A magnificent Indonesian total solar eclipse!
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Design from front side of t-shirt which are are printing for the eclipse
Michael Zeiler & Polly White
We enjoyed a spectacular total solar eclipse in the Makassar Strait between Borneo and Sulawesi this past March 9th. It was the last total solar eclipse before the coming eclipse over America on August 21, 2017.
This eclipse passed over the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Ternate, Tidore, Halmahera, and other smaller islands. The eclipse also passed over several atolls of Micronesia before sweeping over much of the Pacific Ocean.
Eclipse tourists were mainly concentrated on the islands of Bangka, Belitung, Sulawesi, Ternate, Tidore, Halmahera, and smaller islands in their vicinity. Several ships were also positioned for the eclipse, the largest of which was the Holland America Volendam.
Eclipse weather results were mixed. Indonesia has high humidity and considerable tropical cloudiness; the western half of Indonesia has a generally wetter climate than the eastern half. But the outcome on eclipse day was somewhat the reverse; most groups in the west enjoyed clear or partly clear skies and those in the eastern islands around Halmahera suffered under significant clouds and those who did see the eclipse saw it only through thin clouds. This outcome was reminiscent of the November 2013 eclipse in Africa when again the outcome defied the climatological expectations.
Enjoy these maps, videos, and images from eclipse day. This was the 8th total solar eclipse for Michael and the 4th total solar eclipse for Polly.
Click on any image to enlarge.
Map of the voyage of the volendam and eclipse path
Hemispheric view of the eclipse
This eclipse is a member of Saros cycle 130
The two videos below capture the excitement as viewed by Mike Kentrianakis from an Alaska Airlines flight from Alaska to Hawaii which was diverted to intercept the eclipse and videographer Nelson Quan's proposal to his bride-to-be during the eclipse.
The eclipse early in the morning in the Makassar Strait. Polly took a quick set of photos with her iPhone which have been stitched together to give an impression of the sky's appearance during the eclipse.
Composite panorama of 6 iphone photos quickly taken during the eclipse
Wide angle view of the eclipse by Michael Zeiler
These are scenes from eclipse day, March 9 2016, on board the Holland America Volendam in the Makassar Strait. Over 1200 passengers enjoyed a splendid view of the Sun's corona as well as many of the ship's crew.
One of the real pleasures of eclipse travel is the opportunity to see exotic and interesting places on our beautiful planet. These are scenes from Singapore and Indonesia.
Polly and her doppelganger with the singapore skyline
Lake Batur inside the caldera of Batur volcano on the island of bali
More scenes from our trip including Borobodur, Bali, and Singapore.
