Upcoming Event: Total Solar Eclipse, 13th-14th Nov 2012 - Observing / Imaging Guide

[jjjnettie]

The back up plan is standing on the beach complaining about the cloud then spending the rest of the day at the pub throwing down commiserative ales with the rest of the IIS crew. :)

Astroron, along with Anne-Louise and Tony Suma-Hawes will be at Trinity. :)

[h0ughy]

I have been putting together the kit for the event as started here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=96462) . i was thinking of the ED80, you are able to remove the filter without disturbing the focus?

[erick]

I hope I don't sleep in on the 14th.

Alarm clock!:D

[Rob_K]

Good point Eric, beep beep! :thumbsup: :lol: Is anyone going to actually watch the eclipse or are you all going to be too busy fiddling with your technology? ;) :P

Cheers -

[AstralTraveller]

That's not a silly as it sounds. Not so much for the day but to get used to the early start. Some would say I'm not a morning person. Others would be more honest and say I sleep like a sloth. So from when I start traveling the alarm will be set to 5am so that the eclipse morning won't be too much of a shock.



I will watch no matter what. If the technology fails - it fails. Others will get better images than me anyway. If it works I'll frame my best effort so I can say 'I did that'.

[bojan]

That's the spirit ! :thumbsup:
Same here.. but.. it would be nice if technology doesn't fail ;)
So, if kept at minimum, the prospects of success are maximised :D

[OzEclipse]

This is a really important issue. You must be able to remove the filter without disturbing focus or pointing yet it must be securely fitted so that it can't blow or fall off.

After one blew off a 500f4.5 telephoto during TSE 2001 in Zambia while I was looking through the camera, I developed a method for mounting filters that is both very secure and easy to remove without disturbing pointing or focus and now thoroughly tested at the past 5 total eclipses.

http://joe-cali.com/eclipses/EQUIPMENT/solarfilters.html

Joe

[shahgazer]

Hi All,

Yes, I will be returning to Australia again after 3 years. For the eclipse, most of the hotels, motels are all booked or have a ridiculous room rate! :eyepop:

So, I'll be flying from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne, and then Melbourne to Cairns, rent a car and check in a motel at Mareeba. And during the early morning hours before the eclipse, will drive up to Port Douglas. Google says it'll be about 1 1/2 drive from Mareeba to Port Douglas, right?

I'm not too familiar with that area, so here are some questions:
1. Is there any public beach for the eclipse viewing? Most of the beaches I read over the internet are privately owned, and not really sure if I can pop in. :question:
2. Weather prospect. Which website or tv channel anything that I can refer to, for a quick look a day before the eclipse, just in case I need to change plans. :shrug:
3. Will there be any group watch among the IIS members?

Thanks! :)

[AstralTraveller]

Shah, why would you leave from Mareeba and go to Port Douglas? You'd be better off going out past Mt Carbine. You'd be sure to find a spot, the drive will be easier and the weather prospects much better. Bobs Lookout 25km past Mt Carbine is a good location. There may also be some public or private viewing areas - Bustard Downs is one I've heard of.

[shahgazer]

Hi David,

Yes, that would be a good idea. I was reading through and found your post (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=819319&postcount=125) regarding Mt Carbine route.

Worth to consider. Thanks! :thumbsup:

[AstralTraveller]

Joe,

Happily you, and others I'm sure, have had good experiences but I've just heard of a case where someone wasn't so 'lucky'. A college returned from the US yesterday where she had been attending a mineral exhibition. She bought a number of specimens and packed them amongst her clothes, as she has done many time previously. When she collected her bag at Mascot it had been forced open. No attempt had been made to use the zipper's slider, something had been forced through the zipper and the teeth disengaged 3/4 of the way around the bag. Wires of a battery charger were hanging out of the bag and five specimens were missing. I don't know the value but hundreds each wouldn't surprise me. There was a card in the bag stating it had been opened by TSA! Naturally she kicked up a fuss but her information is that she has little hope of redress and that TSA are basically above the law. It seems flying to remote corners of the world or somewhere 'uncivilised' might be safer than visiting the US.

[AstralTraveller]

Yes, a very useful post but alas not mine. AstroTourist (Terry Cuttle) is a recognised expert on solar eclipses as opposed to AstralTraveller who is basically a noob. I did live in Cairns for a year so I'm not entirely talking out of my bottom but I've done no where near the planning Terry has done.

David

[shahgazer]

Yikes, sorry I did a mistake confusing the 2! :doh:

But good tips from you guys are extremely useful for travelers like me. Looking forward for the trip.:D

[shahgazer]

Booked a place at Mareeba Lodge.

The owner, Carolyn, mentioned about the rest of the rooms are booked by eclipse chasers. I wonder if any of you guys are actually staying there?

Flying down from Kuala Lumpur to Brisbane on the 11th, and taking the morning flight to Cairns (12th Nov).

I was thinking of doing a warmup on-site test a day before on the morning of 13th, and from the postings and advice, looks like Mt. Carbine seems to be a logical sites. Is anyone doing the same on that morning?

On the eclipse day, I will drive up there early before dawn to the site, but how early? Will there be any road closures or anything like that?

Thanks.

[AstralTraveller]

From

https://s3.amazonaws.com/TTNQ/5e59bf8f-90ce-4b81-9535-b0f6a7c09cbe/FAQs%20for%20Eclipse%202012.pdf

"Q. Will all areas be accessible? The Queensland Police along with the local government authorities and the Dept of Transport and Main Roads will be assessing the risks to community safety of certain locations and travel routes which may result in site and road closures. These will be well advertised in the weeks leading up to the eclipse. Eclipse watchers must abide by these instructions for the safety of all."

I spoke to someone from the Cook Council earlier in the year and one road they were considering closing was the Mossman to Mt Molloy Rd. The police had concerns about large traffic volumes on a narrow winding road in the dark. Apparently no final decision has been made. :shrug:

See also
http://eclipse2012.org.au/
http://www.cook.qld.gov.au/home
http://www.cooktownandcapeyork.com/news/media/solareclipse2012

[tomtom]

Does anyone know how feasible it would be to boat to a little island like Fitzroy Island?
Alternatively are you allowed in the Yarrabah Aboriginal Community?
They look like good spots with no street lights etc. (I assume they're gonna turn on when it goes dark which would be annoying).

If not I guess Mt Carbine, way off the road somewhere, is looking like the best spot.

I'm thinking of riding the motorbike up there on Sunday or Monday, will be a long trip, probably will have to leave Sunday, but should be nice.

EDIT: Wow, I just thought about it and realised I'd have to ride for 1 and a half days straight to make it. LOL
I looked at planes and it's about $500 minimum, I thought it was only like $80? I've heard lots of people say that, must be only at certain times.
Looks like I'll start my journey on Friday then lol

[cyclone]

i've said this before, but i'm based in Mareeba.
I will be do the Mareeba-Mt Carbine-Lakeland drive next week.
I've added a cloud sensor to my website, so everyone can see the cloud cover during the night.
http://www.gorgecreekorchards.com.au/

[cyclone]

also, i sent a email to Gavin King and requested a heavy vehicle ban from midnight to midday, because of the Total Eclipse, i've yet to receive a response.

[shahgazer]

Nice to hear that. Looking forward for the latest update.

[AstroTourist]

The traffic management plan being developed by the Queensland Police Service and is not yet public.
I think it quite unlikely that major roads such as Mossman to Mt Molloy, Smithfield to Kuranda, the Mulligan highway, Captain Cook Highway etc will be closed or restricted to eclipse traffic. As I understand it, QPS will be attempting to maintain these roads as free flowing. Of course if there is a major accident on any of these roads then all bets are off. Then access is likely to be severley restricted. I understand that emergency services are planned to be staged along the major routes.

Terry (Cuttle)

[DarthWombat]

G'day all...

There has been another cancellation from our local astro society (Canberra) resulting in a beachfront room becoming available at Trinity Beach from 10-17/11/2012 (seven nights) at $120/night (I think - if it's the same as the one I just snapped up). There are no other takers from within CAS, so it's up for grabs to the wider Oz astro community rather than just handing the booking back to the resort.

The room is at Amaroo Resort (http://www.amarooresort.com/) and things need to be finalised by Tuesday or Wednesday at the absolute latest (but I somehow suspect that won't be a problem). I was able to book 2x airfares last week with no dramas, but there are no cheap fares available this late in the game.

So: Available, an Ocean View Studio room at Amaroo, Trinity Beach, arriving 10th Nov, departing 17th Nov. Deposit has been paid, so the change of booking has to be made through the original booker. Please contact our booking coordinator, Vince, at kimvince(at)optusnet.com.au ASAP.

P.S: Vince isn't (yet) an IIS member, so I'm posting this on his behalf. I just hope he is prepared for the e-mail stampede about to hit him...:eyepop:

[tomtom]

Just saw a couple of people got really cheap flights from Melbourne, does anyone know if that happens often? Too late for cheap flights now?
I've never been on a plane so I have no idea lol

Dunno if I'll be able to make it otherwise....

[cyclone]

Ok, did the Mareeba to Lakeland drive yesterday. If there is any question, throw them at me.

[h0ughy]

anywhere to set up?

[cyclone]

The 64 million dollar question is: Will QPS, Main Roads or even Tablelands and Cook council allow observers to park on the side of the road, the day before/overnight. If yes, it should be ok for the 13 degrees above horizon. If no, there is a few farms around. There is the Mt Carbine rodeo grounds, but the 'rumor' is they want to charge $30/m2.
My rural property is not on the centre line, with Total at only 1m 30secs

[bojan]

My goodness..
I booked accommodation 2 years ago in Palm Cove in hope all will be OK and now I have to face a prospect of nowhere to go from hotel room (which, btw, as I discovered recently, doesn't have a room window view to the right direction..)

[shahgazer]

Yikes! :eyepop: Hopefully that doesn't happen (road closure)!

Where exactly is the rodeo ground? Can give some directions to it? What other options other than have to 'rent' spaces there! :sadeyes:

[iceman]

Wouldn't you just walk down to the beach?

[bojan]

Yes, of course, provided it is still dry (it seem there will be high tide coming) and not packed with others, faster than me ;)

[iceman]

I'm staying at Palm Cove too, and was just planning on taking the family down to the beach.

[bojan]

Great, see you there then !

[cyclone]

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?saddr=-16.530605,+145.131701&hl=en&sll=-16.530724,145.131964&sspn=0.004135,0.008234&t=h&mra=ls&z=17

I might walk into Mareeba Police and ask for a statement because something was mentioned on local news

[cyclone]

also, (very) limited Telstra coverage at Mt Carbine, will it handle the overload ?
There is reception 30 mins to the south or 1 hour to the north.
I did not see any payphones, but there is a pub there

[cyclone]

there is a bush/grass fire to the north of Mt Carbine ( half hour north )

[ThunderChild]

Staying at the caravan park by any chance?

[iceman]

No i'm at the 'The Villas Palm Cove'.

