Rapa Nui, Chile (Easter Island) — Solar eclipse seekers from around the world flock to remote Rapa Nui, also known as Pascua Island and Easter Island, to witness the spectacular six-minute “Ring of Fire” annular solar eclipse. I did. It was the first time on this island in 236 years and the first time in 321 years.
I was there with an eclipse tracking expert astro trailI met them in Santiago, Chile, and took a five-hour flight to the small Chilean island, 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers) east of Pitcairn Island and 2,200 miles (3,540 kilometers) from Chile. When I got off the plane, I saw an extinct volcano and grassland. Within minutes, a flower necklace was placed around my neck. The capital, Hanga Roa, is just 10 minutes away by bus. The total area of the island is only 63 square miles (163 square kilometers).
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It is famous for its 900 or so Moai, giant monoliths carved between 1150 and 1290 that face solemnly inward from the shore. After several days of photographing moai all over the island in thin cloudy conditions, all 59 guests, and dozens of other eclipse trackers living in low-rise resorts and hostels in Hanga Roa, all realized the day of the eclipse. I knew it would be painful.
Will you be able to see the ring, or will it be obscured by passing clouds? To make matters worse, a tropical cyclone southeast of the island appeared to be approaching. There was also uncertainty about where visitors could watch. Local elections had recently been held and a new park management committee had just been established to address regulations and restrictions on October 2nd. The 13 ruins in Rapa Nui National Park are not reliable observation sites, so Astro Trails hired Pulsela Mahinatur. Return to the farm to watch the 3.5-hour event. It was to occur exactly one year later, in the lunar year. Annular solar eclipse witnessed in Chaco Canyon, New Mexicohome to a sun-gazing culture between 850 and 1250 AD.
We arrived an hour before the eclipse and settled into our locations while the photographer assessed the strength of the wind blowing through the site. Stephen Bedingfield, a photographer from Canada, is a veteran photographer who has taken annular shots a total of 12 times and six times. I tried not to move as much as possible. The weather was perfect at Rapa Nui, with temperatures only reaching 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius), even though it’s spring in the Southern Hemisphere. When I placed the solar filter on the window, I felt so cold that the wind froze my fingers. ZWO SeeStar S50 Smart Telescope Take a photo of a partially eclipsed sun.
Within a few minutes a drizzle of rain rolled across the farm, but after a few minutes it cleared up. Put on a coat or take off a coat. As the start of the partial phase approached (12:23 p.m. local time), eclipse glasses were distributed. Tony West from Yorkshire, England provided the countdown. Within seconds, I could see new moon It starts moving right in front of my eyes solarIt’s on the left side. Please contact us first!
The next 3 hours, 28 minutes and 34 seconds were spent observing the lunar surface. sunspot As I took each photo with Sea Star, I hoped that the bank of clouds coming in from the Pacific Ocean would hurry or stay put. I tried to eat lunch, but after a few bites I went back to watching the sun and operating SeeStar. I was too excited. It is extremely rare to be in the path of a central solar eclipse.
I used a well-traveled spaghetti spoon to project a “smiley face” crescent sun silhouette, and another eclipse tracker sun spotter Projects a clear, enlarged image of the solar eclipse onto paper.
About two-thirds of the way through the annular solar eclipse, temperatures plummeted and the color of the surrounding green fields became more pronounced. As I approached the “Ring of Fire,” the shadows around the edge became blurred and I felt very cold. The wind has stopped. The clouds that covered the sun and moon moved away. I watched it at 2:03 p.m. bailey‘beads swiss around that area monthThe approach limb hit the edge of the sun, but only for about 10 seconds before a “ring of fire” appeared. Second contact — what a sight!
Even after observing it dozens of times, solar eclipseto think that the sun and moon could coincide so perfectly brought me a beauty and peace unmatched by any other sight in nature. But there was one image I wanted more than the “Ring of Fire.” It’s a ringlet. You can use a spaghetti spoon in a partial phase to project a crescent sun, but you can only project a ringlet for a precious short period of time. This is an image that I have never been able to take before.
After taking a few photos, we headed back to the eclipse. observe the moonappeared to be perfectly still for several minutes. This ring was by no means perfect. Such things can only be seen from the center line of the eclipse’s path. But that slight imperfection made the ring look even creepier. When the edge of the moon touched the edge of the sun, Bailey’s beads returned. Third contact! There was some cheering and some clapping. Less than a minute later, the angular sun, which had just emerged from the ring, disappeared behind the clouds. We were incredibly lucky. And in many ways.
Central solar eclipses on Easter Island are extremely rare. Remarkably, there was a total on July 11, 2010, some 14 years ago, but before that it was 1788. The next year is 2324. After observing a solar eclipse, the most common question is, “When is the next one?” One? “Not in this group. Everyone here knew that the next total would be August 12, 2026. As for the next date with the ‘Ring of Fire.’ February 6, 2027I circled my calendar to go to Ghana just before sunset. It would be difficult to make it as dramatic or beautiful as Easter Island’s elaborate rings.
This article was made possible by a reporting trip from Santiago, Chile. astro trail.
