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Thanks Krishan, Ted and Pete for the commiserations but it's not necessry.
I guess the thing that surprised and disappointed me was that I made this very basic mistake after so many successful eclipse captures.
But the most important thing is always to see it, experience the wind, temperature changes, see the umbra engulf the sky and all the eclipse phenomena. The photography is obviously important but secondary to a great sensory experience. That’s why I don’t do eclipse flights even when a flight is the only way to see an eclipse. Too much of the experience is missing. The experience this time was fantastic.
Before the eclipse began, the Tetons, about 80 miles away, were barely visible as the palest of outlines on the horizon due to smoke and air haze between us and them scattering light. The umbra passed over our heads and swallowed the sun, diamond ring. The true temperature dropped and the apparent temperature dropped even more thanks to a cool breeze. I love that cold, always gives me a little shiver. Adds to the drama.
The umbra continued its sweep eastwards shading that smoke and denying the smoke and air particles of light to scatter. The Tetons, still lit by the shrinking sun suddenly lit up as though someone turned on flood lights . They briefly glowed bright orange until the umbra reached them and they fell into darkness. Then they became silhouetted against the burnt orange sunlit sky coming from perhaps two hundred kilometers away. It was spectacular. After the eclipse, I began to doubt my memory, wondering if I had actually seen that or just imagined it. But on reviewing a voice recording I made, I heard Alex Scutt, the third eclipse chaser in our group also remarking with great excitement about the very same spectacle.
The air over our heads was relatively clear. We arrived early and drove around and found that location with a lot less smoke than other areas not far away. As a result, the umbra was visible to a large solar radii multiple. I didn't get a good estimate but it was the second largest corona I've seen and I thought about 3/4 the size of the one I saw in Bolivia in 1994.
cheers
Joe
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