If I was on my own I'd take the caravan park, but with the family we decided to splurge a bit. Too many camping holidays in a row, they didn't want this one to be camping too :)

[ThunderChild]

Cool. In that case, I'll keep an eye out for the "Ice In Space Geeks Gather Here" sign.... ;)

[bojan]

And we (SWMBO and I ).. it will be our first "proper" holiday in Australia since we came from Europe 22 years ago.. so we decided to do it with a bit of class :P
Solar Eclipse was perfect excuse for that (or vice versa)

[cyclone]

there is 2 single lane bridges
http://maps.google.com.au/?ll=-16.664726,145.326934&spn=0.007421,0.032938&t=f&z=16&ecpose=-16.67033062,145.32693407,3366.91,-0.002,11.852,0&layer=c&cbll=-16.66473,145.326928&panoid=tuBw-z2JX6ENwT6_k9dIIQ&cbp=11,275.04,,0,8.27

http://maps.google.com.au/?ll=-16.498777,145.001842&spn=0.000928,0.004117&t=f&z=19&ecpose=-16.50117627,145.00184002,606.38,0.0 47,44.645,0&layer=c&cbll=-16.498776,145.001842&panoid=JoTGbWAmCJc3XXbflsxpYw&cbp=11,302.19,,0,8.91

[h0ughy]

some off beat sites and information courtesy of Xavier Jubier web site - not a perfect base but you get the idea

[cyclone]

http://www.gorgecreekorchards.com.au/images/eclipsesigncook.jpg

[shahgazer]

Great info! Thanks. At least it'll give more to think about. :thumbsup:

[Spacedout]

does anyone know if you can get a solar filter for a SLR digital camera canon - going to Mt Carbine for solar eclipse

[jjjnettie]

You can make your own very easily.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=86579&highlight=solar+filter+dslr

[WadeH]

I made two of my own DSLR filters yesterday in only 1/2 hr. See my thread at:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=96930

Very easy.

[jjjnettie]

:) Nice one.

[Spacedout]

Thanks for your replies, will check out thread and try on the weekend

[Phil Hart]

I am finalising a quote with 'The Moving Group' to freight gear from Melbourne to Cairns for the solar eclipse. So if you have gear you would like shipped, please let me know! It is *much* more economic as a group than doing it individually!

A contact has kindly agreed to receive the gear at his work located in North Cairns not far from the airport.

For a telescope, mount, counterweights and a small box of additional gear, I expect the cost to be around $150 each way (ie. $300 total returned to Melbourne). You need to be prepared to contribute a bit more if things don't work out quite as I hope. If you only have a small amount to transport then we can do it for less.

Most of your gear should be in sturdy crates to survive the journey and pack efficiently into the truck, but the removalists can wrap up a few things like telescope tripods etc.

Leaving Melbourne on Thursday 25th October, it should all arrive in Cairns on Friday 2nd November or worst case the next delivery on Friday 9th November. Of course, I can't and won't be held responsible for any delays or damage.. you join in at your own risk!

There should be reasonable flexibility with picking up the gear in Cairns.. with hopefully a time available in the afternoon of Saturday 10th or Sunday 11th November. Picking up during business hours either side of the weekend will also be ok. Then everything should be returned during business hours in the day or two after the eclipse.

If you want to join in this scheme, here's what you need to do:

1) Send me an email (via profile link above)
2) List exactly what you want shipped, including dimensions and approximate weight
3) Bring the gear to my place in Hawthorn to be ready for collection in the few days before Thursday 25th October

Once I receive your request, I'll reply to arrange payment and a time for dropping off your gear.

cheers
Phil
0438 037 567

[h0ughy]

some magnetic declination information from around the area for those using a compass

[AstralTraveller]

Thanks a heap. I had made a mental note to look that up. Another job ticked off. I've just got new tyres this morning so that's two ticks today!

[mithrandir]

Geoscience Australia's web page (http://www.ga.gov.au/oracle/geomag/agrfform.jsp) for getting the magnetic variation on a specified date at a given lat/long. eg Trinity Beach

Requested: Latitude -16o 47' 00", Longitude 145o 42' 00", Elevation 0 km, Date 2012/11/13
Calculated: Latitude -16.7833o, Longitude +145.7000o, Elevation 0.00 km, Epoch 2012.8661

Magnetic Field Components

D = 6.873 deg

[h0ughy]

6deg52'22":question:

[AstralTraveller]

Hi

There is one simple question to which I haven't yet found a clear answer: at what time can one remove the eclipse glasses for naked-eye viewing?

I know Eclipse Orchestrator has camera filters off at 20 sec before C2 but it's not clear to me if that is safe visually. I suspect not. I can't remember what I did last time. I expect wait until clearly after C2 and be safe. Any informed opinions?

[OzEclipse]

David,
You can remove filters from all gear 15s-30s before totality. Don't stare at the sun for that 30s. Some people leave the glasses on longer or wear an eye patch on one eye (Aaarrrrh) so their eyes are dark adapted more quickly for totality.

Your eye's will tell you. IMO, 15s before totality, the thin crescent is far too bright to look at comfortably. As soon as the Baily Beads start popping, it's safe enough to look. Between C2-2min and C2-30s I find it much more interesting to look at the umbra coming in from the west. One of the reasons I've located my observing site in a big open field not on the beach with trees blocking half the sky.

BTW If you are who I think you are, I still have that A4 envelope with an assortment of Prism parts for you. Could you remind Allan to pick it up next time he's in Canberra.

Cheers
Joe

[AstroTourist]

I am in communication with a solar scientist from the USA who will be bringing a number of telescopes for the eclipse in November. He has asked if there is anywhere/anyone he might be able to borrow a telescope mount from.

He writes:
"I'd love a Paramount ME/MX or Losmandy most but anything else would also do. I need perhaps 3 drives and shipping from the US is expensive. We'll hope to have things like a 4" Takahashi plus various telephotos."

Anyone with anything they might be able to offer or other suggestions please contact me directly.
Regards,
Terry Cuttle

[cyclone]

did the drive from Mareeba to Lakeland 'again' yesterday

[cyclone]

If you are able to grab a vehicle and if the police don't apply the 'move on' law there is plenty of space on the side of the road to view the eclipse

[gary]

Thanks Cyclone!

I have been looking at your web cams for the past couple of years!

[universe24]

I heard there will be eclipse marathon going on on the eclipse day.
Anyone can confirm this? Where will the marathon begin and the route?
Will this affect random observer that try to get to their observation site?
Thanks.

[jjjnettie]

All the info is here.
http://solar-eclipse-marathon.com/

[universe24]

Thank you very much on the info.
It seem that the event occupied the beach way from four mile beach all the way to Port Douglas...
No chance to observe near the beach,...?
I will be at Port Douglas that time...

[AstroTourist]

On the basis of the information shown on the website:
The marthon route runs along the beach on the way home - that is at the end of the race.
For the full marathon the first runners will be on the beach about two hours after the start at third contact (and about one hour after fourth contact) so there should not be any interference to eclipse watching.
For the half marathon however which appears to start at the same time as the full marathon, the first runners may be coming along the beach round about fourth contact so that will be something to watch out for.

The other thing is the tide. High tide is about 9 AM on what will be one of the highest tides of the year. So the beach will be getting smaller and smaller and if you are staying until fourth contact you will need to be above the tide line at that time as well as being aware of possible half marathon runners.
The marathon organisers were advised of these issues months ago but apparently have decided to press on with the beach run. An interesting question is what will happen when the bulk of runners try to run along a virtually non existent beach at high tide.

Rgds,
Terry

[iceman]

I received an email from someone who has accommodation available at Mareeba:



If anyone is interested, get in touch with me and I'll pass their email address along.

[universe24]

Thank you very much for the information. I appreciated.

[AstroTourist]

Many people will want to observe the elipse from a beach.
Australian beaches are public places and anyone can go there.
However you will need a permit for any "commercial activity".
An astronomy club taking members to the beach for the eclipse should be fine.
But if it is part of a tour and you have paid for it and especially if there is some activity like a BBQ then you may need a permit. And there is of course a fee for that.
If you do get a permit it may allow you to put up a tape barrier to protect your equipment from wandering members of the public. But you would have to ask for approval of that.
The Cairns Regional Council is the responsible body (for beaches from Cairns to the Port Douglas area) and there is information on their website: http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/community-information/annual-events/eclipse?SQ_CALENDAR_VIEW=month&SQ_CALENDAR_DATE=2012-11-01
This includes a link to the booking form.
Note that the site says that bookings need to be done by the 30th Sept, but if yours is a simple request I understand that they may still respond to your request.

Enjoy the eclipse.
Terry

[AstroTourist]

The AAQ eclipse education website is now on line at www.eclipse.aaq.org.au (http://www.eclipse.aaq.org.au) The website has been developed to assist teachers to provide a range of lessions and activities linked to the eclipse. The material has been developed by a joint group of volunteers from the Astronomical Association of Queensland and the science Teachers Association of Queensland.
Although it is targetted at teachers, there is lots of information of general interest about eclipses and the eclipse in November.
The website includes: detailed information on the science of eclipses and details of the eclipse of 14 November as it will occur both in and outside the path of totality; a range of activities and lesson plans with the eclipse as their focus, ready for use in the classroom and all linked to the National Curriculum; prepared PowerPoint presentations to assist in teaching about eclipses in general and this year’s eclipse and posters promoting the eclipse.
All this is available for viewing or downloading. A useful first point is to download the 28 page booklet which includes much of the descriptive text on the website. It is available under the downloads tab. A printed copy of this booklet as well as posters and a CD of the powerpoint presentations and activities has been sent to all schools in Queensland.

Although this is specifically aimed at Queensland schools, much of it is applicable to schools outside the path of totality so it is relevant to the whole of Australia.

I would specifically urge any teachers to check out what is available on the website. And if you are a Queensland teacher and have not seen the package of information sent to your school (they were addressed to Principals or equivalent) then please use the "contact us" form to request another package.

Anyone with any specific query anout the material please PM me or use the Contact us form on the website.

Regards,
Terry Cuttle

[AstralTraveller]

I posted this enquiry in another thread but I think it is more appropriate here, and may get answered ;).

I've got my photographic gear together, can run sequences and am pretty organised with my coronal shots. The thing I'm hung up on is the sequence around the 2nd and 3rd contacts - what features to shoot when. I think the visualiser in EO has some advice but I can't find it documented anywhere. There are a number of coloured bands which I think represent features like Diamond Ring, Bailey Beads, Chromosphere, Prominences, Inner Corona and Outer Corona. Their span across the time axis is the time to shoot these features and the position on the vertical axis is their brightness (in Q?). Does anyone know if I am reading this right? Otherwise, when should I shoot what?

[cyclone]

up up and away .....

http://www.ragingthunder.com.au/cairns-balloon-flight-solar-ecplise-14th-november-2012/

[Jen]

I soooo wanted to do that while im there but the boys are too chicken LOL

[cyclone]

just got a reply back from one of the pilots of Raging Thunder and the max. Flight level is 6500 feet

[AstralTraveller]

Is that above the clouds??

[jjjnettie]

:) Good point.

[cyclone]

FNQ is currently under an inversion layer.
we have very high cloud at around 25000 ft but the dew point on the ground is in low single figures. this is rare but does happen

[cyclone]

http://www.cairns.com.au/eclipse2012/

[cyclone]

from Today's Cairns Post

[cyclone]

http://www.trc.qld.gov.au/whats-on/solar-eclipse-2012

[Jen]

:D im getting all excited now but im even more excited to meet some of you awsome IIS peeps to the point that im saying "what eclipse" :help: oh the big IIS get together oh yeah i sooooo cant wait :lol: Im just trying to plan the rest of my holiday sooooo exciting but the hubby has been warned that eclipse day is my day/night meeting as many of you as i can :P Do we have an eclipse countdown clock anywhere yet i think i need one :D
:cool::cool::cool:

[alphamone]

I signed up for a Reef Magic Cruise, and I am trying to work out just what sort of images I should take. seeing as the sun will be closer to the horizon, I could get some interesting wide shots, but I am also interested in closer shots as well.

