[ ChatModerator - 1 - 20:58:41 ]
Chris was kind enough to provide us with a little info about himself: "I am Christopher Johns-Krull, an assistant research physicist at the University of California at Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory. My current research focuses on magnetic activity of the Sun and other solar-like stars. Due to my interest in the Sun, I am a member of the software team working on the upcoming HESSI satellite whose main goal is to understand the magnetic processes which result in solar flares."

[ ChatModerator - 3 - 21:11:27 ]
So, does anyone have any questions for Chris?

[ Chris_JohnsKrull/UC_Berkeley - 15 - 21:32:29 ]
RE: [sumi] how safely can this be watched
It is never good to look directly at the Sun, but with proper filters it can be completely safe to watch. If you don't have anything in particular, you can always just make a small hole in a piece of cardboard. Let sunlight pass through the hole onto a piece of paper a couple of feet away. As the eclipse goes on, you will be able to see the shadow of the moon move over the Sun.

[ Chris_JohnsKrull/UC_Berkeley - 16 - 21:34:22 ]
RE: [sumi] how does the protective glass,i.e. te solar viewer glass help
Protective solar filters primarily absorb the harmful ultraviolet and infrared radiation from the Sun. They also cut the overall brightness of the visible light by a large amount. Basically, they are really good sunglasses.

[ Chris_JohnsKrull/UC_Berkeley - 18 - 21:37:34 ]
RE: [sumi] when is the live being telecasted through the internet?
I believe it starts at 3am Pacific time in the US. Where are you?

[ sumi - 23 - 21:42:40 ]
i am in the u.a.e.i am jusr eagerly waiting out to watch this eclipse]

[ Chris_JohnsKrull/UC_Berkeley - 20 - 21:39:38 ]
RE: [sumi] how far wil it be visible in the middle east?
Check out http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/index.html to find out about the path of the eclipse and when the webcast will begin

[ Chris_JohnsKrull/UC_Berkeley - 22 - 21:41:42 ]
RE: [sumi] how far have you been in this profession & thanyou for replying
I have been very interested in astronomy since I was 9 years old. I started studying it formally when I went to graduate school at the age of 22. I earned my PhD when I was 27 and I am now 32.

[ Chris_JohnsKrull/UC_Berkeley - 24 - 21:43:35 ]
RE: [sumi] I read in one of the encyclopedia regarding this information and it was written that the corona would be visible. Is this true?
Yes. The corona should be visible during totality. The corona is very hot, about 1 million degrees, so it primarily emits X-rays which we can't see, but the electrons in the corona actually scatter some of the visible light from the surface of the sun, so we see the corona in this scattered light.

[ Chris_JohnsKrull/UC_Berkeley - 26 - 21:45:54 ]
RE: [sumi] if it is 3am pdt the what would be the time in u.a.e.
I am not sure off the top of my head, but if you check out the website http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/index.html it should say.

[ Oran/NASAQuest - 27 - 21:48:05 ]
Sumi, if you're familiar with Greenwich Mean Time/Universal Time, I believe 3:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time is 10:00 a.m. GMT/UT.

[ ChatModerator - 29 - 21:49:53 ]
This chat will go on until approximately 10:30pm PDT.

[ Chris_JohnsKrull/UC_Berkeley - 30 - 21:50:32 ]
RE: [sumi] thankyou sir for givig me a chance to chat with u!!! till when would you be available sir on the internet???,so that ican ask u few more qestions when i want
I think I will be here for another 40 minutes or so. I'll be happy to answer your questions as best I can.

[ Oran/NASAQuest - 34 - 22:06:05 ]
Thanks, Chris. You're our hero tonight!

[ Chris_JohnsKrull/UC_Berkeley - 31 - 22:02:57 ]
For anyone who is interested, if you go to the link listed under the expert's URL, you can see recent images of the Sun from the SOHO spacecraft. The ones with LASCO in the name show the Sun's corona in a similar view to what we will hopefully see during totality.

[ ChrisJohns-Krull/Exploratorium - 46 - 22:25:09 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Why is the corona so much more hot than the rest of the sun?
Well, that is a very good question and one we don't fully know the answer to. The heating of the corona is related to the magnetic fields generated in the convection zone of the Sun - the outer 20% or so that is basically boiling. These magnetic fields cause many things such as solar flares, but we don't know if it is these flares that heat the corona or if it waves in the magnetic field generated by the boiling motion of the convection zone.

[ ChrisJohns-Krull/Exploratorium - 49 - 22:26:15 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Will there be anything special with the eclipe because this is also a new moon?
All solar eclipses happen during new moon. The moon has to be new to be between the Sun and the Earth.

[ ChrisJohns-Krull/Exploratorium - 52 - 22:29:03 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Is there any importance in studying the corona?
Understanding how the corona is heated is one of the main outstanding questions in solar physics, so it is certainly important to help advance our general understanding of the Sun. The corona and solar wind also directly impact the Earth's magnetosphere, so understanding things like coronal mass ejections (large storms that throw off a lot of solar material) will allow us to better operate communications and other spacecraft.

[ ChatModerator - 53 - 22:29:34 ]
It's almost time wrap up the chat for tonight. We have time for maybe one more question.

[ ChrisJohns-Krull/Exploratorium - 56 - 22:31:36 ]
RE: [Stephanie/Edmonton] Do you know where one could find online pictures of some "Bailey's Beads"?
No, I don't know right off. Have you tried doing a general search using Yahoo or Lycos or something?

[ ChrisJohns-Krull/Exploratorium - 58 - 22:32:33 ]
RE: [ChatModerator] Okay. I guess we are out of time. Let's all say thanks to Chris being here tonight to answer our questions.
OK. Well, it was fun.