This was always going to be a weather dependent eclipse with rapidly changing sunny gaps in large cumulous clouds. We flew in on a chartered flight on the morning of the eclipse, with a good view of the prevailing weather. Coaches were lined up at the airport and reports of “sunny spells” were coordinated, so we set off for the most promising.
As the eclipse progressed, the clouds merged into a uniform dawn grey with the sun remaining hidden. The planet Venus appeared, a brilliant white spotlight in the sky mocking the eclipsed sun which remained behind an invisible cloud. The dark black shadow of the moon zoomed across thin low level luminescent grey cloud, a spectacular, rather surrealistic and disorienting experience for the observers on the ground.
Travelling to see an eclipse has a built-in risk of being clouded out but the journey, the places and the people you travel with always offer an enjoyable and unique experience, even if it is not always the one you expected!
Brian McGee
Founder, Astro Trails