I am mainly asking because the last eclipse I went to (Shanghai China 2009), I got clouded out, so I didn't get any practice, and while I got some reasonable shots of the Venus transit, that still doesn't give me any help for getting pictures of the eclipse during totality, so any hints will be appreciated.

My Camera is a Canon Powershot SX110IS, so I have decent control of exposure settings.

[cyclone]

http://www.eclipse2012.org.au/Solar-Elipse-Key-Messages.pdf

[tomtom]

Just a bit of info in case anyone was slightly confused, as I was.

The NASA map shows the path of totality as going across Mulligan Hwy - http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2012Nov13Tgoogle.html

Whereas the QLD Gov site shows it going across Peninsula Developmental Road - http://www.trc.qld.gov.au/whats-on/solar-eclipse-2012

I'm assuming the NASA one is correct, and that means the Peninsula Developmental Road will actually be right on the path limits, not the centre!
Hopefully no one is using that as a guide.

[h0ughy]

the request for the clock went in but :question::shrug:

i am just stoked i could get my cameras working (http://youtu.be/IwvBhNuTTFc) - be a dream come true:lol: you would be hard pressed to keep JJJ quite after all i think November will be her best month this year:rofl: be good to see a few people but we will be spread all over:question: so getting together may prove to be a challenge

[Danack]

Hi guys,

Sorry for asking the same question again, but as I really like being able to see, I'd like to know how if it's possible to view the corona safely e.g.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7412572/Rare-solar-corona-caught-on-camera.html

From the web page at:
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipseExposure.html

The suggested exposure for to capture the corona at f8, ISO100 is between 1/400s for the inner corona and 1" for the outer corona.

That level of brightness wouldn't be visible through eclipse glasses or through solar filter. I'm also not sure the corona would even be bright enough to show up through most projection methods would it?

So is there an approved way of viewing the corona?

[ourkind]

Dan, sadly based on the nature of this thread (link to thread http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=98297 ) any advice given could lead to anyone of us being sued/jailed if you damage or lose your eyesight during the eclipse...

best I can do is refer you to this page -> http://joe-cali.com/eclipses/PLANNING/TSE%202009p/beginner_eclipse_photo.html

[cyclone]

sometimes on the radio scanner http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?ctid=4896 i can here both being used, and i think from 2 different emergency services

[AstroTourist]

Information has now been released on road and traffic conditions and other issues to plan for, in the eclipse area. This has been after detailed review and planning by the Queensland Police Service, Emergency Management Queensland and the Regional Councils with the objective of creating a safe and enjoyable eclipse experience for all.
The good news is that there will not be any closures of the main roads in the eclipse area. Only a few local roads will be affected which it is easy to plan around. A great deal of effort has gone into putting in place measures to assist the main roads to flow freely. Emergency Services will be staged through the area to be able to rapidly respond to emergency situations. Unfortunately this has meant that some lookouts will be closed for the eclipse.
Beaches will be accessible (until they reach a safe capacity). The message is if your selected location is likely to be popular and space is limited get there early. I will put some other more general information in another email.
Rgds,
Terry Cuttle,

ROAD CLOSURES CAIRNS AREA: Lake Morris Road closed (residential traffic only); Yorkeys Knob: Ray and Janet St closed (residential traffic only); Trinity Beach - Southern End Vasey Esplanade / Possum St closed (residential traffic only). These are all minor local roads.
ROAD CLOSURES PORT DOUGLAS AREA: The Esplanade Four Mile Beach (Macrossan - Mowbray) closed (residential traffic only); Mowbray and Macrossan Street closed (residential traffic only); Island Point Road closed (residential traffic only) and Murphy Street closed (residential traffic only). The major effect of these closures is to create a pedestrian precinct in the main eclipse area and keep traffic off the hill which has no eclipse views anyway.
LOOKOUT CLOSURES: Rex Lookout (Captain Cook highway), Kuranda Range Lookout (Kennedy Highway) Bob's Lookout (Mulligan Highway) and Flagstaff and Alexandra Range Lookout in the Daintree will all be closed. This is because there are only small parking areas, the areas are needed for emergency service staging and use of the areas would generate traffic congestion on these roads. No parking will be allowed in the vicinity of these lookouts. People will be discouraged from parking remotely and walking to the lookouts as it is not safe to walk along the roads. If you arrive early and set up you will be told to move on.
BEACH AREAS:
OAK BEACH: will be open to vehicular traffic however parking is limited. Once the limited parking capacity is reached the area will be closed. Oak Beach is not a recommended viewing spot due tides and limited beach area.
WANGETTI BEACH: - a large parking area will be available opposite Djarragun College for a gold coin donation to the school. The beach is accessible from this parking area along a 400 metre road. The beach access road will be closed to vehicle traffic from 4pm Tuesday 13 Nov until 12 midday on 14 Nov.
PALM COVE: Boat Ramp Closed from 4pm Tuesday 13 Nov until 12 midday on 14 Nov. Palm Cove jetty parking area closed (to be used for media). Palm Cove Jetty open until it reaches capacity.
BEACHES MISC: Parking availability is limited at many local beaches. For safety reasons, Police and Emergency Services may close down viewing locations if the numbers reach capacity and there is no more parking available.
ROADS GENERALLY: There will be reduced speed zones of 60km/h in the area of Oak Beach and 40km/h in the area of Wangetti. There will be reduced speed and traffic control in the area of the Palmer River Roadhouse on the Mulligan Highway. Police advise that they will be out in force to assist and control where necessary. There will be extra traffic and parking controllers. Speed limits will be enforced and there is likely to be random breath testing (alcohol and drugs).
Many roads in the region can be narrow and winding, with limited places available to park vehicles legally. There is very limited parking along the Captain Cook highway and parking areas will be closed off and vehicles asked to move on if they try to park in unsafe locations or where they may cause congestion. The aim is to keep the traffic flowing. Parking beside the highway can also be dangerous. If you do park beside a roadway make sure you are parked legally and safely. Expect to be moved on if you are parked illegally or causing an unsafe situation. On many roads especially the Mulligan Highway, the road verge is often rocky, uneven and difficult to drive on. There is also a risk of causing a fire if you drive over dry grass with a vehicle and this is an extremely serious issue in the Cape York area as fires can easily get away and burn vast areas with no way of stopping them. Some roads off the Mulligan highway are on private property and many gates will be locked. Property owners often do not welcome visitors due careless visitors who light camp fires and burn out the station.
There is expected to be heavy traffic overnight in the eclipse area and after the eclipse. Plan your journey to arrive in plenty of time and be patient. Up to date information about traffic conditions can be obtained from the Queensland Government Transport and Main Roads department Traffic and Travel Information services: www.131940.qld.gov.au (http://www.131940.qld.gov.au/) ; 13 19 40 phone line or Twitter feed @131940_FNNQ
TRAFFIC AND MOVEMENT REGISTER: If you are organising a group of people to view the eclipse it is important to fill out the Traffic and Movement Register to assist in planning for a safe and enjoyable experience. Details at http://questionpro.com/t/AIxp8ZNtkg

[AstroTourist]

The Peninsular Development road used to start at Mount Molloy.
About two years ago the road from Mareeba to Cooktown was named the Mulligan Highway. So the Peninsular Development road now starts at Lakeland.
So the maps are identical. The roads are just labelled with a different name. I will make sure the TRC gets an updated version of the map.
Rgds,
Terry Cuttle

[AstroTourist]

I have some great news.
The Queensland Government has just updated their advice for safe viewing of the eclipse.
http://www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au/safe-viewing-of-astronomical-events.htm
They have added in "The only time that the Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye is during a total eclipse, when the Moon completely covers the disk of the Sun."
So now we have the full story from the Government - that is (in summary):
It safe to use certified eclipse glasses for viewing the partial phases, and
It is safe to view totality with the naked eye.

Rgds,
Terry Cuttle

[Danack]

Let me ask a similar but different question then that you may be able to answer safely.

During totality, how will you be viewing the eclipse?

[AstroTourist]

Hi Danack,
The only time that the corona can be seen is during totality.
There is plenty of advice that it is safe to view totality directly that is with the naked eye and NOT using eclipse glasses or any other filter.

EG the Qld Governemnt advice as I have just posted:
http://www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au/safe-viewing-of-astronomical-events.htm
"The only time that the Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye is during a total eclipse, when the Moon completely covers the disk of the Sun."

Also the ASA fact sheet at:
http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/~smaddiso/download/factsheet_23rev2x.pdf
"It is safe – and spectacular – to watch the eclipse during the brief period called totality, while the Moon is completely covering the Sun – that is the excitement of this event! However, you must be sure that you are watching at the correct time and are in totality"

Also the NASA safe eclipse viewing website:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety2.html
"....the total phase of an eclipse can and should be viewed without any filters whatsoever. The naked eye view of totality is not only completely safe, it is truly and overwhelmingly awe-inspiring!"

So there is no need for any filters to view totality. The view of the Corona is one of the fabulous sights of the an eclipse and is not to be missed.


Rgds,Terry Cuttle

[AstroTourist]

I have had the privilidge of directly viewing the Corona on 10 occasions (+ one that was clouded out).
On this occasion I will again be directly viewing the corona - no eclipse glasses, no filters (weather permitting) in all its naked eye glory.
Rgds,
Terry Cuttle

[Paul Haese]

By way of explanation you should follow the basic guidelines of wearing eclipse glasses and using filters during the partial phases. That is, when the sun is partially obscurred by the moon even up to the last 10-20 seconds you must use filters. Around 2-5 seconds prior to totality there will be a diamond ring view of bright light and the corona will be apparent to the naked eye. You should not look for the diamond ring if you have never seen one before as you might look too soon. Care should be taken until totality occurs (that means wear filters for eye protection). At totality you can view the corona directly via telescopic views or naked eye without filtration. It is safe then and only then. You will know when totality occurs as it is like someone turning off the light at night. You will not see anything if you maintain filters during totality and projection will not work. The view is quite hypnotic and you need to keep an eye on the time if looking through a telescope. The light of the corona is about 100,000 times dimmer than unfiltered sun light and the damaging energy is not present. At the end of the eclipse there will be another diamond ring and you can view this briefly again but care should be taken to prevent retina damage.

Those images of the corona are not what you will see. If it is clear you will see a fluffy donut in the sky and with any luck some prominences will be visible naked eye. Those images are highly processed.

Hope that helps. Please take all care and be safe during the partial phases.

[cyclone]

and sadly there is no mention in regards to heavy vehicles.
I asked government officials many months ago, if there could be a heavy vehicle restriction from midnight to midday (14/11), and they said its not possible.
The roads in FNQ are sometimes winding, narrow, hilly etc.
Hopefully both private and public sectors give the drivers a break/holiday over those 12 hours.

[Phil Hart]

Great link. And thanks for the other details Terry.

