Total Solar Eclipse 09 March 2016
The total solar eclipse of 2016 was visible in Asia. This is one Saros later than the one Joanne and I witnessed in Antigua in 1998 and two Saros later than the one I witnessed in Kenya in 1980. The map below shows the path of totality and the partial solar eclipse zone. Maps by Michael Zeiler. See his fantastic site @ http://greatamericaneclipse.com
The total solar eclipse of 2016 was visible in Asia. This is one Saros later than the one Joanne and I witnessed in Antigua in 1998 and two Saros later than the one I witnessed in Kenya in 1980. The map below shows the path of totality and the partial solar eclipse zone. Maps by Michael Zeiler. See his fantastic site @ http://greatamericaneclipse.com
Choices to select from for this total solar eclipse. Map by Michael Zeiler. See his fantastic site @ http://greatamericaneclipse.com
Weather forecast by Jay Anderson (See webpages @ http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~jander/tot2016/tot2016.htm )
Our plan was to observe this "total" solar eclipse from the Northern edge from Eastern Borneo. Map on our request produced by Michael Zeiler (See http://greatamericaneclipse.com. Lunar profiles and local circumstances for different observation sites extracted from Xavier Jubier's webpages (See @ http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2016_GoogleMapFull.html )
The sky at totality for our position (map from Xavier Jubier's webpages @ http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2016_GoogleMapFull.html)
Lunar profile and contact pointss for our observation from Xavier's webpages
General webpages to see if you are in the path of totality or in the zone of partial solar eclipse http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0112016/
With local circumstances of the majority of the cities, and even an animation for the locations of visibility. See for example of Denpasar in Bali http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0112016/Denpasar_Indonesia_2016Mar08_anim.gif
where you will witness a partial solar eclipse. Or Balikpapan in Borneo for totality http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0112016/Balikpapan_Indonesia_2016Mar08_anim.gif
With local circumstances of the majority of the cities, and even an animation for the locations of visibility. See for example of Denpasar in Bali http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0112016/Denpasar_Indonesia_2016Mar08_anim.gif
where you will witness a partial solar eclipse. Or Balikpapan in Borneo for totality http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0112016/Balikpapan_Indonesia_2016Mar08_anim.gif
For Balikpanpan, Indonesia:
The last solar eclipse was a partial solar eclipse on 2013 May 09-10
The next solar eclipse will be a partial solar eclipse on 2019 December 26
The last total solar eclipse was on 1901 May 18
The next total solar eclipse (after this 2016 March 08-09) will be on 2501 Feb 19
The last annular solar eclipse was on 1528 November 12
The nexr annular solar eclipse will be on 2042 October 13-14
The last solar eclipse was a partial solar eclipse on 2013 May 09-10
The next solar eclipse will be a partial solar eclipse on 2019 December 26
The last total solar eclipse was on 1901 May 18
The next total solar eclipse (after this 2016 March 08-09) will be on 2501 Feb 19
The last annular solar eclipse was on 1528 November 12
The nexr annular solar eclipse will be on 2042 October 13-14
In preparation: Sun altitude, versus eclipse magnitude on UT time scale for Balikpapan and on timings set for imaging Lunt35
Some selected cities with start, maximum, end of partial phase and magnitude:
Cairns 00h12 01h12 02h15 18%
Hong Kong 00h05 00h58 01h56 22%
Shanghai 00h41 01h41 02h10 9%
Jakarta 23h19 00h21 01h31 89%
Tokyo 01h12 02h08 03h05 15%
Seoul 01h10 01h44 02h19 3%
Kuala Lumpur 23h24 00h23 01h30 80%
Manila 23h51 00h58 02h14 47%
Singapore 23h22 00h23 01h32 87%
Taipei 00h19 01h15 02h15 20%
Bangkok 23h38 00h32 01h32 42%
Honolulu 02h33 03h36 04h33 63%
Cairns 00h12 01h12 02h15 18%
Hong Kong 00h05 00h58 01h56 22%
Shanghai 00h41 01h41 02h10 9%
Jakarta 23h19 00h21 01h31 89%
Tokyo 01h12 02h08 03h05 15%
Seoul 01h10 01h44 02h19 3%
Kuala Lumpur 23h24 00h23 01h30 80%
Manila 23h51 00h58 02h14 47%
Singapore 23h22 00h23 01h32 87%
Taipei 00h19 01h15 02h15 20%
Bangkok 23h38 00h32 01h32 42%
Honolulu 02h33 03h36 04h33 63%
What an eclipse! Virtually clear sky throughout the entire eclipse from our "private" heli-pad in Balikpapan. Only slight haze now and then, and a cloud. Asymmetric corona, with bright and prominent snow white streamer. Venus, Mercury easily visible long before and shadow bands post totality. Not too much light intensity or temperature drop. Observed and imaged 1000 images with Lunt35 and DMK41. Bealy's beads seen and imaged, along with the giant prominence throughout the eclipse AND totality. Chromosphere visible and imaged throughout totality! Jo using the C90 with Thousand Oats solar filter for partial phase, on motorised EQ2. Fabulous! All so pretty!!! Marked the second Saros 130 for Jo and 3rd for me.
