Partial solar eclipse 20th March 2015

Thanx for the pix guys ..
I guess it was worth dragging my aching body outside this morning as I did get to see fractions of the eclipse through the nasty thick Mancunian Murk ..
about 30 seconds viable and worth the effort in total ..
The rest of the time much worse than the cloudy photos that have been uploaded ..
Wish the event had been yesterday ..
Conditions were near perfect...but wait ...
I forgot the Great Green Arkleseizure hates Mancs with a passion.
cest la vie
 
Captain Jack said:
I remember seeing the eclipse in the late 90's, but it was much more cloudy then than it was now, so this was my best experience yet.
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I remember watching the partial eclipse at school in 1966. I became aware at that time of the total eclipse that would be coming along in 1999 and made a promise to myself that I would find a way to be in the path of totality.

Come 1999 we were in Amiens (we had made reservations at a hotel about 18 months in advance) and the clouds came over before first contact had even occured. There was an occasional glimpse of the sun for a short while and then complete cloud cover for all of totality. Very disappointing. My brother, who had stayed in the UK, was in his back garden watching the partial eclipse with no problem as were our friends in southern France who did ditto.

My father's cousin came to his funeral in 1998 and, when we were talking about the forthcoming eclipse, said that he remembered the two of them cycling to the top of a local hill to watch the eclipse in 1927. I have to assume that it wasn't cloudy then...
 
I remember watching the 1999 eclipse, I had a camcorder set up (using a couple of pieces of blank, exposed film as a filter) hooked up to a TV and watched it on that, thinking about it now I could probably have kicked my old Sony MiniDV camcorder into life and tried doing the same, but, oh well, roll on 12th August 2026 (damn, I'll be 41 by then!!!!!)....
 
PaulR said:
Come 1999 we were in Amiens (we had made reservations at a hotel about 18 months in advance) and the clouds came over before first contact had even occured. There was an occasional glimpse of the sun for a short while and then complete cloud cover for all of totality. Very disappointing. My brother, who had stayed in the UK, was in his back garden watching the partial eclipse with no problem as were our friends in southern France who did ditto.
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That was bad luck indeed, but if you really want there are plenty opportunities. Next year Indonesia, in 2 years USA.
In 1999, I simply made a daytrip to France by car, near the center line there were signs pointing to a good viewing site, it must have been near Rethel (NE of Reims).
The total eclipse was almost cloud-free, I even did "forbidden" viewing by binoculars!
Today's partial eclipse in NL was forgettable, almost everywhere foggy or clouded.
 
Yesterday started off clear. Then the clouds rolled in, however it did have the advantage that it was perfectly safe to view the sun with the naked eye
P3200595.webp


Half nine and its almost dark again!
P3200598.webp


Typical bloody British weather - there is something interesting happening so the cloud appears! This was a pretty typical view of the proceedings
P3200599.webp


However we did get to see the maximum approach to totality - JUST!
P3200603.webp


And the light returns :)
P3200611.webp P3200617.webp


Of course as soon as it was all over the clouds blew away and everything was lovely and warm again! :-doh
 
2cvbloke said:
I remember watching the 1999 eclipse, I had a camcorder set up (using a couple of pieces of blank, exposed film as a filter) hooked up to a TV and watched it on that, thinking about it now I could probably have kicked my old Sony MiniDV camcorder into life and tried doing the same, but, oh well, roll on 12th August 2026 (damn, I'll be 41 by then!!!!!)....
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Wish I could have had an expensive camcorder at the age of 14 :rolleyes:
 
Yes, indeed. What an enormous benefit.
 
Much Irony ..
Thursday was perfectly sunny ..and cloudless.
Today (Saturday) Perfectly clear and almost cloudless ..
Friday ..Cloudy Murky Dark and occasionally drizzly ..
Yep Such is my luck..
 
It was nice and clear in Grimsby where i happened to be when it happened, It just went really dull, the birds stopped singing and then it went bright again. Not much to write home about unfortunately.
 
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We had a good view as it was lots of Clouds but not that lots .

And did You feel the temp ? Lost more than 5 C
anyway, it is magic and I can understand the Vikings, screaming for mercy

Next stop will be Indonesia
 
Topper said:
Wish I could have had an expensive camcorder at the age of 14 :rolleyes:
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It was my sister's camcorder, who was 22 and fully employed at the time!! :p

I did have my own camcorder a few years later in 2002, but it was my dad's old 8mm camcorder (he'd bought himself a higher-end Hi8), lasted a couple of years then just gave up the ghost, had an analogue Sony Hi8 camcorder somewhere between 2006/2007, then replaced that in 2007 when I got my Sony DCR-TRV22E MiniDV camcorder which I still have, but it refuses to play back tapes now cos the heads have probably corroded up... :-doh

Also have a Sony Betamovie camera, but, that's never worked since I got it... :-rofl2
 
Manicscrewdriver said:
Thinking about it it did go a little colder where i was
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It went a LOT colder where we were (out in the garden), went from reasonably tolerable to night time frost temperatures and back again, made me question how long it'd take before the earth froze solid if the sun were to be permanently blocked out... o_O
 
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