July 2009 Eclipse

too bad its been cloudy here (Philippines)yesterday.and now the sky is clear!!!!!..

Cloudy and drizzly in Shanghai. Then it got dark. Tried to convince neighbors to give me money and tribute to bring back the sun, but they are clever and were soon on to my scheme. Guess I am back to peddling Anti-Nuclear Devastation Spray (Money-back Guarantee)

Can't wait for the next eclipse. I'm a big fan now.

Hi PW,

Suzhou (inland from Shanghai) was also cloudy and raining, but STILL it was a magnificent event.

Everyone knew the eclipse was that day, but all bemoaned the fact the sky was not clear. BUT, I knew, despite that, there would still be a spectacular event.

My department has all glass on one wall, so seeing outside was easy. About 9:15 all the streetlights came on (must have been planned), but few noticed. About 9:30 there was a slightly noticeable change in the light, but because it was raining and cloud-covered, few noticed.

"Just wait," I thought.

About 9:37, things began to change rapidly, and finally someone notice how dark it was becoming.

I turned out all the lights, and 38 people began to gather at the window.

About a minute later, it was as dark as midnight, and rain or not ... clouds or not ... the effect was remarkable. Street lamps and passing car headlights were the only illumination.

Five minutes or so passed as everyone went from silence to chatting to silence again, just amazed at the effect. Everyone was getting and sending text messages as everyone around was having the same experience. A snapshot at that moment would have seemed no different than any rainy evening, but everyone knew it was a phenomenon not like they had ever seen before.

Then about 5 minutes later, the sky began to lighten again, and now, because everyone was looking, all noticed how quickly the scene was changing. A few joked by saying, "good morning".

Then, all was just history. The event of a lifetime was over. I turned on the lights again and everyone went back to work.

While it was not as dazzling as seeing the solar disk being 'eaten', it was none the less a great experience.

Kind regards ....

It was great.

Clear sky and about 75% of the solar disc covered for a few minutes in my area of China. Pretty amazing to see.

No difference here. The sky was entirely gray because it was raining very heavily.

Clear skies in Hawaii...too bad it was only a small slice off the lower left quadrant. It looked strange nonetheless.

I was in totality belt. I traveled about 600 kms from my location to witness the event. Before hand I was aware that it may be cloudy and total solar eclipse may not be visible.

On the day, at 6 morning, we a group of 150 enthusiast, gathered on a bridge from where east was clear.

As expected it was totally overcast, and no Sun could be seen. But, at the exact time to third contact, the Sun light disappeared, as if sudden switching of the bulb. From clear day light, we were experiencing darkness of midnight.

In another 3 minutes, again Sun light was switched ON, and everything was clearly visible. It was day light again.

This was different experience, than what one would see in clear sky. (I had seen two earlier Total Solar Eclipses... 16th Feb 1980 and 24th Oct. 1995... So I know how great is TSE)

Hi...

This eclipse did not inspire much. In fact the weather in India disappointed many. Moreover, early morning is not the best of times.

I had witnessed totality during the 1980 eclipse. That time the total darkness took place in the afternoon in South India. The day was bright and as the sun's light started to dim the birds came to roost in their nest, the dogs and other animals were sulking in a confused state. Before totality we witnessed the shadow bands in the air. It was a superb natural phenomenon. These bands used to flow forward & back in the direction of the wind. They give a scary feeling and with a small swirl in the air the bands used to just snake around. This phenomenon is not for the weak hearted.

Of course, the diamond rings etc was all there to see. After, the eclipse ended the crows started crowing loudly as if complaining that they had been fooled by the sun. All the dogs too started barking in unison and running here and there in confusion. For us all it was end of the game and time to go have some coffee.

Anil Tiwari / New Delhi

Splendid description and observations. You have a talent for expression. I hope you will find rich inspirations in the times to come.

All the best, and

Happy Trails !

Thanks dear...(i'am borrowing this from Alexander Pope)

" because it is like coins we grow dearer as we grow old,

It is the rust we value not the gold! "

Indian have loved the English language more than the English themselves. This love includes cricket, tea and the mother country herself. So many of our ancestors first fought agaisnt the English rule and then fought for them in WW-I & II.