Total Solar Eclipse December 4 2002

Towards the end of term IV, 2002, your intrepid correspondent took leave (of his senses?) and travelled to outback South Australia to witness and photograph the first total solar eclipse to visit our shores since 1976. Below is a selection of the photos taken of this truly magnificent and extraordinary event.
	Most of these shots were taken through a f/5.6 300mm f.l. mirror telephoto. All of the shots before and after totality were taken through a Thousand Oaks solar filter. Film was Kodak Elite Chrome 200 transparency film.
	First contact! Great excitement all 'round.
	Slowly...
	painfully slowly...
	the face of the moon encroaches on the sun.
	The thinner that the crescent of the sun got,
	...the easier it was to see the motion through the telescope.
	Nearly there.
	BINGO! What a sight! The sun was a little black "hole" in the sky.
	Despite expectations, and experience of the 1976 eclipse, no stars (or planets) were visible. (At least, I couldn't see any in the 20 or so seconds I looked...)
	There was a "cone-shaped" region of black sky around the sun, but the sky was dark blue (not black) elsewhere - most obviously in the east, opposite the sun.
	I didn't quite capture the "diamond ring", but if I had, this would've been it!
	...and then it was over. Less than 30 seconds of totality - seemed like 5 seconds. Went in a flash
	Emotionally drained (and short of film) I didn't take as many shots of the moon receding, until they were almost on the horizon. The oblong shape of the sun here is a function of refraction of the image through the "thicker" layer of atmosphere near the horizon.

	Sunset - and the moon trails the sun in the race to the horizon
	A few seconds later and the moon is getting closer to setting...

(Detail from the above photo) A double sunset! Twin "horns" of the crescent sun are visible (the red arrow shows the smaller right-hand "horn"). Now there's something you don't see every day (or night).

The "triangular" crescent sun sinks lower and lower...

	Naturally, I have higher resolution versions of this animation available - they are rather large, though. Click on the filesize you'd like to view: | 123k | 53k |    It will open in a new window.
To see the unique vehicle which made this expedition possible, click here. You'll also see a map of the eclipse path, a 360° panorama of the campsite in the outback north of Woomera, and a few other bits 'n' pieces.

Break out of this frame.