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Friday 20 March 2015

Eclipse

For the first time since the beginning of the current millennium, parts of the UK experienced a partial solar eclipse. What made this even more interesting was that today is the Spring Equinox and the Moon is at its closest point to Earth.

I took photographs every fifteen minutes, starting at 8.45am ... when there was no sign of the Sun thanks to very low cloud.


9.00am ... and still lots of low cloud and no sign of the Sun!


9.15am ... and it is getting very slightly darker!


9.30am ... and the partial eclipse is at its height ... but still not a lot to see!


9.45am ... and the sky is getting lighter again ... just!


So this was the partial eclipse as seen from South East London ... and it was a bit of a washout!

16 comments:

  1. Same here in the North of England , one rather poor photo on my blog , annoyingly the previous day was brilliant sunshine !, Tony

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  2. It was a brilliant show here in Edinburgh. There was a thin veil of cloud which allowed a glimpse of the eclipse without difficulty.

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  3. A.W.Kitćhen (Tony),

    It was all a bit of a non-event in our part of London, thanks to the low cloud. Mind you, back in 1999 the eclipse was quite spectacular here, so I've got nothing to complain about.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  4. Jim Duncan,

    So the sun does shine on the righteous ... or will the SNP claim the credit!

    Seriously, I am pleased that someone somewhere in the UK saw the partial eclipse. All I saw was what the BBC News Channel was showing.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. Hi Bob, I was only vaguely aware there was an eclipse today so was quite surprised to see it very clearly this morning when taking the dogs out. The mist meant it was possible to look directly at it and see the sun about 8 tenths obscured. There was an odd half light for about 5 minutes. Amazing sight that I've never seen before!
    (I live in Bath).

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  6. Stryker,

    It sounds as if you had quite a good view of the eclipse, and that the mist took the edge off the intensity of the Sun's rays.

    The light from an eclipse is unusual. Not quite twilight and rather unsettling.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  7. Good thing you weren't planning on using the eclipse to to awe the natives with your magical powers.

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  8. It was rubbish here is Surrey too. And we missed the Supermoon yesterday! My daughter got some good pictures in Edinburgh!

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  9. Ross Mac,

    I prefer to use the Maxim Gun to impress the natives. Far more reliable even if it isn't very magical!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  10. Legatus Hedlius,

    No doubt UKIP and the Labour Party will claim that it was the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition's fault that the south east of England had cloud cover during the partial eclipse! Too many foreign clouds invading our airspace or the Tories arranged low cloud to obscure the situation regarding tax avoiders.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  11. The same in the shinning Spain... only low clouds and some rainy.

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  12. Storm Captain,

    Spain is one place I would have expected the eclipse to have been reasonably visible, even at this time of year.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  13. Come to that I think they were French clouds!

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  14. Legatus Hedlius,

    Case proven!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  15. Glorious in Cowdenbeath.Fife. I was out looking with pinhole camera thingie and smoked glass filters too with the school children. What an amazing world we live in.
    Reminds me of the last one 17/18 years ago- it was when we moved into our new house and I recall vividly the twilight and showing it to my under 5 daughters thru a pinhole projected onto white card. I have kept the wee card,complete with pinhole,I used on the day...

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  16. Tradgardmastare,

    I am really pleased to read that you were able to share the experience of the eclipse with children by using the simple but still very effective pinhole and filter method. People who have never worked with children don't always understand how genuinely inquisitive they can be, and how they can marvel at something like an eclipse. Most of them will remember yesterday for the rest of their lives ... and that is what true learning is all about.

    All the best,

    Bob

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