Clouds and solar eclipse

[Tarmo Tanilsoo]

Good afternoon to all.

I haven't written here for a while, but I am still alive and well. Today, a partial solar eclipse was visible in my home, and as usual, the clouds set in. Fortunately they did not ruin the eclipse completely and the second half was in fact rather nice. Here are some shots from it.

Now, the weather is very active today, convective activity is right now hitting the northern counties, but nothing special going on in my area, unless you consider a lot of cumulonimbus clouds in the northern sky special.

 

[Eric Flescher]

total eclipse seen in Russia and China

Observers in Russia saw a fine eclipse with few troubles.

China however had clouds but luckily , at least where I saw the eclipse play on online internet feed, the clouds parts for most of the 2nd minutues for totality.

Clouds are what you DON'T want for eclipses AT ALL.

In 1972 ,they rolled in right AFTER totality in Nova Scotia
IN 1991, in Mazatlan (should have been in Baja) , filmy clouds let to not seeing much of the corona
1999 thunderstorms were in the morning but I found a hole in the clouds later and we saw a fantastic eclipse.

Others I saw 4, no problems.

Congrats to all that observed in China and Russia.
Next year year I will be in China to watch the 2009 5minute totality.
Want to come along?

 

[Tim Vasquez]

Very nice pictures, Tarmo... I especially liked the comparison of the landscape with and without the eclipse. I really don't get anything out of solar disc pictures, so I find scenery and perspectives on the eclipse very interesting.

Agreed about the clouds, Eric. I don't know whether anyone remembers the solar eclipse we had on May 10, 1994, but I was in Abilene and the awesome darkening was ruined by a thick warm advection overcast (in mid-May!! how often does that happen!? )

Tim

 

[BKDPhillips]

Tarmo,

Nice to see you on line again.
I like your pictures. I hope to do the same in 2017 in the Kansas City area. Eric F. has been sharing with me his eclipse pics.

Belinda

 

[Eric Flescher]

Annular eclipse 1994 and 1984

Tarmo
Nice shots indeed!
I really like that one on the plants but they are all nice!!
congrats

Tim
Annular eclipses are like- (how should I say and usually do?) kissing your sister! Nice but not a big deal. But clouds are definitely what you don't want.
The last lunar eclipse, a few months ago, the clouds came in right before totality before I could take photos

All

Annular eclipses occur and are almost like total eclipses.

But the shadow of the moon does not quite meet the Earth.

Thus you see a ring around the sun called the annulus as positioned on the earth.

1994 annular came right through Kansas City! I was teaching that day but poped out that day to take pictures and watch the eclipsed sun. It was perfectly clear here in KC. My wife took her students out with protection glasses to show them too.

Here is one of the photos I took that day. Notice how the diameter of the moon image (inside the Sun) is smaller then the diameter of the Sun.
See my picture I took of 1994 to get an idea.

I was more impressed with it then I thought I would as it did get somewhat dark near maximum but not as dark as totality. That little bit of sun that is still shining makes it brighten. Notice

Now the one in May, 1984 , if I had known it was going to be that close to totality phase I would have jetted to Atlanta or the path zone. There was actually a couple of seconds of totality like features. Almost what they call a hybrid. I saw it as a partial eclipse in Kansas.

Next up-clear skies and total eclipse July 2009 in China!


:::

Very nice pictures, Tarmo... I especially liked the comparison of the landscape with and without the eclipse. I really don't get anything out of solar disc pictures, so I find scenery and perspectives on the eclipse very interesting.

Agreed about the clouds, Eric. I don't know whether anyone remembers the solar eclipse we had on May 10, 1994, but I was in Abilene and the awesome darkening was ruined by a thick warm advection overcast (in mid-May!! how often does that happen!? )

Tim

 

[Jeremy Ludin]

Great shots Tarmo! I can't wait to get a crack at one.

 

[Dan Nichols]

Great shots!!! Next to thunderstorms, I am an avowed eclipse freak. They are extremely spiritual to me. Something about the bite out of the solar disc reminds me of the best of the surrealists (Dali, etc.). It just "shouldn't" happen!! I saw totality in 1970, 1973 (off African coast), and 1979, in Roy, Montana (NW USA). I also saw the 1994 annular in northern Vermont. Caution to those photographing the darkening landscape: be sure to use manual override if available on your camera, or the results will all look the same whether 0% or 90% eclipsed sun. Set it to full (uneclipsed) sun and leave it there!!!....On Christmas Day of 2000, there was an eclipse in most of the USA. We (the Northeast) got about 60%, and darkening (dimming) was quite noticeable. Some did not notice any, but I did. Eclipses sharpen your perceptions.