Hello, everybody.
I am finally sitting down on my computer chair to describe my entire visual experience of the Total Solar Eclipse which my Heavenly Father through my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ permitted me to observe with my Meade 9X63 binoculars on a Jessup tripod.
I am finding extremely difficult to believe that the Total Solar Eclipse of July 2nd 2019 is my 11th!!
(I thought 10 was enough).
Plus it is my wife's 9th Total Solar Eclipse.
How many Irish girls can say they have seen so many?
Between the 2 of us we have seen 20 Total Solar Eclipses.
How mind-bending is that??
We have visited 6 continents: Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, and now, South America.
By the way, as my wife regularly has sinus problems in winter, we will NOT be going to Antarctica in a 2 years time -or whenever it is.
So here is my full report. Please note all times below are local Argentinian times
We travelled to Rodeo, San Juan Province in north west Argentina by coach.
We went through Bella Vista which is a very tiny village mid morning on July 2nd.
We were 1700 metres above sea level.
There were at least 3 marquess in quite a large field about 10 minutes beyond the village with about 500 people gathered altogether.
The sky was 100% clear all the time apart from some very small fast moving thin clouds when we arrived.
They were completely gone after 30 minutes.
The sky was very blue all around.
Everyone was provided with excellent Eclipse Glasses.
The Andes mountains were directly in front of us in the west. They had a small amount of snow on top of them. How perfect is that?
After an hour, I thought it might be a good idea to set up my Meade 9X63 binoculars and fit the Mylar filters on both lenses.
Straight away, I discovered there were no sunspots, unlike Wyoming in 2017. Naught, zero, 0, zilch, none whatsoever!
So I was beginning to ask the question: what will the corona look like?
I had no idea! All my previous eclipses had some sunspots at least.
At 16.25 local time, 1st contact occurred in my binoculars. The Moon was touching the Sun at the 7 o'clock position.
Soon after that was visible with my own eyes.
At 17.10, the Sun was 50% covered my Luna.
At 17.30, the Crescent Sun was truly spectacular to behold.
Daytime temperatures began to plummet from 21 degrees down to 12 degrees Celsius.
At 17.35, the minuscule wind speed completely died, and it became cold.
At 17.37, someone called out: "Shadow Bands!" which I had never seen before.
At 17.39, I observed a very short Diamond Ring at 1 o'clock after the briefest appearance of Baily's Beads.
1 second later, the Corona!!
Immediately I am overwhelmed by the huge corona streamers at 1 and 7 o'clock.
Through my Meade 9X63's, I counted 4 gloriously red solar prominences!
Their positions were 12, 6, 9 and 8 o'clock.
2 minutes 30.5 minutes is long time -okay!
Don't let anyone bluff you!
To stare at something for anything over one minute is long -right!
2 minutes 30 seconds is perfectly adequate to observe a Total Solar Eclipse.
Totality ended at 17.42.
The 2nd Diamond Ring was also very brief. About 1 second.
On went the eclipse glasses again.
(I greatly admire partial solar eclipses.)
I refused to check out Jupiter, Venus, Sirius or any other star-like object.
It's Luna and Sol for me 100% of the time.
One final thing I must mention is the Lunar Shadow Cone.
It was so intensely beautiful during totality.
And so low in the western sky below the totally eclipsed Sun.
It's great to be home again sharing with so many friends my amazing observation for this Total Solar Eclipse.
Clear skies,
Aubrey.
  