by Kevin Schuerman
We were treated to 27 seconds of totality from our observing location WSW of Lyndhurst, South Australia, on private land in the Outback. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but the wind was a steady 25 mph, gusting to about 35 mph. The fine, red, desert soil pretty much stayed put, unless someone happened to walk in front of you. The wind and dust made equipment setup a bit of a challenge, but did not hamper my view nor enjoyment of the eclipse. Here's a brief synopsis:
At first contact, I could see the Moon's progression and about six sunspot groups. The Moon would slowly blot out the sunspot groups, one by one. The decrease in light level as the eclipse progressed didn't seem as strange as it normally does, probably because the eclipse was very near sunset. Just before totality, I didn't see any shadow bands this time, nor did I see a very pronounced second contact diamond ring. Totality itself was memorable in that the darkened Sun was very large as it hung above the southwestern horizon. The corona appeared as a white fringe around the Moon, but wasn't very extended (perhaps due to extinction by the atmosphere). Sunset colors could be seen along the horizon to the north and south of the Sun, but the area directly under the Sun remained dark. I believe this was due to the elliptical shape of the Moon's shadow near the sunset end of the track. As always, totality seemed too short, but 27 seconds was WAY too short!
After totality, the third contact diamond ring was a little more pronounced than the second contact diamond ring, and the retreating shadow could be seen to the east. I also saw Canopus for a few seconds before it was lost in the brightening sky. This was the first time that I saw the Moon's shadow so clearly. I could see (and managed to photograph, hopefully) desert oak in the distance silhouetted against the setting, partially-eclipsed Sun. Magnificent.
I'll have the pictures by the Full Moon Party and more comprehensive report later.