Eclipse 2006 Trip
Eclipse Day!
Eclipse animation
The big day was finally here. We were up by 5:30 AM, up on deck by 6:15 and ready to move out by 7:00. The day was spectacular at the ship. Absolute clear skies and temperature in the low 60s. We boarded our bus, one of 30 or so, and headed out of Tobruk for the desert interior. About 10 miles inland we entered a fog bank and could barely see the bus infront of us. We drove through that bank for over an hour, but finally cleared it with about a half hour of driving left.
This was an immense operation. Imagine moving over 1000 people to a place that is totally barren with provisions for the day: shelter, food, water, restrooms, tables and chairs. Plus most of the people themselves have equipment to set up. The partial phase started at 11:17 and the anticipation was building. Pinhole projectors and solar filter covered binoculars allowed us to see the progress of the Moon crossing the Sun. It took over an hour to do so. With totally approaching the sky changed colors. Sunset was all around the horizon. Venus popped into view. Mercury was a bit more of a challenge. The Sun was 62 degrees above the horizon, quite high. As the last piece of the Sun was covered and the total eclipse began, cheers and whistles and whoops and applause rang across the desert. What a glorious sight. Pictures just don't do it justice, but it was magnificent. I'll have lots more pictures and video posted later on.
The weather was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky. During the eclipse the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. Very noticeable.
| Click the image for a panorama of the viewing site. |  |
| A local Boy Scout troop came to celebrate and entertain. |  Photo by Eve Johnston |
| The local TV station sent out a crew. |  |
| Various setups. |   |
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| Our video setup. |  Photo by Eve Johnston |
| The sky at totality. |  |
| Totality |  |
| The Sun was 62 degrees above the horizon. A wide angle lens captures it and the horizon. |  Photo by Eve Johnston |
| This is 31 photos taken by Milt Percival and combined in this animation by Chap Percival. |  |
| Pinhole projection to spell out the eclipse. See the skinny crescents. They are projected through little pinholes. |  |
| Our group of intrepid travelers. |  Photo by Eve Johnston |
| Day/Date | Port |
| Wed, March 22, 2006 | Genoa, Italy |
| Thursday, March 23 | Naples, Italy |
| Friday, March 24 | Syracuse, Sicily |
| Saturday, March 25 | at Sea |
| Sunday, March 26 | at Sea |
| Monday, March 27 | Alexandria, Egypt (Cairo) |
| Tuesday, March 28 | Tobruq, Libya |
| Wednesday, March 29 - Eclipse Day | Tobruq, Libya |
| Wednesday, March 29 -War Memorial | Tobruq, Libya |
| Thursday, March 30 | At Sea |
| Friday, March 31 | Tripoli, Libya |
| Saturday, April 1 | Malta |
| Sunday, April 2 | Salerno, Italy |
| Monday, April 3 | Genoa, Italy |
Some of our other trips.
I hope you enjoyed this page. Thank you so much. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me (cjp2@comcast.net).