Annular Solar Eclipse 10 May 2013
We had the intention to go to Kiribati in 2009. It would have been for the total solar eclipse in 2009. Though, flights were far too expensive and we chose for China. The annular solar eclipse of 10 May 2013 was once more in Kiribati. Flights dropped in price and we booked our flights well in advance. First a few days in Fiji, flight to Tarawa, Kiribati and after a week back for a few days in Fiji. Not many options for scheduled flights but we booked Monday in and back out the next Monday. Accommodation? Hmmm … we only booked about 4 weeks prior our departure. A bit of a panic as there is not much accommodation to find. A few on the south Tarawa island, and only one or two on the north Tarawa island.
After a few reminders, we got replies from two places and we choose a “resort” in the desolated northern Tarawa island. The images and description on their webpages was promising! We shared them on our Facebook accounts and we were well excited about the place.
First a 12 hour flight to Honk Kong, than a 12 hours flight to Fiji. A few days relaxing and snorkeling at First Landing side in Fiji. Another 3 hours flight to Tarawa and from there a short bumpy road and a small local boot crossing to our bamboo platform on sticks. What a place, what a holiday! It was like heaven. Joanne and I were the only tourists within the northern Tarawa tribe and we were so well looked after. No shortage of food. A very extended breakfast and a similar quality and volume for dinner. Drinks were not always available. But after a day or so, the locals knew we needed our daily dose of beer. They made sure the deliveries from the southern Tarawa island delivered our needs on beer.
The bamboo platform on sticks (see picture) could house 6 matrasses, though we were on our own and the matrass was foreseen with mosquito net, although the winds did blew through and no flies or mosquitos have been noticed. The blue lagoon was our private swimming pool which we shared with local fisherman and their children. We could not get over this paradise and we enjoyed our week very much indeed. We challenged ourselves visiting the southern Tarawa island but we quickly came back from this dirty, smelly, ugly, noisy ants nest. What a contrast!
The days were hot with loads of blue sky. Now and then some clouds, but overall quite alright for the timings of the annular solar eclipse. That was promising. The day before, at eclipse time, all the instruments were tested as it should. We had the Lunt35 H-Alfa solar telescope, with DMK41 CCD camera on EQ2 motor driven mount. Although some bamboo on sticks, we could charge our gear. We also had the C90 telescope with Thousand Oaks solar filter. Just for visual viewing. It was the purpose the image at least first and forth contact and from before second until after third contact. Imaging a frame a second and I also calculated magnitude, altitude of the eclipsed Sun upfront, so I could image at given intervals (see graph). Well prepared and all set. For the local gusty winds we would use a big table on side to cover the instruments for vibrations. I knew we had to move the instruments to avoid the palm tree leaves and to accommodate ourselves for laptop battery life. With the transit of Venus last year we knew that the lap top batteries do not last long in these circumstances. The altitude of the Sun was not in our favor either. Not a problem for 54 latitude north with the counter weight of the telescope, but at equator level, the weighting seems completely different. We got around it and it was good to do the rehearsal the day before.
Eclipse day! Why would it be different? It was heavy cloudy and it looked it was going to rain, or even storm. Oh dear … There was a double rainbow in the morning. That was the positive sight... At 09h we had heavy rain. The eclipse was going to start at 10h15… The rain stopped at about 09h40. The sky opened up and it was time to set up – we had half an hour to go for first contact. Still now and then some clouds, but not drastic and not really disturbing. Focusing the H-Alfa with DMK41 is always tricky and I was nervous – time is running…
I noticed Contact I earlier that Jo in the C90. The eclipse started and imaging was smoothly and good. It was a fantastic view and it looked like the images would be as good as the visual view. The locals came over and had a look through the sunshades we brought. Jo let them have a look through the C90 and I gave them a glimpse on the laptop projection. They could not understand how it was working. The eclipse progressed. It was not as dark as expected. The crescents where visible under the palm trees. No shadow bands before or after annularity and I did not make the time to look at the planets around the eclipsed sun.
Some prominences were so beautiful at the edge of the eclipsed Sun. Some were visible at the edge of the Moon! That observation through the Lunt35 was fantastic!!! We expected to see annularity rather more asymmetric as we knew we were a little north of the central line. Though, it did not show that much as the eclipse progressed. After Contact III there were more clouds and we even had a few drops of rain at about 13h07. Then there were heavy clouds. It was rather hard to keep the sequence imaging up but it got better again at 13h30. In total there were nearly 3000 images with the DMK41 CCD camera. Also some panoramic pictures from the bamboo bridge to show the horizon views.
With the Lunt35 I noticed about 1 minute longer annularity that with the C90. So it was about 7 minutes annularity in Lunt35 while it was 6 minutes with C90. What a wonderful experience, what a wonderful annular solar eclipse, what a place? Wow!!! Once the eclipse over, we were ready for some beers. Uganda, here we come.
