A total eclipse of the sun is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. It starts by traveling to some exotic location; in my case the altiplano of Bolivia in 1994, the Caribbean island of Curacao in 1998, and the Sahara Desert in Libya in 2006; being trucked to some god-forsaken place on what is known as the “center line” (the point of longest duration). Then spending an hour setting up telescopes and photo gear. If you go with a tour as I did (highly recommended – let someone else worry about the logistics while you tend to your eclipse watching) you get to hang out with people just as crazy as you are; people who will travel to the other side of the earth for 3 to 4 minutes of darkness.
But it’s not just any darkness. It’s not like the sun going down with the reddish tones of light we associate with sunset. Imagine having a dimmer switch on the world, then suddenly turning the switch down until its black. The dimming light has a steely blue quality to it. And the centerpiece… High above is the strangest sight you could ever see; the eclipsed sun.
It’s a fleeting phenomenon. My three eclipses lasted 3 minutes 6 seconds, 3 minutes 40 seconds, and 4 minutes 4 seconds respectively. It’s a tricky thing to photograph, and being too obsessive with taking pictures can take away from the experience. I realized too late during my first two eclipses that I only really saw them through the camera viewfinder.
At the last eclipse in Libya I took a little extra time, watching the shadow of the moon wash over us (in the flatness of the desert I could actually see the shadow coming towards me), shadow bands – odd shadows that look like shimmering water, rippling across the ground, the first diamond ring, then totality… that magnificent sight that made it all worthwhile. Then I started shooting pictures. I had set up shop next to South African astronomer Peter Tiedt. I can be seen on a video of Peter’s viewing site (I’m wearing shorts and a tank top and standing on the left of the screen). You can see my hesitation at totality as I instinctively dive for my camera, but then hold back to watch for a few seconds. Photographs can’t do it justice.
Also check out the websites set up by my fellow eclipse chasers John and Oksana and world-renowned eclipse videographer David Makepeace.