Solar eclipse 2006: photos from Side, Turkey

[Brinx]

I just got back from a week in Turkey, a trip which I made to witness the total solar eclipse passing through there. I was quite close to the center line in Side, and the duration of the totality there was about 3 minutes and 40 seconds. Here are a few impressions (all images are, of course, copyrighted to myself):


The view to the south during the totality (approx. 5 to 2 in the afternoon). The 'evening sky' was visible all around - an amazing sight.



The eclipsed sun visible over the southwestern horizon, just a few seconds before the end of the totality. It was quite cool at this point, and people had put on coats and warm jumpers - while the normal daytime temperature there was about 25 C at the time. Venus and Mercury were also visible quite clearly at this moment, although they were standing too far to the west to be included in this frame.



And here a shot of the sun's corona! The magnetic poles of the sun can be found by tracing the field lines visible in the corona. This exposure is too long to make out the various prominences that were visible (even to the naked eye!) at that time, although the tiny nick at the top of the moon's disk has its origin from one.

All in all, a full solar eclipse is an amazing event to experience. I was fascinated by all the things that were visible: the gradual covering of the sun's disk, the sunspots that were visible through the filters, the gradual change of light as the sun got blocked out further and further and the transformation of the environment as it acquired a dullish gray sheen, the quite sudden rush into darkness in the final seconds before totality, the last beads of sunlight that were visible through valleys on the moon's surface, the blazing corona which suddenly sprang into view, the cheering of the surrounding crowd at that sight (first time I've ever heard people applauding for a natural phenomenon!) and the deep satisfaction of having witnessed this as the first rays of direct sunlight returned.

I'd definitely recommend taking the effort to go see one, even if it involves travelling to another continent. Plan your holiday around one!

[editor]

Great pics. At last some real physics. Are you working in this branch of astronomy ?
At Uni. of Waikato we have a radio telescope that is used to produce radio wavelength profiles of the sun.

[Fernanda]

WOW! I'm impressed!