Yes WE SAW THE ECLIPSE

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

sorry for shouting, and Les has already posted the details but man oh man...rain and cloud all day -except for the exact 15 minutes or so around totality

my first ever total

simply awesome

and we are so so so lucky

all the forecasts were hopeless

we debated a long time the previous night..should we drive 4 and a half hours west where it may -just may be better? finally we decided that no lets stick with the place where all the arrangements have already been made

the site chosen by our hosts was fantastic..would have been worth visiting even if we had nothing else on our minds-a really picturesque site

there were 650 people there by the time we got there-a 1000 were expected

we saw Taiwanese, Jaanese, Koreans and Americans-sure there must have been others as well, but the place was so huge we didnt see everyone there


half an hour before totality we had given up hope. the rain was steady, the cloud solid

then the miracle.

just 5 minutes or so before totality-a clear patch

a mad scramble by those who had given up earlier to get their gear

and then the magic of the longest total solar eclipse of the century..uninterrupted by cloud

our tour guide later suggested we should maybe buy a lottery-the winnings we will need to go next year's event at easter island this break was so totally unexpected

some people got fanatastic images,

I myself got a picture or two, but for the most part I followed the advice-for your first eclipse, observe don't get caught up in trying to image and lose the moment

I saw the whole event through my 12 x 60 binos-except for the few images I took.

what can I say that hasnt been said before-except agree its something any amateur astronomer should do at least once before you die.

stunning and awesome just dont cut it as descriptors but will do.

And then just a few minutes after the totality..the cloud and the rain came back.

and as the cliche goes everyone after the event was planning the next one-maybe Easter Island is too hard but Cairns 2012? you bet!

Narayan

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

Here's my diamond ring-no processing, dont have photoshop

[Lester]

Hi Narayan, I enjoyed reading your report of this wonderful event, and glad the clouds parted for you to view the eclipse.

I agree its something everyone should see at least once.

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Nice report Narayan. Go buy yourself a lottery ticket for sure. If you win that too I'm going to be even more jealous. LOL!

I wish I was there with you guys and my little FS60 and the TSP-II.

[Baddad (Marty)]

Hi Narayan,

Jealous, Jealous, Jealous.

Happy for ya'.
I've, seen partial eclipses, Hoping to see my first total.

Just deviating a little. Yesterday, I was listening to ABC Radio about the event.

Superstitous people were advising pregnant women not to allow their babies to be born on the day of a total eclipse. To hang on until the day after. Water becomes undrinkable, food becomes inedible, terrorist attacks occur and devastating natural disasters will happen.

Nice pix. Good to hear ya' enjoyed it, so lucky for the sky to clear. Its a long wait for the next one.

Cheers Marty

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Congratulations. It's great to read such a good luck story - too often we hear about cloud arriving at the last moment and ruining things. You must have been so elated when the cloud cleared.

Taking photos is all very nice but in one sense you don't need them. This event will be burned into your memory forever. I can still see the '83 and 2002 eclipses in my mind.

Hopefully I'll see you in Cairns in 2012. I am due for long service leave in July 2012 and I've already told my boss I won't be around in Oct and Nov that year.

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

You must have been so elated when the cloud cleared.

I'll bet the organisers were too!

[TrevorW]

The Gods must have been smiling on you

Well done

[cookie8 (Vincent)]

What a story Narayan!!
I regret now that I did not go. To be honest I finally decided not to go was because the chance of good weather this time of the year in Shanghai was very ordinary. Everyone said that. Now I am kicking myself. I thought seeing it in Ceduna was lucky but you are 10 times luckier.
Jealous.....

[spacezebra (Petra)]

Excellent report Narayan

And the pics are stunning!

Cheers Petra d.

[Robh (Rob)]

Narayan,

Haven't long been back myself from Darwin and Kakadu.
Wonderful lead in description to the eclipse and a fortuitous outcome.
Looks like you were destined to see the event!
Nice picture. Imagine we will get a full report at our next meeting.

Regards, Rob

[Jen]

Thanks for sharing your story Narayan
Wow talk about timing
I would have loved to have seen that
Nice pic

[AstroTourist (Terry)]

Well done Narayan.
But for our group in China the eclipse weather was not so lucky. A change moved south over pretty much the whole of the eclipse track in eastern china the evening before the eclipse.
We were to the east of Hangzhou at the Yaguan viewing site for the “Black Dragon” tidal bore in Hangzhou bay. With a group of about 30 from Aus & NZ. It was cloudy all morning and the clouds generally built up. It rained round about first contact which felt pretty miserable. There were a few thin spots in the cloud where we could watch the progress of the partial phases.
Then it stayed cloudy for the whole of totality. But just at the end of totality a thin spot passed so that we could see the third contact diamond ring through cloud but too quick for most to photograph.
My camera was continuously running on a program set in the laptop and with a pretty extreme curves adjustment I can see a glimmer of bailays beads and maybe a prominence through the thinning cloud.
During totality it was very dark. Darker than I recall at any previous eclipse. It is the only totality where I have seen lightening! The fireworks set off by the Chinese were an interesting disrtraction.
The partial phases were again intermittently visible through thin spots in the cloud.
As someone said, all a bit like going to the opera and trying to listen to it from outside the hall.
The tidal bore about an hour after 4th contact was spectacular. The tide constantly running out in the bay until it came in all at once with a series of 2 metre waves and the tide rose about 2 & a half meters in the space of just 5 minutes.
Terry (in Shanghai)

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

Ok back yesterday, it was a wonderful though tiring trip and flight back, so need a day or so to recover

Though I mostly observed the event visually, here are three images that will help preserve the memory at least for myself

larger versions available on my flickr account if anyone is interested

Narayan

[h0ughy (David)]

Brilliant images Narayan, you are a lucky person. Would indeed have left an indelible impression in your memory that’s for sure

[JimmyH155]

That tidal bore you saw, Astro tourist must have been quite something. Many years ago, I was in a little 3 metre boat (with 1.5hp Seagull motor) on the River Severn in Gloucestershire. Suddenly behind me I heard a roaring sound, and there coming around a bend in the river was this wall of water. AAAGGGGHHHH I turned the little boat around and headed straight for the middle where there was still some unbroken water - WOW what a ride! I met it head on, then turned round and followed the tide. Too fast for my anchor, I just ran for the shore, jumped out and pulled the boat up and up, as the tide rose so fast.
The Severn bore is second to that one in China you saw!!

[Paul Haese]

Narayan, I always knew we were going to see it. Many people were calling me optimistic, but that is the way I am. In astronomy things sometimes don't go to plan, but I knew deep down I would see the corona once more. It was a fantastic day and I was really happy for those that got to see the corona for the first time. It will be their special eclipse as Ceduna was mine. Maybe it was my anti rain dance that helped. Who knows, but I am stoked we saw it.

Great description of that day, thanks for posting.

[matt]

Great report Narayan, and the best pics of the event I have seen so far.

What an experience you guys must have had.

Great stuff