TSE2016 - Raw images with Lunt35 DMK41 on 16-03-09 - all within totality
Within contact II at 00h33m51s UT
Mid totality 00h34m26s UT
Within contact III 00h34m57s UT
At Balikpapan "heli-pad" at -1.27639S and 116.845E, 70 meter elevation; where contact timings (calculated with "valley Lunar diameter" Jean Meeus):
I=23h25m35s
II=00h33m45s
M=00h34m23s
III=00h35m01s
IV=01h53m36s -
Images Patrick & Joanne Poitevin (Tissington UK). Imaged chromosphere (and large Prominence) throughout totality as we were rather North positioned on the eclipse path.
With Hydrogen Alpha, we only would have seen the prominences and at contact II and III the chromosphere. But the latter was continuously visible! At 8 kilometer within the Northern line.
Within contact II at 00h33m51s UT
Mid totality 00h34m26s UT
Within contact III 00h34m57s UT
At Balikpapan "heli-pad" at -1.27639S and 116.845E, 70 meter elevation; where contact timings (calculated with "valley Lunar diameter" Jean Meeus):
I=23h25m35s
II=00h33m45s
M=00h34m23s
III=00h35m01s
IV=01h53m36s -
Images Patrick & Joanne Poitevin (Tissington UK). Imaged chromosphere (and large Prominence) throughout totality as we were rather North positioned on the eclipse path.
With Hydrogen Alpha, we only would have seen the prominences and at contact II and III the chromosphere. But the latter was continuously visible! At 8 kilometer within the Northern line.
How "swift" totality passed near the Northern edge at Balikpapan ... Watch the "reappearing" giant prominence on top! Image at 01h16m37s UT
Slide show of images - 5 minutes solar eclipse, before, during and after totality – from about 00h30m to 00h35m
And ... 188 images in an animation - Looked at http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/img/browse/2016/03/09/ and use http://helioviewer.org/ . Could not get my head around it what it could be we have observed and imaged during totality.
If "thickness would be 82000 km, which I wrongly initially calculated, it could not have been the chromosphere. Serge Koutchmy explains: “I think the explanation could be rather simple: whatever is the pass band of your filter, in addition to the contribution of the cool emissions in the H alpha line, you obviously have the contribution of the 1 millions degree W-L corona (showing a continuum spectrum) inside your filter. They are superposed "spectra" or contribution(s). Of course the coronal hot background is seen above the 10000 km H alpha chromospheric "cool" fringe. By the way your 82000 km thickness almost exactly corresponds to the scale height of a 1 million degrees corona!”
But I got it wrong with my calculations. Besides Helen Mason, Matt Penn, and Serge Koutchmy, for solar physics aid, I got some help and insight in regard of the calculations and the Moon/Sun positioning for the location we observed: Thank you Jean Meeus, David Dunham, John Irwin, Luca Quaglia, Matt Penn, Xavier Jubier, and George Scheck.
Depending which calculations, for the position we observed, the solar "visibility" is:
Matt Penn ~ 3190 km
George Scheck ~ 3145 km
David Dunham - 3200 km
Conclusion: We observed and imaged chromosphere throughout totality.