Even Bob's Lookout on the Mulligan Highway is to be closed. I assume that parking off the highway at the end of the long straight east-west stretch before it turns north and heads up to Bob's Lookout will be ok? It looks like it would be reasonably easy to get off the road in that area? If the weather forecast suggests that is better than where I am staying on Newell Beach (Port Douglas), I plan to head there the evening before the eclipse and setup. But would prefer not to get moved on by police at 4am..

[AstralTraveller]

I think the closure of Bobs Lookout is madness. It's a beautiful viewing spot. The closure won't affect me but I have recommended the spot to a few others. They should manage the traffic not tell people who have traveled 1000s of km to be there they they must view from a second-rate spot.

In general I think this announcement has come far too late. Perhaps if you are in Cairns getting advice a few weeks out is OK but many of us have been planning this all year. We should have known what the options were months ago.

[Jen]

Arrrrrhhhhh I can't even get a hire car for the week they all sold out :sadeyes:

[h0ughy]

now i am panicing - mine was supposed to be attached with the air tickets:question::sadeyes:

[cyclone]

Can they move hire cars from Townsville ?

[h0ughy]

no idea. i will have to make an inquiry monday:shrug::thanx:

[Captain Charlie]

Does anyone know how fast the moon's shadow will move across the landscape at the beginning and end of totality? (And will the speeds be different?)

I remember the eclipse of 1976 in southeastern Australia and we saw the shadow moving out across the Pacific Ocean, but by golly that was quick! I wonder how fast next month's shadow will move ... in km/hr (out of theoretical interest) and in tenths of seconds from horizon to horizon (out of practical interest)?

[AstroTourist]

The edge of the shadow will take less than two minutes to travel the approx 450km from the west coast of Cape York to the east coast with an average speed of approx 16,000 kph.
The high speed is because the sunlight (or in this case the absence of it) is at such a shallow angle to the edge of the earth - it being not long after sunrise. Later in the eclipse when the sun is higher in the sky, the speed over the ground (ocean) will be much slower.
Rgds,
Terry

[Sausageman]

Despite my best intentions to get to Cairns, unfortunately our new Premier Campbell Newman has terminated my job, I have never seen a total eclipse and was looking forward to November, but having a mortgage changed the priorities and I will be looking for a job, so have fun everyone, I will just have to look forward to seeing all your fantastic photos instead.

Mike.

[iceman]

Wow Jen you really scared me with that hire car story.

I rang the Villas (where I'm staying) and they've put a car aside for me. I was really worried I'd left it too late!

[Poita]

If anyone hasn't already got a hire car reserved, you will be very lucky to get one, the companies have all been booked out for a long time.

[cyclone]

another option is to buy a cheap second hand car, then maybe sell it back for a cheaper price ?

[Jen]

Sorry Mike, yeah i had lots of trouble trying to get a car all the big popular companies have all been taken for months now but i finally managed to get one from a small business in Cairns called A1 Car Rentals (motel recommended) but they have bumped up the price about $25 more a day because of eclipse week :mad2: they have only a few left if anyone is like me and and leaves things at the last minute :)
Not long to go now woooooohoooooooooooooooo

[erick]

I'm flying in and out of Townsville and booked a hire car from Townsville airport last week, no problems.

[h0ughy]

I just rang to confirm that i had a car booked - they confirmed i did - however the lady did say that if others have left it to the last moment they will need to catch the bus and/or walk - no cars left! that was with Budget

[spacezebra]

Car, accommodation, flights all booked and confirmed :thumbsup:

Cheers Petra d.

[gary]

Hi Jen,

You did well in picking up a vehicle from one of those smaller operators that operate
in downtown Cairns.

I wouldn't be complaining too much about the $25 a day extra. :)
To give you some sense of the demand, we booked our vehicle a year ago
and have confirmed online several times during the past year that the booking
is still good. I suspect large numbers of people coming from all around
Australia and the world would tell similar stories.

I gave a call to the rental car company desk at Cairns airport today just
to talk to a warm body to get some sense of where they are at.

He reported that the powers that be within their organization have been moving
vehicles from southern locations up to Cairns for some time now for the event
but they are fully booked and cannot accept any more bookings.

He reported those that have booked need not panic, their vehicles will be there.
But with things running so busy and so tight, there might be some hiccups but
they are prepared and will work to fix any.

See you there and drive safely!

[venus]

http://newcastleastronomicalsociety.wordpr ess.com/
I have one at the above link :D....

[AstroTourist]

Jen[/B] http://www.iceinspace.com.au/vbiis/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=907948#post907948)
:P Do we have an eclipse countdown clock anywhere yet i think i need one .

If you want one to the millisecond try this:
http://www.eclipse2012.org.au/
But don't use it in the final few minutes it counts down to a few minutes too early - but they have promised to fix it.
Terry

[Jen]

For all of you that would like to meet and greet a few IIS members there is an after party @ 1pm onwards at Palm Cove check out the thread for details hope to see you there :D

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=909522#post909522

:party::party::party:

[glenc]

The attached file lists Northern Deep Sky Objects that are visible on the nights before and after the eclipse.
All of these 65 objects were seen by William and/or John Herschel (WH & jh) with an 18.5 inch speculum reflector.
The list includes 7 northern Messier objects. All up there are 5 planetary nebulae, 7 nebulae, 17 galaxies and 36 open clusters.
M31 and the double cluster will be high in the sky.

The data comes from http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/ngcic/ngcic_e.htm

[h0ughy]

just found this little gem - another spot off the list:

Ballot for best eclipse view
Melanie Petrinec

Saturday, October 27, 2012

© The Cairns Post



PORT Douglas residents are vying for the opportunity to see next month's solar eclipse from one of the best vantage points in the Far North.

Cairns Regional Council is conducting a ballot for 100 local people to receive two tickets to view the eclipse on November 14 from the stairway to the headland on the northern end of Four Mile Beach.

Police and the council have determined the popular lookout area only has a safe viewing capacity of 200 people, so decided a ballot was the best way forward.

"It is a wonderful opportunity for quite a number of very lucky people to hopefully have a spectacular view of the total solar eclipse," Division 10 councillor Julia Leu said.

"It is important for locals because we have to unfortunately limit the number of people who would want to go up on the headland via our stairway. We have only recently upgraded and improved that."

The stairway to the headland ballot is just one of many activities planned in Port Douglas around the eclipse.

Cr Leu said there would be evening markets for three days before the event featuring bands, music and food organised by the Port Douglas Chamber of Commerce.

"We have been working on this for some time trying to maximise not only local enjoyment, but visitor enjoyment in the area," she said.

On November 10, a unique game combining football, soccer and cricket will be played as part of the festivities.

Application forms to view the eclipse from the headland are available from www.cairns.qld.gov.au or the council’s Mossman administration office. Entries close November 2.

[OzEclipse]

Sorry, I haven't been able to spend much time on IIS this past month. My web site clocked up 35783 page views for October and those generated a fair number of inquiries. Add to this the administration and organization of my viewing site which has more than 300 coming to it and I've been struggling to cope with 200-400 email per week workload.

Tomorrow I hit the road : -
Canberra - Dubbo - Walgett - St George - Roma - Emerald - Townsville - Cairns (on Sunday)

Good luck and clear skies to all.

Have a great eclipse.

Joe

[cyclone]

the view from the Cairns esplanade at 6.30am
http://www.gorgecreekorchards.com.au/nade011112.jpg

[gary]

In 2010, I posted about the Palmerville Track and Palmerville Station having a long
history of disputes and as I mentioned at the time, "so to avoid disappointment,
I would not recommend setting off there as one may be turned back."

See http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=626267&highlight=Palmerville#post626267

Palmerville Station lays directly along the eclipse centerline.

Now there appears to be a new chapter in the colorful saga of disputes with the
husband and wife Palmerville Station owners being arrested two days ago and charged
with "with one count each of murder and improper conduct with a corpse."





Story here -
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2012/10/31/235865_local-news.html

Story here -
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2012/10/30/235838_local-news.html

Police media conference video here -
http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/cairns/2012/10/30/murder-charges-palmerville/

[h0ughy]

:eyepop: there are lots of dangerous things up there - crocs, death adders, now this:help: i just want a nice spot to image and view the eclipse:question:

[Danack]

I've abandoned my plan to drive up from Sydney to Cairns partly because of the sheer distance, but mostly because if I wasn't able to drive for one of the days (e.g. because the van wouldn't start, or didn't feel well enough to drive) then I'd either have to push myself to drive unpleasantly large number of kilometers per day.

Instead I'm flying to Townsville, staying there a couple of nights, and then getting the train from Townsville to Cairns (http://www.queenslandrail.com.au/) as it's cheaper than flying directly to Cairns.

[h0ughy]

thats quite an adventure:thumbsup:

[tomtom]

So.... we can view from there now? :question:

That's terrible though. Can't help but think some eclipse goers dodged a bullet there though. Literally. :S

[gary]

It is a terrible story.

It is also not hard to envisage that some eclipse goers, perhaps coming from the
other side of the world, ignorant of the station's colorful history, might still roll up
there without permission, blissfully unaware of the recent turn of events and
never realize how lucky they might be.

The massive cattle property had been declared a crime scene (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-16/cattle-property-declared-crime-scene/4132388) back in mid-July.

They had employed an indigenous police tracker, mounted police, quad bikes,
the dog squad, police divers, the Special Emergency Response Team, SES
volunteers and aircraft to search for the body.

The terrain is difficult and rugged.

The inspector in charge had said at the time "please stay away from
Palmerville Station - we still are up there controlling it and conducting searches."

Since they have not found the body, it will undoubtedly still be a crime scene
and police would likely be looking for evidence.

If one had observed from there, ideally it would have been in reasonable proximity of
the house as the center line passes very close to it.

When we first considered going there a couple of years back, before contacting the
owners, we spent several days Googling to find out more about the station.
The more we looked the more we discovered that the property owners were
notorious for deterring fossickers and 4WD tourists. Some reported in online forums
of having been confronted with guns.

Police have appealed to those who may have been intimidated in the past to come
forward.

Between 1873 and 1879, the Palmer River goldfield was the richest alluvial
field ever found on the continent. Even in those days, if one Googles the newspapers
of the time, Palmerville had a bloody history, including multiple murders and lynch-law
hangings. One of the roads that crosses the station is still called Cannibal Creek Road.

How many people have died in the history of the world whilst in the search of gold,
nobody will ever know.

I had recommended a couple of years back that it would be unwise to go there.
For the time being and for the purposes of the eclipse, my advice would still
hold true because of its crime scene status.

As a footnote, here is a very interesting story about Queensland's last police tracker,
Barry Port, now 70, who was brought in to help in the search -
http://www.news.com.au/national/hunt-for-missing-miner-bruce-schuler-ends-era-of-trackers/story-fndo4ckr-1226427461934

[cyclone]

i've now add to my web page http://www.gorgecreekorchards.com.au/solar_eclipse.html live snapshots of a Davis Vantage Pro plus console.
To see if the temps, uv, bar etc changes during eclipse/Totality

please comment if i need to do anything else ?

[gary]

Thank you cyclone. That's fantastic! I think I could speak on behalf of everyone and thank you so much for your efforts.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt Kuring-Gai NSW 2080

[Rob_K]

Some charts generated in Starry Night are attached - might help in identifying bright stars and planets during totality. PANSTARRS is shown as a challenge to imagers! Time on each should be 6:41am, SN added DST.

