Eclipse

With friends, and a whole shipload of other people bent on the same mission, we booked passage to view a total solar eclipse in the Caribbean on a Thursday, Feb. 26. It sounded like a lark.

Once on the Ryndam, we found ourselves in some pretty learned company. The cruise was sponsored and promoted by “Sky and Telescope” magazine and Scientific Expeditions, and many observers came because they were already astronomers, professional or amateur.

Lectures prepared us for the eclipse: what to look for, how to protect our eyes and camera lenses, the phenomena known as Baily’s Beads and the Diamond Ring Effect, shadow bands. Perhaps more importantly, our mentors cautioned us not to get so caught up in trying to take photographs with our inadequate cameras that we lost the moment…

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