If "thickness would be 82000 km, which I wrongly initially calculated, it could not have been the chromosphere. Serge Koutchmy explains: “I think the explanation could be rather simple: whatever is the pass band of your filter, in addition to the contribution of the cool emissions in the H alpha line, you obviously have the contribution of the 1 millions degree W-L corona (showing a continuum spectrum) inside your filter. They are superposed "spectra" or contribution(s). Of course the coronal hot background is seen above the 10000 km H alpha chromospheric "cool" fringe. By the way your 82000 km thickness almost exactly corresponds to the scale height of a 1 million degrees corona!”
But I got it wrong with my calculations. Besides Helen Mason, Matt Penn, and Serge Koutchmy, for solar physics aid, I got some help and insight in regard of the calculations and the Moon/Sun positioning for the location we observed: Thank you Jean Meeus, David Dunham, John Irwin, Luca Quaglia, Matt Penn, Xavier Jubier, and George Scheck.
Depending which calculations, for the position we observed, the solar "visibility" is:
Matt Penn ~ 3190 km
George Scheck ~ 3145 km
David Dunham - 3200 km
Conclusion: We observed and imaged chromosphere throughout totality.
YouTube version of 188 images animation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za75rToKgqE
Specs of the Lunt35
The LS35T has a center wavelength of 656.28nm. The CWT is tuneable through the range of H-alpha via the front mounted etalon and the tilt mechanism.
Typically 35Ts had a bandpass of less than 0.7 Angstroms. The specification was for a pass fail, therefore no information is available for specific units. Some LS35Ts had slightly better bandpass than others but the typical range was 0.65-0.7 Angstrom.
Because of the tuneablility of the front mount etalon there really is no specification for bandpass range. However, typically the range would be about +/-0.5 Angstroms.
The LS35T has a center wavelength of 656.28nm. The CWT is tuneable through the range of H-alpha via the front mounted etalon and the tilt mechanism.
Typically 35Ts had a bandpass of less than 0.7 Angstroms. The specification was for a pass fail, therefore no information is available for specific units. Some LS35Ts had slightly better bandpass than others but the typical range was 0.65-0.7 Angstrom.
Because of the tuneablility of the front mount etalon there really is no specification for bandpass range. However, typically the range would be about +/-0.5 Angstroms.
Some images of "our" heli-pad observations place. Only some staff from the building present. C90 with Thousand Oaks filter on EQ2, Lunt35 with DMK41 on EQ2, Dell LapTop, Underwater camera for footage, iPhones, iPad, Nikon 2800 for general pics. Tyny Temperature/Hygro sensor, Minolta Lightmeter, white sheet for shadow bands, hotel towels for convenience, and eclipses glasses from Rainbow Symphony for our local solar outreach ...
Handheld overexposed iPhone capture just before and just after totality. Ignore the reflection, but notice Venus. Mercury, just in between with some imagination ...
Overexposed footage of Midland XTC200 (underwater) camera of Eastern side - before, during and after totality.
https://youtu.be/O186enhJC8Y
https://youtu.be/O186enhJC8Y
Temperature in degrees Celsius, Relative Humidity and light intensity in Lux, expressed against Sun altitude, Eclipse Magnitude. Measurment at each second from 23h00 on 08 March 2016 to 02h30 on 09 March 2016 - UT time.
Temperature minimum 27.42 degrees C, maximum 39.66 degrees C
Relative Humidity minimum 31.23%, maximum 88.13%
Sky Brightness minimum 211.00 Lux, maximum 92800 Lux
Bear in mind the Sun is rising and temperature and light intensity increases anyway ...
Temperature minimum 27.42 degrees C, maximum 39.66 degrees C
Relative Humidity minimum 31.23%, maximum 88.13%
Sky Brightness minimum 211.00 Lux, maximum 92800 Lux
Bear in mind the Sun is rising and temperature and light intensity increases anyway ...
And some other activities - rafting, snorkling, etc ...
Brilliant day out snorkling on at least 4 different places/islands around Bali. See some of the so many underwater footages we made at https://youtu.be/-BXIwnOYDTo and https://youtu.be/O-xKjj6TbPY
Eclipse Log for Joanne and Patrick from Bill Kramer's webpages at https://www.eclipse-chasers.com/index.php