Cheers -

[iceman]

Thanks Rob, will be nice to see Venus and Saturn.

[Rob_K]

Cheers Mike, yes Venus particularly should be a stand-out! Marking the comet is a bit of a joke, but you never know. Miloslav Druckmuller, the 'god' of corona photography, has got stars down to mag 11 in some of his shots. ;) And who knows what little SOHO comets might be about on eclipse day?
http://www.zam.fme.vutbr.cz/~druck/eclipse/
http://www.zam.fme.vutbr.cz/~druck/eclipse/Ecl2008m/Tse2008_200_mo1/0-info.htm
http://www.zam.fme.vutbr.cz/~druck/eclipse/Ecl2010t/Tse2010t_1000mm_1/0-info.htm

[Steffen]

A murder mystery, a total eclipse, strangers congregating from everywhere – sounds like something Agatha Christie would have come up with… :confuse3:

[sheeny]

I hope the weather forecast improves for all you guys heading to Cairns. Today Accuweather was forecasting showers for Cairns to Port Douglas and inland...

Fingers crossed it improves.

...but there's always the after eclipse party!:thumbsup:

Al.

[johnsonlau]

The Davis Vantage Pro is in Mareeba? I found the humidity is as high as 100% at night time. Would it be foggy in the early morning?

[cyclone]

the unit is a backup unit, please ignore humidtiy (faulty sensor) wind speed and direction (anemometer is at 1.5m and not 10m) i will add tape over the values tomorrow . main weather data is here http://www.gorgecreekorchards.com.au/


I have live weather here as well http://www.gorgecreekorchards.com.au/wx/flash.html it well say if it foggy or not also this graph has sky clarity http://www.gorgecreekorchards.com.au/wx/extrarealtimegraph.gif

[shahgazer]

... and with all the road closures and stuff... it's starting to freak me out!:eyepop:

Hope I can get enough details before flying down from Kuala Lumpur on Sunday and Cairns on Monday. :prey:

This thread is surely a live saver! :thumbsup:

[Phil Hart]

Very interested to hear from those with that rare combination of local knowledge and eclipse experience.. How early do you think people need to leave Cairns/Port Douglas if they are planning to observe the eclipse from locations along the Mulligan Highway?

Assuming a typical forecast like the last few days, will the few sweet spots along the Mulligan Highway get occupied by people during the day on the Tuesday or will most people not move to these kind of locations till just the hours prior to eclipse?

Does that long straight stretch of the Mulligan Highway 25km west of Mt Carbine provide ample opportunity for parking off the road, so that you could turn up there after 5am and still expect to find a spot to safely pull off the road?

Is the Mulligan Highway likely to become congested in the couple of hours before the eclipse, or under the typical kind of weather pattern we've seen, will most people just take their chances where they are? ie.. do you expect thousands or just hundreds of people trying to travel along that road in the pre-dawn hours?

Appreciate thoughts on this one.. particularly from people like Mr Cuttle!

Phil

[JethroB76]

Exact question I have been pondering over the last few days Phil - definitely interested in thoughts on just how much scope there is for parking off the road in this area

[gary]

Hi Phil,

What you are really asking is how many people are likely to turn up for the
eclipse?

The answer is, nobody knows for sure.

But given every rental car is booked as is nearly all the accommodation,
one can imagine the numbers will be very sizable.

Being involved in amateur astronomy 24/7 and in talking to enthusiasts
and seeing posts here and elsewhere, we know the numbers will be considerable
for the amatuer demographic alone.

But anecdotally, it is the number of people I have chatted to who aren't
amateurs but who are going or they know someone who is. Talk to your barber,
your dentist, or work colleagues and they will often know about the eclipse
or in turn know someone who is going. I have stopped being surprised.

One big difference between this eclipse and say the 2002 South Australia
eclipse or the 1976 eclipse down the southern NSW coast is that this one
goes right through a city with a reasonable population.

in South Australia, some went to Ceduna on the coast. We were just north of
Woomera and in any case, it was a long drive for nearly everyone and there
was plenty of room to stand around when you are in the middle of nowhere.

Likewise in '76, it was easy to find a spot because it was a decent way from
Sydney (we chartered a Cessna out of Bankstown) but also in '76
the world was a different place. Cheap Dobs didn't exist. Nobody had cable TV
or the DIscovery Channel. To travel on a Jumbo jet was a luxury.
You had to be keen to go out of your way to come to an eclipse.

So come next Wednesday, Cairns has a local population of some 152,000
and a lot of those people will also be anxious to get a view of the eclipse.
So if it is cloudy in Cairns, you can imagine what large numbers of them
will do and that in itself tells you what you and I need to do too. :)

[h0ughy]

one thing to note is the mobile phone coverage - be aware that if you head west there will be no coverage - so there will be no chance to gloat or commiserate to your mates back interstate until you get back to your base ;)

[bojan]

Hi Glen,
how many people you think will be there?
I am very concerned that along the highway there will be no place to settle.
I am staying in Palm Cove, but all options are open now.

[gary]

The estimated number of people coming into Cairns for the eclipse is
somewhere between 35,000 and 60,000.

Based on the number of beds and occupancy rates, estimates made last month by
The Courier-Mail were that there would be an influx of 50,000.

Four charter flights are coming in from Japan alone.

Cairns itself has a population of around 152,000. Many undoubtedly won't
miss the opportunity and will rise early before work to see the eclipse. Even if a small
fraction of the local population get mobile on the morning, it is a sizable number
of people in total.

[jjjnettie]

Its going to be a memorable experience for sure.

[Phil Hart]

Here's a post I've added to the thread 'Watching the Weather in Cairns':

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=98139&page=3

[geoffsims]

Phil,

No specific knowledge, but two points:

1. Google Street View covers that highway, and

2. My gut feeling is that regardless of how many people are going to see the eclipse, only a small proportion will actively chase clear skies, particularly because in this case it pretty much means pulling an all-nighter on the 13th.

Geoff

[h0ughy]

might be more people than you think - if you travel the distance to get there then another 100km is chickenfeed - i think a lot will travel further

[icytailmark]

man i wish i could go :( never seen a solar eclipse

[HarryD]

Don't worry, I see you're in Sydney.
The 2028 eclipse in Sydney will be a beauty :)

[OzEclipse]

Traveled along the Mulligan Hwy today to do so scouting for inland retreats for my group. The mobile phone coverage map for telstra is pretty well spot on.

Joe

[OzEclipse]

Hi Bojan,

Plenty of space along the mulligan highway. Don't worry

Joe

[gary]

I telephoned Andrew Murrell today who is driving up with his wife to Cairns from Sydney.

Andrew reported that yesterday, whilst near Rockhampton, there were roadworks
in progress and they had a contra flow arrangement in place.

Whilst stopped and awaiting their turn, a long queue of vehicles built up behind them.

Andrew got out of the car and bellowed, "Put up your hand if you are driving
to the eclipse!" and he raised his own hand. He reported that approximately half
the people in the long line of traffic raised their hands.

Meantime, there was a melt-down for some at the Sydney domestic terminal
this morning when both the Jetstar and Virgin Blue check-in systems crashed.
There were long delays at the check-in counters which backed-up the system,
including for incoming aircraft awaiting a spot at the gate. The system is online again.

[h0ughy]

with only a few hours left until i fly up there tomorrow, this was not good news. a slight amount of panic ensued:eyepop:

[iceman]

I'm leaving Tuesday morning! No time for delays for me!

[h0ughy]

wow your cutting it fine:lol:

[cyclone]

where is your viewing spot ?

[k16charger]

Will I be able to see anything from where I work? Eagle Farm / Brisbane? I work outside starting 6am..

[shahgazer]

No wonder I couldn't log in their website this morning! :eyepop:

This is surely becoming quiet an adventure! :P

[erick]

Thank goodness it wasn't Qantas - we flew out this morning, no problems. In lovely Cardwell tonight. Roads relatively quiet north of Townsville, but the motel manager says there have been many people heading north in recent days.

[DarthWombat]

G'day all...

This was taken around the same time as totality will occur on Wednesday from Trinity Beach. There was a band of cloud out to sea which obscured the sun from just after sunrise to about 5 degrees of elevation or so, but it was clear after that. Now if I can only remove the troublesome roof overhang obscuring the view from my balcony...

I know that the weather is not likely to be as kind on eclipse day, but we can but hope.

Safe travels to all coming up here - see you at the post-eclipse party to either brag or commiserate with a few beers.

Hooroo,

Alex.

[Kal]

If Wednesdays weather is like this mornings there will be tens of thousands of happy astronomers :D

[iceman]

Just planning on walking down to palm cove beach.

[erick]

I can report just beautiful from Cardwell. Waiting on the Mt Carbine report when Allan can find some internet access. :thumbsup:

[Liz]

Its gorgeous up here today ..... and WILL BE all week. :thumbsup:

All clear at Mt Carbine too -
http://www.gorgecreekorchards.com.au/

Hows the traffic Eric?

[erick]

Traffic is quiet. I'm on the Bruce Highway ("Beaudy Bruce!") and heard little overnight. About a car a minute heading north at the moment - some will be locals picking up the milk. Gorgeous view from our verandah. If totality was here we'd be sitting pretty. The sun rises over Hinchinbrook Island. :sunny:

[bloodhound31]

What are the timings for Canberra?

[h0ughy]

Who Cairns:lol:

[bloodhound31]

The not so fortunate who can't afford to get to Cairns...that's who Cairns... :)

[h0ughy]

I Cairns hardly wait

Well max for you might be about 8 ish

[bloodhound31]

Thanks David, any chance we could nail it down to more than, "Might be about 8 ish?"

I'm trying to provide encouragement for my fellow Canberrans who also can't make the trip.

Baz.

[h0ughy]

Well why don't you use stellarium to find exact timings

[iceman]

NSW/ACT : 7am-9am are the key times - with max at 8am.

[bloodhound31]

Because one, I don't know how and two, there are people here who know off-the-cuff and can just tell me. Simpler. Thanks anyway David. :thumbsup:



Thanks Mike. I can let everyone know now. Cheers mate!

Baz.

[Captain Charlie]

Folks, it may not be coverage that's the issue, but overload. During events like this, the mobile phone network can clog and be unusable. I remember Melbourne's first Grand Prix when voice calls couldn't be dialled during the day, and text messages took HOURS to be delivered across the city.

I wonder if Telstra will be setting up extra mobile cells in Cairns like they did for the Melbourne Cup last week?

[cyclone]

The Telstra service at Mt Carbine is very limited. The webcam there was first installed to run off NextG, but it would only upload every so often, then i was forced to use the pubs internet.
Looking at the coverage maps, but i think the Mt Carbine reception comes from Deep Gorge, Mareeba

[cyclone]

HAHAHA, yeah right !!!! I rang Main Roads (QLD) yesterday and asked if the roadworks on the Kuranda Range be frozen until Wednesday, due to a special event, and he replied "why should they stop work" !!

