Eclipse success at sea
For 36 seconds, the Moon covered the Sun in the South Pacific.
Michael E. Bakich
 The Sun broke through the clouds just as totality began on April 8. Pink prominences and the pearly corona rim the silhouetted Moon. Equipment used: William Optics 80mm Megrez II refractor and Canon EOS 10D digital camera. Mike Reynolds [View Larger Image] |
| April 11, 2005 Astronomy magazine and Astronomical Tours hosted a group of 50 travelers for Friday's total solar eclipse. Three hundred shipmates from other tours joined us aboard the M/S Paul Gauguin, captained by Gilles Boussard. Meteorite specialist Mike Reynolds and I led the group. We were both gratified by how well our pre-eclipse talks had been received. |
 The diamond-ring effect heralded the end of the eclipse's brief totality. Equipment used: William Optics 80mm Megrez II refractor and Canon EOS 10D digital camera. Mike Reynolds [View Larger Image] At the last moment, the Sun emerged from the clouds and the diamond ring appeared just before totality began. Through binoculars, red prominences and the silvery corona left viewers awestruck. Venus appeared as a brilliant starlike object 2 degrees east (right) of the Sun. We saw no other planets or stars. "Give Captain Boussard lots of credit," said Reynolds, "He was totally flexible and a joy to work with. I've seen three eclipses aboard ship, and this was in many ways the most dramatic." Everyone aboard cheered loudly in unison when the ship's horn blared at totality's end. Among happiness, amazement, and relief, one thought predominated: Let's get ready for the next total eclipse March 29, 2006! |
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