General footage http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cde3TBkt3gg
Annular eclipse footage http://youtu.be/H_VyKGIIhEU
We had the intention to go to Kiribati in 2009. It would have been for the total solar eclipse in 2009. Though, flights were far too expensive and we chose for China. The annular solar eclipse of 10 May 2013 was once more in Kiribati. Flights dropped in price and we booked our flights well in advance. First a few days in Fiji, flight to Tarawa, Kiribati and after a week back for a few days in Fiji. Not many options for scheduled flights but we booked Monday in and back out the next Monday. Accommodation? Hmmm … we only booked about 4 weeks prior our departure. A bit of a panic as there is not much accommodation to find. A few on the south Tarawa island, and only one or two on the north Tarawa island.
After a few reminders, we got replies from two places and we choose a “resort” in the desolated northern Tarawa island. The images and description on their webpages was promising! We shared them on our Facebook accounts and we were well excited about the place.
First a 12 hour flight to Honk Kong, than a 12 hours flight to Fiji. A few days relaxing and snorkeling at First Landing side in Fiji. Another 3 hours flight to Tarawa and from there a short bumpy road and a small local boot crossing to our bamboo platform on sticks. What a place, what a holiday! It was like heaven. Joanne and I were the only tourists within the northern Tarawa tribe and we were so well looked after. No shortage of food. A very extended breakfast and a similar quality and volume for dinner. Drinks were not always available. But after a day or so, the locals knew we needed our daily dose of beer. They made sure the deliveries from the southern Tarawa island delivered our needs on beer.
The bamboo platform on sticks (see picture) could house 6 matrasses, though we were on our own and the matrass was foreseen with mosquito net, although the winds did blew through and no flies or mosquitos have been noticed. The blue lagoon was our private swimming pool which we shared with local fisherman and their children. We could not get over this paradise and we enjoyed our week very much indeed. We challenged ourselves visiting the southern Tarawa island but we quickly came back from this dirty, smelly, ugly, noisy ants nest. What a contrast!
The days were hot with loads of blue sky. Now and then some clouds, but overall quite alright for the timings of the annular solar eclipse. That was promising. The day before, at eclipse time, all the instruments were tested as it should. We had the Lunt35 H-Alfa solar telescope, with DMK41 CCD camera on EQ2 motor driven mount. Although some bamboo on sticks, we could charge our gear. We also had the C90 telescope with Thousand Oaks solar filter. Just for visual viewing. It was the purpose the image at least first and forth contact and from before second until after third contact. Imaging a frame a second and I also calculated magnitude, altitude of the eclipsed Sun upfront, so I could image at given intervals (see graph). Well prepared and all set. For the local gusty winds we would use a big table on side to cover the instruments for vibrations. I knew we had to move the instruments to avoid the palm tree leaves and to accommodate ourselves for laptop battery life. With the transit of Venus last year we knew that the lap top batteries do not last long in these circumstances. The altitude of the Sun was not in our favor either. Not a problem for 54 latitude north with the counter weight of the telescope, but at equator level, the weighting seems completely different. We got around it and it was good to do the rehearsal the day before.
Eclipse day! Why would it be different? It was heavy cloudy and it looked it was going to rain, or even storm. Oh dear … There was a double rainbow in the morning. That was the positive sight... At 09h we had heavy rain. The eclipse was going to start at 10h15… The rain stopped at about 09h40. The sky opened up and it was time to set up – we had half an hour to go for first contact. Still now and then some clouds, but not drastic and not really disturbing. Focusing the H-Alfa with DMK41 is always tricky and I was nervous – time is running…
I noticed Contact I earlier that Jo in the C90. The eclipse started and imaging was smoothly and good. It was a fantastic view and it looked like the images would be as good as the visual view. The locals came over and had a look through the sunshades we brought. Jo let them have a look through the C90 and I gave them a glimpse on the laptop projection. They could not understand how it was working. The eclipse progressed. It was not as dark as expected. The crescents where visible under the palm trees. No shadow bands before or after annularity and I did not make the time to look at the planets around the eclipsed sun.
Some prominences were so beautiful at the edge of the eclipsed Sun. Some were visible at the edge of the Moon! That observation through the Lunt35 was fantastic!!! We expected to see annularity rather more asymmetric as we knew we were a little north of the central line. Though, it did not show that much as the eclipse progressed. After Contact III there were more clouds and we even had a few drops of rain at about 13h07. Then there were heavy clouds. It was rather hard to keep the sequence imaging up but it got better again at 13h30. In total there were nearly 3000 images with the DMK41 CCD camera. Also some panoramic pictures from the bamboo bridge to show the horizon views.
With the Lunt35 I noticed about 1 minute longer annularity that with the C90. So it was about 7 minutes annularity in Lunt35 while it was 6 minutes with C90. What a wonderful experience, what a wonderful annular solar eclipse, what a place? Wow!!! Once the eclipse over, we were ready for some beers. Uganda, here we come.
General footage http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cde3TBkt3gg
Annular eclipse footage http://youtu.be/H_VyKGIIhEU