[Fugazid]

Sitting at Cairns airport waiting to go pick my hire car up. Didn't know if i'd actually make it here... now shoo, go away cloud... will be pitching up in Glengarry Holiday Park later today. B-)

[mithrandir]

Baz, I reckon CdC does it better. Looking at the display:
Canberra 1st contact about 07:10, max at about 08:04, 4th contact about 09:02

or if you want a real sledgehammer, using GA's lat/lon for Canberra:

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipseCalc_Diagram.html?Eclip se=%2720121113%27&Lat=-16.59680&Lng=145.52233&Alt=0&Calc=1

[DarthWombat]

Because it will be dark, perhaps? :)

[cyclone]

I asked for roadworks to be frozen Monday to Wednesday. Its a windy road, with a speed limit of 60 km/h

[shahgazer]

Finally arrived in Cairns this morning, after a night overstay in Brisbane airport. :thumbsup:

Had a funny encounter with the airport staff in Brisbane, when they were trying to figure out what is that weird looking object in their x-rays, and turns out to be my AstroTrac pier! :lol:

Upon landing in Cairns, I was greeted with clouds!

yikess!! :eyepop:

[Fugazid]

Port Douglas doesn't know whether to burn you or drown you at the moment. Please let Wednesday be clear!

[chrissarah]

Hi guys, well my wife and I are in Cairns, just checking in to see if anyone else is taking the tour bus provided by Port Douglas Event Management up to wangetti beach tomorrow morning?

[NJB]

Here in Palm Cove the wind is blowing a gale off the water and the sky is full of clouds. :( Hope we haven't come all this way in vain! At least BOM is saying the winds should ease at midnight. Hope that means clouds too! Oh well, can't change plans now - just have to take it as it comes. Hope at worst, a gap in the clouds at the right time, and hoping for much more!

Noel

[iceman]

I'm at Palm Cove too, certainly not a pleasant day. Hope the clouds clear an that wind is terrible!

I'm on the north side of the jetty right now, at the bottom of the rocky hill. Looks like a good spot for the morning if its above the high tide mark.

Fighting the crowds will be the hardest part I'd say.

[Brigmlt]

Windy in trinity beach too, those extra light tripods that were so great to travel with don't seem such a good idea now, thank god on the coast plenty of sand for ballast!

[mithrandir]

Mike from Bintel suggested everyone make small sacrifices of alcohol and crustaceans to the weather gods.

I've asked a few others to call on their preferred deities to deliver some better weather, not just for you but for the rest of the east coast.

Sun's still out here but has now vanished behind my trees.

[Davros]

Good luck to all of the crew in Cairns and surrounds. Happy viewing.

[Shark Bait]

As Mick has just stated, good luck to all. I hope we all get clear skies, especially those who made the journey to FNQ.

[clem]

Goodnight everyone, wake up early and good luck! :)

[barx1963]

Good luck to all the eclipse chasers and especially those of you who are IIS members, extra especially Jen and Paddy my Snake Valley friends.
I am a little glad I chose to go to Hawaii for the transit instead of the eclipse in Cairns, but I am mindful of the forcast they gave us the day before for fog and sleet on the summit of Mauna Kea, and then we couldn't have had a better day weather wise, so fingers crossed for you all in the morning.

Malcolm

[Jen]

I'm so excited I can't sleep it's so quiet here in palm cove at the moment :D awww thank Malcolm xo

[kazozza]

Just watched the live feed from Cairns - gorgeous!
Now I'm off to watch the real thing in Canberra, clouds permitting!

Edit:

Just saw the partial.... Awesome, simply awesome!
The eclipse glasses make a great filter for the camera.

[Adelastro1]

Amazing!!! Just saw all of totality from Machans beach north of Cairns airport. Clouds parted just at right time! Had rain up til 5 mins before it! So happy after coming all this way. Got some good images too!

[callingrohit]

Its sad to not have totality viewable from Brisbane. Beautiful weather & clear skies in Brisbane.

[gregbradley]

Fantastic.

I look forward to seeing them. It was an excellent live feed on Channel 9 and ninemsn. As you say it was clear for totality and then a bit cloudy afterwards.

Greg.

[peterau]

Decided to go south with Martin Pugh. Set up in Brampston Beach 60 km from Cairns. Got first contact right the way through to totality. Along with approx 50 others. Photos soon.

[Rob_K]

Watched from Clifton Beach - awesome! Sun moved into a small window of clear sky and we saw the whole of totality, how lucky! Lots of people all along the beach, Palm Cove would have been packed. Photos later.

Cheers -

[iceman]

What an amazing experience.

We had cloud from sunrise right until 3 minutes before totality. Got all of totality without cloud and most of the final partial stages.

Was just so incredible.

This photo was taken by my wife with her iphone during totality. And yes, I still haven't wiped the smile off my face!

[fungussface]

I was at Holloways Beach about 15 kM north of Cairns Airport. Arrived as the sun popped its head up above the peninsula and below a band of cloud. A couple of photos and then it was gone. Sheer force of will from the thousands on the beach cleared the cloud about 5 minutes before the total eclipse. It was surreal. Had unrestricted views for about 30 minutes then cloud cover again so packed up and headed back to Cairns. Just before the highway the sun made a reappearance and I photographed the last 10 minutes of the eclipse. What an experience. Too good to be missed. Hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. Colin:rofl::eyepop:

[fungussface]

Enjoy. These are small. Will upload larger files later.
Colin

[shahgazer]

I made a last minute decision to go to Mareeba, and watch from Kerribee park.

And was greeted with 100% clear sunrise, and a remarkable Totality! 1 min 39 sec was simply too short! But worth the trip!

[Larryp]

Great photos!

[shahgazer]

Hi all,

Here are the 3 photos that I would like to share for now. I will be uploading more once I got a good internet line somewhere in Sydney in the next few days.

Views are from Kerribee Park in Mareeba.

It was a great adventure and a truly awesome eclipse, far surpass the one I saw back in 2006 in Turkey!

[FNQView]

What an amazing experience!! :eyepop: Mrs View & I observerved from a small hill at the back of Edmonton ( Southside Cairns Suburb ) and while we started with cloud, it cleared at about 1/4 in and had clear viewing from that point, through totality and back to full exposure again.

Did anyone else notice the strange " Shimmer Shadows " on the ground either side of totality ??

Does anyone know the name of this phenomenon ?

Was it caused by the the event occurring at such a shallow angle to the horizon or was it shadows of reflected radiation from the upper atmosphere?

Amazing stuff !!

FNQ_View

[iceman]

Brilliant photos Shah! Wish we could've met up!

[shahgazer]

Thanks Mike! Yup, It's unfortunate we couldn't meet up. Time seems to fly very fast here!

A lot of last minute decision has been made yesterday evening, and we decided to go inland. The amount traffic heading North somewhat freaks us out too! :eyepop:

Will be flying down to Sydney tomorrow morning, before heading to Coonabarabran this weekend for a 3 night stargazing... woo hoo :D

Maybe we can get another chance next year for the annular eclipse! :thumbsup:

[Phil Hart]

A group of mainly Mexicans and friends had a great morning together out west on the Mulligan Highway. Was also great to be joined by a few others on IIS who had seen my post when they were looking for last minute options which added to the group atmosphere.

Skies were clear through the night, aside from just a little low cloud around midnight, so we had been fairly relaxed about the weather but at sunrise thin high cloud became visible across most of the sky and particularly in the east.

The visual view of the eclipse was spellbinding and beautiful, but the cloud has affected corona imaging a great deal. Despite all the testing (even during the night), my scripts also didn't function as they did reliably in practise, but the most important bits were ok. Happily though I didn't look at the cameras much during totality, and having seen one eclipse previously I found I could take much more in this time.

At 2nd and 3rd contact the light seemed to flicker slowly (a bit like aperture flicker in a timelapse) as well as (I think) spotting some much faster shadow bands rippling on the ground in front of me. I think having an eclipse low in the sky also benefits from the 'moon illusion' with the corona seeming larger than I remember from 11 years ago with the eclipse high in a clear blue sky.

In binoculars there were some beautiful prominences, and I was surprised by how much their position and visibility changed during the two minutes.

An award of some sort goes to the driver zooming along the Mulligan Highway (away from the sun) as though nothing unusual was happening, despite being less than two minutes from second contact with the light already very weird and fading fast. Who does that?? Were they going to turn their lights on to keep driving through totality!!?

Hope you like these few images. The corona extent is very limited and subtle detail lost, but I'm very happy with some of the prominences and details at second and third contact imaged at 1300mm. I have some nice sequences of these showing the changes over 10 seconds or so at each end.

Given the highly uncertain nature of eclipse chasing, it was a great morning!

Phil

[FNQView]

Some amazing images in this thread - well done everyone.

After doing some more research ( on the bosses time no less :lol: ) I have determined that the Shimmer effect I referred to earlier was in fact " Shadow Bands "

As there seems to be a lack of information on this subject ( but an awful lot of theories and conjecture ) i am asking anyone who experienced these while observing today's Total Solar eclipse to record the details of their observations in my new thread

"Cairns 2012 Total eclipse shadow band observations."

FNQView

[Jen]

Omg omg omg that was the most amazing thing I have ever seen I am still trying to take in what I just witnessed today the intensity of watching the clouds disappear just in time made it so much more exciting it was such an emotional feeling that I cried :whistle: I joined up with mike salway and his family on the palm cove jetty :D with my hubby and drew :D oh my I still can't wipe this grin off my face and the after party was fantastic it was awesome to meet you all xoxoxoxoxo I can't wait to go through my pics, I'm one very happy astro chick right now :D

[Rob_K]

That truly sums it up Jen! :thumbsup: Great photos all, congratulations! Here's a few of mine, not that I've had much time to look at what I took.

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww271/Rob_Kau/TSE13Nov201220-40UTcrop.jpg
http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww271/Rob_Kau/DiamondRinginlightcloudTSE13Nov2012 20-39UTcrop.jpg
http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww271/Rob_Kau/Thincrescentpre-totality13Nov201320-35UTcrop.jpg

Cheers -

[Adelastro1]

Here's a couple of mine. Details on the images and more can be found at the thread below, plus my trip info!

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=99366&highlight=eclipse

[Danack]

Yep.

I wasted about 10 seconds of the totality watching a vehicle come along the highway with headlights on towards my spot, trying to figure out if I was hallucinating or if they could really be that incurious.

[Captain Charlie]

Saw the whole thing from 9,500 feet above Maitland Downs. 3 other planes up there milling around to the south. Very quiet on the airband radio until someone said "Look to the west". Just as totality started, a bunch of fireworks erupted from around nearby Adams Dam.

From where I was sitting, the approaching shadow looked like a dark swarm with no defined edges. Just a little bit spooky, like you see on the movies.

One of the passengers saw the shimmering/tunnel effect and someone else in a western suburb of Cairns reckon they saw it too.

Here's a link to the video recorded on a mobile phone which was taped to a window looking to the west. Any shimmering effect on the video seems to be from the auto-aperture and/or auto-white balance trying to cope with the low light. Just before totality, watch for the sunlight reducing in size on the wing strut (green-tinted light is through a window, and white light is direct from the sun):
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SP2hl-rsJasUYX2QakcTun9Q0R2M8bHt2Av0G6YL8 kI?feat=directlink

For the record, the following URL has our flightpath - when the page opens, click on the here link, and then the view link for 13/Nov/2012:
https://app.spidertracks.com/Home.mvc/ViewUserTracks?sid=7vyU7-Pq4VXyeMZ4y1IZNIb6jJ8-8foH5eUrERmCu2BtX50_k2UFZ83hNK0sLx4 2

Somebody said: "You don't usually see a sunset in the east, but today we did." We landed at Cairns at 7.30 and got to Palm Cove at 9.30 but it was back to normal tourist mode by then. Must have been the last person in Palm Cove wearing an IIS t-shirt. Where was the party?

