Universe Today
The Moon's shadow kissed the Earth earlier today, providing a fine show from southeast Asia, to the southern shores of Alaska. We wrote about the only total solar eclipse for
2016 yesterday
. This is it, the last total solar eclipse prior to the return of totality for the contiguous United States on
August 21st, 2017
.
Cloud cover over the region was a toss up, with clear skies for some, and cloudy skies for others. Those towards the western end of the track where the eclipsed rising Sun sat low on the horizon seemed to have fared worst.
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Clouds thwarted a Malaysian team that had journeyed to Indonesia to view the eclipse (including Sharin Ahmad @shahgazer), though they were at the ready. Image credit and copyright: Sharin Ahmad.[/caption]
Update: Sometimes, the camera sees what the eye misses. The Malaysian team did indeed manage to nab a fine display of Bailey's Beads in the moments leading up to totality through a thin gap in the clouds:
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Sunlight, interupted. A welcome photobomb courtesy of the Earth's Moon. Image credit and copyright:
Shahrin Ahmad
. (@shahgazer)[/caption]
Skies dawned clear to the east over the Indonesian islands on the morning of the eclipse, and the joint
NASA/Exploratorium
webcast from the remote atoll of
Woleai
in Micronesia was a success.
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A 'helipad solar observatory' readied for the eclipse. Image credit and copyright: Patrick Poitevin.[/caption]
Observing from a helipad Balikpanpan, Indonesia, veteran eclipse chaser Patrick Poitevin said: "What an eclipse! Vertically clear sky throughout the entire eclipse from our 'private' helipad in Balikpapan. Only slight haze now and then. Asymmetric corona, with bright and prominent snow white streamer. Venus, Mercury easily visible long before, and shadow bands post totality. Fabulous! All so pretty!!! Marked the second
Saros 130
for Jo and the 3
rd
for me."
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Many viewers noted a fine solar prominence on the solar limb seen during totality. Patrick Poitevin caught the prominence using a hydrogen-alpha solar telescope just moments before the onset of totality. Image credit: Patrick Poitevin.[/caption]
Indeed, catching a 'triple saros' known as an
exeligmos
is a noteworthy lifetime accomplishment.
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09 March 2016 - Total Solar Eclipse from Palu, Indonesia. Image credit and copyright:
Justin Ng
.[/caption]
Many witnessed the eclipse via Slooh's live webcast from the path of totality, which is now archived in its
entirety on YouTube
.
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Totality, as witnessed by the Slooh team in Indonesia. Image credit: www.slooh.com[/caption]
As of writing this, no views from space have surfaced, though we suspect this will change as the day goes on. Word is that the
Alaskan Airlines flight
that modified their flight plan to catch the eclipse was successful as well. Check back, as we'll be dropping in more images as they trickle in from the field throughout the day.
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The partial phases of today's eclipse as seen from Lava Lava, Hawaii. Image credit and copyright: Rob Sparks (
@halfastro
)[/caption]
Update: Scratch that... Japan's Himawari-8 weather satellite did indeed nab views of the umbra of the Moon as it raced across the Pacific:
[caption id="attachment_127790" align="alignnone" width="509"]
An animation of today's total solar eclipse as seen from space.
- Image credit
-
The Meteorological Satellite Center of JAMA.[/caption]
Though the eclipse was almost entirely over water after the umbra departed SE Asia, regions around the path were treated to a fine partial eclipse, including residents of Hawaii:
#Eclipse success! Clouds filtered but didn't ruin the view. Check out 12 yr old's notes! #Kona, #BigIsland#Hawaiipic.twitter.com/MtJ300o4Ka — Kona Skies (@KonaSkies)
August 21st 2017 is now the very next total solar eclipse in the queue!
Update: and the amazing images just keep on coming... here's an amazing image and time lapse video courtesy of astrophotographer Justin Ng:
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09 March 2016 - Total Solar Eclipse from Palu, Indonesia. Image credit and copyright: Justin Ng Photography.[/caption]
And timelapse:
2016 Total Solar Eclipse - Palu Indonesia from Justin Ng Photo on Vimeo.
Wow. just wow!
