show.

"I'm not interested in astronomy," the man told Fienberg. "I'm interested in beauty."

"That that told me right then on my first trip, this isn't just about astronomy," Fienberg said. "This is about beauty. This about being out in nature and being one with the universe — I mean it sounds silly! But you really feel like you're just part of it all and you're privileged to be able to see such a beautiful thing."

The unified message from Fienberg, NASA, the AAS and many other sources regarding the upcoming eclipse: Observe safely, and get to the path of totality on Aug. 21, 2017!

Personally in the 1960's we were told the safest way to view an eclipse was via a pinhole projector.

pinhole projector

Putting together a pinhole projector is about as easy as it gets, and while it doesn’t quite have the same “wow factor” as looking directly at the partially blocked Sun, it’ll still let you safely view what’s happening without potentially going blind.
Supplies

There are many ways to make a pinhole projector, but you really just need two things: something with a pinhole in it, and something to project the image on.

If you’re in a rush or on a budget, just take two stiff pieces of paper (paper plates or card stock tend to work well, but even regular printer paper should do the job) and poke a pinhole in one with a pin. If you’re really in a pinch, you can even make a pinhole projector by just curling your fingers to only let a pinprick of light through.

Attachment 62889

Click on this link to put your zip code in to see the best time for viewing the eclipse.

What time is the eclipse?

The point of greatest duration is where totality lasts the longest along the very center of the path of totality. The greatest duration during the Aug. 21 eclipse is 2 minutes, 40.2 seconds near Makanda, Illinois. Carbondale, Illinois, is the closest large town and will experience 2 minutes, 37 seconds of totality.

The Faroe Islands experienced a total solar eclipse in 2015.

Attachment 62890

Ahead of Monday's eclipse in the US, here are four tips from the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, which experienced one in 2015.

[youtube]pBiX6IPxXhY[/youtube]

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I've got a few Aeotec Micro Dimmers (the older G2 versions, not the new Nano ones) that are installed and working fine on HS3.

The only issue I have is that by default they are set to switch back on to the 'Last Level' if they are switched on by the physical wall switch (i.e. if they were at 30% dim when I switched them off, when I press the wall switch again they'll turn back on to 30%)

I'd prefer if they always turned back on to 100%/ON after being off.

I've created a simple HS Event using EasyTrigger that achieves this. If the light changes to any level over 1% after being off, the event changes the dimmer to ON/100%.
The only problem with this is that sometimes there is network/system lag so the ramping up effect becomes very noticeably delayed.

Is there any way to program the default behavior of the dimmer to always switch back to ON, rather than to 'Last Level', so that I don't have to rely on an event/script to achieve this?
I've read through the documentation but none of the parameters seem to be what I'm looking for.

Anyone with some advice?

In the pic the red arrow indicates where I was adding the 'and if' statement to the 'or if' of the sliding door battery when all of a sudden it jumped down to the zse30 battery line (blue arrow) which already contained an 'and if' statement as you can see. The line for the sliding door battery I was adding the AND IF to was at the bottom and jumped up to where you see it now. I think we have a bug here!

Add: The sliding door battery "OR IF" "AND IF" combo was the eleventh entry. The first ten pairs went in OK.

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Hi High Peak

I have purchased your plugin, waiting a long time for some one to make this plugin, Thanks.

I have 4 RX-S601D and 2 RX-A660 which is European model numbers but with the same Music Cast setup.

I tried all the model templates in the plugin to get the best communication between the plugin and the receiver.
All templates give me an returning error in the Log :
It does not accept a 5 channel stereo setup.
And some of the templates does not accept Bluetooth.

Log Text :
Unknown setting for Master Bedroom : Main Sound Program : 5 ch Stereo - ignoring
The same for Bluetooth.

Can you load a template in the plugin that can accept a receiver with this setup ?

Or tell me how to work around it somehow ?

An other thing. I would like to ad 2 more amplifiers for 2 smaller rooms.
I would like to order the new small units WXA-50 also with musiccast.
Will these be accepted by your plugin as well ?

Thanks

Stones

What does it mean on the Interfaces Page that now shows "HSTouch (Built-In)"? Does this mean the HST Server is no longer needed? It still shows in the Additional Interfaces => User Interfaces screen.

I understand what HS log is and it seems to be working fine however I've enabled Syslog (Win10) and seem to have an empty database. Can someone educate as to what it is and how to get it to work for (Win10)? I saw that @S-F was also exploring Syslog and was hoping he found enlightenment.

I used the following command (netstat -an | findstr "UDP") excluding the parens at the command prompt and got number of IP addresses but only one port 514 at IP address 0.0.0.0.. did not help.