|
www.eclipse-chasers.com Gallery Report Programmer: Bill Kramer Last update: April 17 2015 |
Eclipse Chaser
(noun) - Anyone that wants to see a total solar eclipse. 
Search Eclipse Chasers Site |
Report
Baja 1991This eclipse will always be remembered for the fantastic display of prominences at 2nd and 3rd contacts. Anyone that saw the 1991 eclipse using binoculars or a small telescope will report that these were exceptional prominences with very large complex shapes. One was floating above the surface and the other appeared to look like a horse head. We observed this eclipse on land from the grounds of the Presidente luxury resort hotel located on the Baja peninsula near the town of Cabo San Lucas.
The hotel was very nice, in fact it was first class. And there was a lot to do in the area thus we enjoyed a wonderful stay in the hot sun of July. We ended up with a wonderful room. The room we originally had reserved was still occupied when we got there by some luggage. The previous occupant had vacated about a week ago to go scuba diving and had not been heard of since. His credit card was still good and thus the room was not available. Something to think about when traveling alone in another country! That person's bad luck was our good luck as we ended up in a suite overlooking the pool and out into the sea of Cortez.
The day of the eclipse started with people slowly moving equipment out of their rooms and to the beach area. To the north of the resort was a bird sanctuary and many selected this location as a way to escape the constant breeze from the water. Although most had arrived by air there were quite a few people that had driven to the eclipse. A variety of equipment was on display in the sand that day.
Not all equipment puts up with sand well. After the eclipse was over I heard numerous people complaining about malfunctions. The duration of this eclipse did permit some fiddling during totality. I changed film in my SLR shooting two complete rolls of 36 exposures. I was lucky, the sand spared me. However it was not until after the eclipse that I learned just how lucky I'd been. There were stories of automatic winders stopping, focusing knobs locked in place, and sand covered lenses.
Everyone who had experienced a malfunction did state that after fiddling a bit they gave up and just enjoyed the show. And what a show it was!
It is important to keep that in mind when photographing an eclipse. If things don't work, just relax and enjoy the show. With all the other cameras around you can be sure to find someone willing to share a few images.
The eclipse was in the afternoon for us in Baja Mexico. It was a hot day as can be expected when it is clear and July in that part of the world. As the sun was slowly eaten by the moon the temperature dropped enough to be noticed. At this point our main fear was that clouds would form up overhead. Fortunately the winds kept any clouds that did form moving quickly and nothing serious ever developed.
When the eclipse was just about total Denise looked to the west. Across the hills to the west she could see the shadow moving swiftly on us and a glorious diamond ring appeared in the sky. There were very thin clouds but none in the way of our view. What a fantastic view it was.
A cheer rose up from the crowd of eclipse chasers on the beach. This was to be a long eclipse, relatively speaking. There was plenty of time to look, applaud, and take pictures.
A very large prominence was visible just as the photosphere slide behind the moon. It seemed to dance above the surface of the sun with thin legs reaching back to the chromosphere. This was the best prominence I have seen to date.
If you have every seen the sun through a hydrogen alpha filter then you have a feel for the color of the prominence. Variations of that deep red are augmented with pink and white - it was amazing. Much better than a hydrogen alpha telescope because you can see the promineces and the corona.
The corona extended way out to each side of the black moon with numerous twists and swirls. Through the telescope the swirls resolved into more swirls radiating out from the edge. Around the prominences magnetic helmets of glowing corona were clearly seen. Fine strands of angel hair stretching out from the dark blackness of the moon. It is simply beautiful to behold.
The moon was dark but not completely black. Subtle shades of dark grey illuminated by the reflected light of the Earth. Nothing in comparison to the bright corona and prominences but it was visible, especially through a telescope.
As the eclipse progressed to about the half way point another prominence could be seen growing out of the opposite limb of the large floating bed of fire. As the six minutes of totality clicked by this prominence rose majestically from the limb and presented an image that looked something like a flaming horse head.
The final diamond ring was spectacular. Starting near the "neck" of the horse head shape the photosphere burst through a wide canyon on the edge of the moon returning the land to light. We could not see the shadow racing away across the water towards mainland Mexico from our vantage point.