[fungussface]

Thanks everyone for the amazing pics. It was such a special event. Where and when is the annular eclipse? Still grinning. Colin:D

[callingrohit]

Amazing snaps everyone - Phil, Shah, Wayne, fungussface, Rob et al.

I was experiencing the eclipse from my backyard in Brisbane and was shooting every 10 sec to create a timelapse.

At the same time I was watching it on ustream broadcast from palm cove beach and was really excited to see the clouds clearing up just before totality.

At 7.40am when the sun went higher up and I realised that my tripod doesn't allow me a further tilt to get the sun in the camera's FOV.

I rushed around to get my other tripod but its head wasn't strong enough to hold the camera at the angle.

And I just got frustrated and forgot that I had a HEQ5 Pro which I could have used with tracking off so that I could capture the eclipse with rotation.

I don't even feel like processing my pictures as they are of partial phases obviously but because I couldn't even cover the complete partial phases.

Anyways the wait is on for the Annular eclipse in May 2013.

Keep the awesome images flowing in.

[Eclipser]

In reply to Phil: at the beginning I was roughly at the same spot than you, but I finally decided to head north, after the reliefs, on the same Highway. I was in the "opposite" side of the central line, about 40km north from you.

Here is a picture I have taken from this spot. I attached the same image with what I consider as your cloud which obscured your view. Considering the geometry of the scene and the shape of the cloud, this seems very likely this is "your" cloud.

From my spot, the sun was ideally placed between two layers of cirrus (yours and another one on the left), we had a lot of chance. Maybe they could be seen on satellite images.

I've attached a map of our approximate positions (as far as I understood yours).

[lacad01]

To all the people who were able to see it first hand :thumbsup::thumbsup:, some really great images posted here. I was laid out in bed with the flu but was able to see it streamed on TV, but Sydney was clouded out so wouldn't have been able to have seen the partial first hand anyhow.
It's sad to know that the 4th post to this original thread was made by Vincent (cookie8) who passed away earlier this year...http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=563501&postcount=4

[Jen]

I'm going through some of the utube videos to find one recorded from palm cove I have been watching this one over and over again is there a way I can put this on a DVD to keep as a keepsake :D

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=g1AToj55P_w

[erick]

Jen, I've grabbed a couple of different formats. I'll PM you. Eric

[h0ughy]

I have to extend a huge thank you to Marchello for his hospitality of allowing 8 strangers to rock up to his orchard and view the eclipse late at night. thanks Cyclone. Awesome house!

The views from Mareeba were fantastic, missed first contact due to it being in the soup of cloud over Cairns, but got to see all of it including totality.

I however had an epic software failure - all 4 camera were being software driven and were working flawlessly (so i thought) with the partials but during totality the software did something odd - i only got 2 way over exposed shots dispute the continual ramping and clicking of the cameras - they were being actuated but i have no idea what happened. the pitfall of having to redo a script from scratch for an entirely new location. my original script allowed for the 2min but at Mareeba we only had 1min 31.7 seconds. Solar Eclipse Maestro had the timings nailed with the GPS - i could not fault that. but i made the decision that i was going to enjoy the totality rather than fix anything camera wise. glad i did. i am severely disappointed that i didn't get anything but i did get a video of totality and will upload that to utube . I wish to thank Alan Meehan my astro buddy - awesome trip Al - thank you:thumbsup:

to all the others who got to image the eclipse you have some awesome shots:thumbsup::thanx:

[Captain Charlie]

The next event is on November 28 but it's not an annular:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2012.html#LE2012Nov28N

[bojan]

I know how you feel - I had similar problem with EO (I should have used SETnC... maybe. But everything seemed to be just fine on the bench in Melbourne just two days earlier).

During eclipse, only one camera (out of of two) was clicking, but exposure times were all the same, starting from 4th one.
In hindsight, I could have activated video mode on failed camera.. but I wasn't thinking clearly during those couple of minutes prior to totality.. and I decided just to let it go...
Maybe this was the best decision that I could've made ;)

[AstralTraveller]

Hi,

Just made it back to an internet connection. We were at Adams Dam but had cloud on Monday and Tuesday mornings and so went further west. [We also had to leave that site for other reasons but I'll say more about that when I have all the facts.] We wound up at King Junction station just north of the King R. (and a big 'thank you' to John and Sandra for permission to camp). An English couple. Phil and Haj (spelling??) were at the station but no other astronomers ventured so far west. Fantastic quiet spot and no clouds at all. Didn't see any shadow effects as we didn't have any elevation but did see all the animals react to the changing light. Totallity was great of course but too too too short. That 1.58 min was over in a flash and we were left wanting more. The corona was smaller than in 2002, apparently due to the different stage of the sunspot cycle, but also perhaps due to dust and maybe some high haze.

I haven't even had a chance to have a look at my photos but, like so many others, things that worked perfectly at home decided to go wrong during the eclipse. I know I have fewer shots than there were in the script. My consulation is that I have a strong mental image that will last - I can still form a mental image of '02 and even 1983 in New Guinea.

Friends that stayed at the dam had good skies. Some saw it over the dam while other found a high spot about 10km away. One friend there certainly got good shots. At the dam some pillock decided to let off fireworks during totallity but it didn't affect them. They also played Dark Side of the Moon during the event :screwy:. Other friends were at Bustard Downs near Mt Carbine. I haven't spoken to them but all reports suggest they should also have had a good view.

I'll be home next weekend and do a more thorough post mortum then. One down side has been that I haven't meet up with anyone, though some friends were talking to supernova's mum.

Come on 2028!!! :thumbsup:

[cyclone]

No problems, it was my first allnighter since Cyclone Larry !!!

[fungussface]

Just let me know and I can send them to you hires. I was at holloways beach and had a great view. Colin

[h0ughy]

here is a small token of the night/morning (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=916265#post916265)

[h0ughy]

I wont say no - this is one spectacular event;)

[Captain Charlie]

Gary, would be interested to know if in '76 you saw the eclipse from aboard the chartered Cessna or just flew somewhere to watch it? (I was at Pambula looking over the ocean.)

[gary]

Hi Charlie,

You were right next door! :)

We flew Bankstown to Merimbula, landed and watched it from there at
the northern end of the airport. The airport is literally across the road
from the beach.

From memory it had been raining earlier but when we arrived
we had clear skies. We would have got airborne again if need be.

One distinct memory of that eclipse was the significant number of stars that
became observable at totality. By comparison, I glanced around quickly
last week and saw Venus and at least one or two other bright stars,
but in '76 I observed many more.

Lots of birds were also observed in '76 flying home to roost. :lol:

I shot off an entire roll of Kodachrome 25 which back then you would
ship to Kodak in those little yellow pre-paid envelopes. To my
disappointment, the processed transparencies never came back,
the only transparenices I ever shot that were never returned.

[Liz]

I wondered that too Gary .... memories of the '76 eclipse are hazy for me, but remember that it went quite dark, whereas 14/11 it went to ... twilight. Definitely Venus and a couple of stars, but skies still lightish???

Not sure why this is ....? distance of the Moon from us on the 2 occasions. :question:

[erick]

Looks like a school up here got seriously into the eclipse! :thumbsup:

[Jen]

:D :D :eyepop: wow wow wow i still cant wipe the grin off my face hahaha bring on the next one here is a couple of happy snaps that i took and check out the one of me and Mike Salway BIG GRINS hehehe :thumbsup:

127040

127041

127042

[ourkind]

That 2nd photo is really cool :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Good to see you wearing your IIS t-shirt too, I had mine on and got stopped a few times "where can I get one of those?" of course I happily told them :)

[iceman]

Great photos Jen, especially the last one ;)
Still can't wipe the smile from my face :)

[DarthWombat]

G'day all...

I finally got around to putting my eclipse footage on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/xMEyKgtW9TA

We were lucky enough to be able to see totality through a gap in the clouds. Although we were unable to see the diamond ring effects at the start and end of totality, several prominences can be seen and the clouds add a certain eerie atmosphere. Very LOTR.

The footage was taken using full HD video on a Nikon D5100 DSLR at prime focus through my ED120 F7.5 refractor on an HEQ5-Pro mount. There is no sound, but I wish I'd left it on to capture the "oohs" and "aahs" of the crowd.

Anyway, enjoy...

Alex.

[jjjnettie]

Great video Alex. Left a comment.
Jen jen, your photos are fantastic!!!

[Jen]

:D thanks nettie here is a few quick collages i was playing around with today :D this is fun :P

127120

127121

[jjjnettie]

What a brilliant idea, writing in the sand. You're so creative. :)

[StephenM]

That first collage is definately one for the wall Jen! Very cool.

Cheers,
Stephen

[AstroTourist]

Now that the eclipse is over and hopefully everyone is safely home, I would really appreciate your feedback on your 2012 eclipse experience.
As many of you know I was involved in providing information, advice and assistance to local authorities, Government Departments, the media etc on aspects of the eclipse that are of interest to astronomers, umbraphiles and the public as well as coordination of an eclipse education program for Queensland schools.
Can I please have any and all feedback on your eclipse experience from the perspective of how effectively local authorities, the Queensland government and emergency services prepared for this event and any impact this may have had on your eclipse experience. This will assist with a post event evaluation being conducted later this week and be especially useful for the authorities involved so that they can hopefully improve major event management in the future (unfortunately not for an eclipse!) and lessons learnt may be useful for eclipse preparations in other areas.
You can either respond on this thread or send a message direct to me (Click on my "AstroTourist" tag above and select "Send a private message" or "Send an email"). After I have responses, I will post a summary of comments. No one will be identified, and I will not pass on your response to anyone else.
To assist here are some suggested questions. Just copy and paste in your message and put your responses after each question or feel free to comment on just those things you think may be helpful. Please don’t hold back.

Your observing LOCATION: ….
Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? …….
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? …..
Access to WEATHER info? ....
Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? ….
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? …
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? …..
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? ……
What could have been managed better? …..
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? ….
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? ….
ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? …..
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? ….
Previous eclipse experience (totals) first eclipse, 1 - 5, 5+, etc? …..
age: up to 30, 30 - 55, 55+

Thanks very much for your comments & regards,
Terry Cuttle

[Davros]

Your observing LOCATION: ….Redcliffe Qld
Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? …….No problems
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? …..Nope
Access to WEATHER info? ....
Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? …. Nope
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? …Very few people with eclipse glasses, one group using green cellophane.
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? …..Home
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? ……
What could have been managed better? …..
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? ….
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? ….
ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? …..
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? ….
Previous eclipse experience (totals) first eclipse, 1 - 5, 5+, etc? …..
age: up to 30, 30 - 55, 55+

[axle01]

Your observing LOCATION: ....…..Cairns Esplanade

Ease of ACCESS to observing location ….......5 min drive from our motel

Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION ..........None got there about 4am

Access to WEATHER info? .......Looked out the motel window at 3am to see clouds.

Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? …......Yes we were booked to go up to Kuranda on the train but i was worried it would be clouded over so we took our chances on the Esplanade and forfeited the $750 cost which was a big mistake, we should of headed west, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES .........I had already made my own filters by cutting a rectangle hole out of a piece of cardboard and sticky taping the solar filter to the opening which was better than using the glasses that were being sold.

ACCOMMODATION .......I booked our accommodation over a year in advance.

Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS ...........No

What could have been managed better? ….......The Eclipse could have been later in the day after the cloud cleared.:lol:

Anything that went well that you want to comment on? …....Yeah the police moved a group of about 20 pommies that were drinking in one of the car parks, they were good about it and just gave them a warning for drinking in a public place.

Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? …......Always like visiting Cairns as it is only a 4 hour drive from Townsville without roadworks.

ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from …..Townsville Queensland Australia.

On an eclipse tour or independent travel? …...Independent

Previous eclipse experience ....... first eclipse that i can remember but i did see one when i was a very young kid.

age: ......To old to work to poor to retire, 60

[Bassnut]

Stayed at big 4 camping at Port Douglas, observed at 4 mile beach, no problem with anything :thumbsup: all good. After party at Palm Cove also all good, no probs at all.

[Rob_K]

Your observing LOCATION: Clifton Beach
Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? Easy
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? No problems
Access to WEATHER info? No problems
Did you RELOCATE due to weather and any problems with that? No
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? No comment
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? Good
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? No
What could have been managed better? Maybe extra public transport on eclipse day for those 'trapped' in Cairns?
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? All went well, couldn't ask for more
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? Positive


ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? Victoria
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? Independent travel
Previous eclipse experience (totals) first eclipse, 1 - 5, 5+, etc? 1-5
age: up to 30, 30 - 55, 55+: 55+ (dammit)


Cheers -

[ourkind]

Your observing LOCATION: …. Barrier reef In Cairns
Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? ……. Flew into Cairns ie Sydney to Cairns and taxi to hotel.
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? ….. No
Access to WEATHER info? .... Warm and Partly cloudy
Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? …. No
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? … good used eclipse glasses
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? ….. To easy booked it 12 months ago.
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? …… no
What could have been managed better? ….. Cloud activity
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? …. Hotel allowed guests to access rooftop for eclipse viewing out of normal access hours
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? …. Mostly positive but unfortunate number of drunks around town loitering and fighting with others.
ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? …..Sydney
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? ….independant
Previous eclipse experience (totals) first eclipse, 1 - 5, 5+, etc? …..first
age: up to 30, 30 - 55, 55+ .... 30-55.

[johnsonlau]

I would also like to give you the greatest thank you. I traveled all the way from Hong Kong to Cairns. Based on your webcams (with numerical and BoM forecasts), I made the final decision to move to Mareeba.

This video is taken in Mareeba: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1PpBTfaua4&feature=g-upl . You can not only see the Venus, but also a hot air balloon, which you won't see elsewhere!

[AstroTourist]

Thanks very much to those who have responded to my request of a couple of days ago for ECLIPSE FEEDBACK . However I have responses from only a small percentage of those who went. There is a review meeting of the Eclipse Task Force on this Thursday at which I have the opportunity to put views of the astronomy community. So can I have more responses please.

If your time is limited perhaps you could just respond with any comment on anything that did not go well and could be improved.

Thanks & regards,
Terry

[h0ughy]

Terry,

The weather reports were sketchy and not what an eclipse chaser would be looking for. I relied on actual visible cloud satellite data not supplied by the bureau to make my final decision. We went inland to 12km west of Mareeba on a property. The totality reduced from 2m2sec I had planned for at Glengarry caravan park at Port Douglas to 1min31.7 seconds at my new location.

Night driving highlighted the lack of reflective delineation on the inland roads but over all their condition was pretty good. As for the locals being helpful – generally yes they were.

It was the first eclipse for me and I was with a group of people 10-15 at the viewing location. Age was from 7 – 80plus. Skies cleared with about 1/8 cloud blocking the horizons north and east and the presence of high level cloud.

Biggest gripe was the price gouging for food everywhere. Fuel was to be expected and considering it was the shoulder of the off season they charged like wounded buffalo for accommodation. And this was booked over 2.5 years ago!!

Next gripe was the mobile coverage up there – extremely limited after you move away from the coast, at least we were fully covered at Mareeba.

The proposed road blockages were a complete turnoff for staying at some of the proposed vantage points on the coast.

Travelled from Newcastle NSW by air then hire car from cairns airport.

[shahgazer]

Hi Terry,

Here's my feedback

Your observing LOCATION: Mareeba
Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? No bad congestion from Cairns, except for heavy traffic at about 5 PM on the 13th of Nov.
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? Observed from Kerribee Park, Mareeba. Big place, with crowd of about 50-70 people spread out all over the place.
Access to WEATHER info? TV News and Weather.com. Good enough for me to make last minute decision
Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? Yes. Original plan was at Port Douglas. Then decided to go either Ellis Beach or Palm Cove. However after hearing tv weather news at about 3 PM on the 13th Nov, we decided to go inland to Mareeba
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? We brought along our own Eclipse glasses. Did not see anyone handling additional glasses at the observing site
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? Last minute change to Mareeba. Upon arriving there, no more hotels are available. So we have to go down to Atherthon , where there's only 1 room left!
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? No
What could have been managed better? Local authorities should provide more information for tourist regarding location, traffics, transportation on site. I have to depend mostly on internet and self survey, the day or two before the eclipse
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? ….
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? A nice place to hang around and visit. However I can't find any clear indication like parking space for publics, road closure signage. So for people visiting like me, it's a bit confusing and have to depends on the internet and website
ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? Malaysia.
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? Independent traveler (with wife)
Previous eclipse experience (totals) first eclipse, 1 - 5, 5+, etc? 2 (2006 in Turkey, 2009 in China)
age: 38

[Judith]

Hi Terry
Thanks for collecting this feedback - hope it helps for your next big event.

My observing location: Mulligan Hwy 10 km west of Mt Carbine
Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? Access was easy, no congestion or transport difficulties. Was a little put off by publicity beforehand about road closures and didn't understand why Cairns wasn't being more welcoming. Would have expected road closures that supported rather than denied access to observing sights. But did not affect me on the day.
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? ….. No problems
Access to WEATHER info? ....Relied on own sources
Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? …. Had previously decided that west of Mt Carbine would be best option and stuck with that
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? …Saw none tho was told that eclipse glasses were being sold by camp ground
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? …..Great camp ground at Mt Carbine
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? ……Did not attend
What could have been managed better? …..
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? ….
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? ….Mostly positive
ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? …..drove from northern NSW... oh man - the roadworks!!!
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? ….independent
Previous eclipse experience (totals): first eclipse
Age: 62

[Rob_K]

Hi Terry - just a few things I thought of beyond my earlier reply.

The merchandising for the eclipse seemed fairly poor and I don't think the retailers realised what they were missing out on. The one eclipse postcard was fairly ubiquitous but there was little else. Tens of thousands of eclipse nutters from all round the world gathered in a tiny strip of FNQ, and little to take home as a souvenir. T-shirts were rare but I did pick up a fairly bland one at Palm Cove. I asked quite a few retailers at Port Douglas about eclipse T-shirts but they all looked at me blankly! We had 6 overseas people in our little group and all would have bought T-shirts if anything decent was on offer - as it stands we're going to print our own. I saw a weird eclipse 'sculpture' at one shop in PD but you had to register to get one and there was no price. A man was selling his self-produced eclipse videos at a community market at Mossman on the Saturday after but I didn't see them for sale anywhere else.

I don't mean this as a criticism, just a big opportunity lost. You can bet the 2017 eclipse in the US will be massively merchandised.

As far as price-gouging goes, I didn't see any evidence of it myself accommodation or food-wise. Gouging can occur but usually complaints are by people who don't understand what it takes to run tourism businesses and the reasons why there are different rates. I spoke to several business people in Cairns and some said that this was the busiest time they had EVER experienced in the region. Not really 'off-season'! These are prime international visitor destinations so you expect to pay. And I expected things to be a bit more expensive there in any case, it's a long way from the big cities. We did the Red Centre after Cairns - definitely off-season there but that was so much more expensive again (except in Alice Springs). However there was no gouging going on that I could see.

Cheers -

[Shark Bait]

Your observing LOCATION: …. Redcliffe Jetty, Queensland 83% partial eclipse
Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? ……. No problems, used own transport
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? ….. The main show was in FNQ, so there were some people around but no large crowds
Access to WEATHER info? .... TV, news, radio and the net. Lots of information available but not all of it accurate.
Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? …. No need. Perfect conditions on the morning of the eclipse.
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? … One couple were using a 2nd hand $2 welders mask. It was unlikely to be rated for solar viewing. I met the same group that Davros mentioned using the packet of green celeophane.
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? …..
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? ……
What could have been managed better? …..
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? …. Not applicable to me. I live fairly close to Redcliffe.
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? …. Recent upgades to the Redcliffe CBD have made it a nice place to spend time in.
ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? ….. Brisbane
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? …. Independent
Previous eclipse experience (totals) first eclipse, 1 - 5, 5+, etc? ….. Nil
age: up to 30, 30 - 55, 55+ 30-55

Thanks very much for your comments & regards,
Terry Cuttle

[Captain Charlie]

That's very true Rob and thanks for balancing the discussion. Many businesses in Cairns are only open for 6-9 months of the year and close during the wet season, so customers overall pay for the overheads that are still incurred while the businesses are closed. Plus the tropical climate means air-conditioning foodstuffs etc is a permanent feature (mould is not attractive), so up goes the electricity bill compared with the southern states. And when the wet season blocks the Bruce Highway each year, cargo-carrying 747's fly in to replenish the supermarkets, and guess who pays for that!

I actually live in Palm Cove and the price for a decent meal here is twice what I'd pay in ritzy Toorak (Melbourne). And for regular groceries, $100 at the Palm Cove convenience store gets the same items at nearby Clifton Beach Coles for only $60, and even cheaper at nearby Smithfield Shopping Centre because there's competition between Coles and Woolworths.

It's a good point you make about the opportunity lost from the eclipse. There's very little medium-term thinking up here about investing in visitors so that they come back again, or perhaps even decide to live here. It seems business people just want the cash now and worry about when the next batch of Chinese middle class will arrive. You can see it in the way Cairns Airport has marketed itself since it was privatised two years ago.

That said, I hope everyone enjoyed their time here in Far North Queensland, even though the build-up to the wet season isn't always our most splendid weather. It's a great place to live as a lifestyle choice and just happens to also be a tourist destination. Thank you for travelling so far to be here.

[Rob_K]

LOL, I did notice one thing in regard to a recent thread on IIS about daylight saving in Queensland. While the State is in favour of DST overall, the Far North is against it on numbers. I didn't give it much thought at the time, assuming that compelling reasons of some sort existed in FNQ.

Having been there I can't for the life of me understand the reasoning. Who wants sunlight streaming through the bedroom window at 5:30 in the morning, and who wants to be turning car headlights on at 6pm? We did a fair bit of touring and unless you made an early start :rolleyes: you simply ran out of daylight hours.

DST would seem to ideally suit FNQ with their shorter summer daylight hours, in fact far better than in the far south where daylight persists till 9:30 at night in midsummer! Or am I missing something??? ;)

Cheers -