October 3 Annular Eclipse
On Monday 3 October, an annular solar eclipse took place. Weather in both Portugal and Spain, where maximum eclipse occurred, was
generally excellent - giving good visibility to view this eclipse. 'Eclipse Travel' did not arrange
any organised tours to the area for this annular eclipse. Nevertheless, for those who were there, it was a spectacular event.
The "centre line" passed across Madrid in Spain.
A hybrid solar eclipse occured on April 8th 2005. A Hybrid
Eclipse is somewhat rare, as the moon
is positioned at a distance from earth where its apparent size is only marginally larger
than the Sun (0.0067% in 2005). This means that, at the beginning and end of the eclipse
path, the moon does not fully cover the sun, and the duration of totality is
therefore much reduced to a “usual” total eclipse. Furthermore, on this occasion, the eclipse path in its total
phase did not intersect land at any point.
The position of optimum totality was directly west of the
Galapagos
Archipelago , in the South Pacific ocean,
about 1100km out.
Each Total Eclipse brings its own unique
characteristics, and this one is no exception. The Hybrid eclipse (something between an
annular and a total) is rare - only occurring a few times every century. For this eclipse, a
considerable number of “Baily’s beads” -
the effects of the sun’s light shining through “gaps” (craters and
valleys in-between hills) on the moon’s rugged surface were visible. Also, at totality, more of
the chromosphere than usual was visible. The event also brought a brilliant
display of prominences of the chromosphere surrounding the edge of the moon.
Totality was, at most, a
mere 42 seconds, a very brief time indeed; those observing had to be prepared to see
everything in accelerated mode. It was noted that observers had to
prepare in advance how they were to spend that short time during
totality, and have everything set up (cameras, filters etc) well in
advance of the moment, as there was limited time
to adjust camera settings etc during totality. Some reflections and pictures from Fred at the eclipse site
are available now by clicking here. (scroll down to Day10 on the new browser window that opens up.)
We hope that all those who travelled to see this eclipse had clear skies. and an enjoyable trip.
Eclipse Travel work with a specialised tour companies to assist planning travel
to total solar eclipse sites. For the 2003 and 2005 total eclipses we have worked with
Astronomical Tours, a leading company in the world of eclipse travel, with many years
experience. All monies are payable directly to the tour operator, when using this site to make a travel booking.
Although bookings for the 2005 eclipse are now passed, we are now
offering trips for some future eclipses. Please visit our contact us page to find out more, or email us directly.
The
South Pacific Eclipse 2005
Email: eclipses@webecs.co.uk
In general terms, a solar eclipse occurs as a consequence of a
combination of the earth’s orbit around the sun, and the moon’s orbit
around the earth. When the sun, moon, and earth line up, the moon casts a
shadow on the earth’s surface and the sun’s light is blocked out in what is
known as a solar eclipse. This can only happen at the time of a new moon.
However, an eclipse does not occur every month because the orbit of the moon
around the earth is not always perfectly aligned with respect to the sun. But
when this condition is met, an eclipse of the sun results.
.
The South Pacific Eclipse 2005
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