Successful Eclipse Observation from Yiwu, China

Hi all,

I was part of a group who observed Totality from near Yiwu, China. Despite having the best climate statistics, it would seem that we had some of the worst problems with clouds.

Despite seeing all the partial phase, things clouded over with only 7 minutes to go until totality. Most of our group started sprinting from the cloud. I abandonned my equipment (I've never run so far from my 600L unattended) with about 4 minutes to go. Thankfully we found a clear spot and with 15 seconds to go the cloud dissipitated. I didn't get to use my big lens as the sun had moved out of view and I didn't want to waste my time getting it back. Instead I simply tripped the automated wideangle behind me and enjoyed the experience.


www.flickr.com/photos/eclipsechaser/2737497145/sizes/l/

Here is a shot of me and my girlfriend, Mary for whom it was her first (but I suspect not last) eclipse. About 3/4 of a kilometer to our right was Ian Boyle Harper who - not being tied down with equipment - had led the charge from the cloud. This was his second eclipse.

It was a wonderfully dramatic eclipse but next time I think I'll skip the adrenaline rush and take perfectly clear skies. Mary shot a video with her digicam which is a wonderful momento. It captures, curses and all, our dilemma of whether to run left, right or just stay put. I'm sure it'll get played at an SDAS meeting sometime soon!

All the best,

Daniel Lynch

Talk about having a last minute adventure and getting lucky at the same time Daniel, thanks for sharing!

Seanie.

Congrats on the successful eclipse trip Daniel and great photo, well composed.

Interesting experience Daniel!

I see Mercury and Venus also got eclipsed in your image...

Wow!!

All the images of this I have seen so far have been closeups or composites. This is the first pic I've seen which shows a widefield naked eye view. I almost feel like I was there crouching down.

No wonder primative peoples were scared out of their minds by such an awesome spectacle!!

Here's one where you can see them both...

www.flickr.com/photos/eclipsechaser/2739274374/sizes/l/