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Eclipse Day Having watched the weather closely for several days, we knew we'd have at best a partly cloudy sky for the eclipse, so we sped up to arrive at our target site off the coast of Mozambique early in order to have time to run if it was necessary. It was necessary! Rather than staying put, we steamed southeast along the centerline, away from the African continent. As first contact approached, around 7:15 a.m. local time, the Sun was covered in thick
		Photo by Mike Yates

clouds. We could see a clear spot some miles ahead, where the sky was blue and the Indian Ocean sparkled in full sunlight. At the time of first contact we couldn't see the Sun at all. But a little while later we could glimpse it through the clouds and verify that a partial eclipse was under way.

Over the next hour or so we continued to steam toward the clear spot ahead. We watched the partial phases without any need for solar filters - the thick clouds acted as a natural filter and provided a comfortably bright (but not too bright) direct view of the crescent Sun. But it was becoming obvious that we would not make it into the clear before totality. Many of us thought that the Sun would disappear from view after 2nd contact, when the initial diamond ring winked out.

That's not what happened, though! We had a spectacular display of Baily's Beads, then

a beautiful diamond ring, and then the corona appeared through the clouds as if by magic at 8:30 a.m. The bottom edge of the Sun was rimmed with numerous ruby-red prominences, and the inner corona (which was all we could see) had several obvious streamers, polar brushes, and other features. A loud cheer rose up from the 1,300 passengers and crew members on the Marco Polo's spacious decks.

Approaching 3rd contact, the upper edge of the Sun was rimmed with a very obvious red arc (the chromosphere) and several prominences. Then we had another spectacular diamond ring (enhanced by the clouds), more Baily's Beads, and it was over - 95 seconds of totality.

Photo by Richard Patching


The post-totality partial phases were again viewed through clouds, mostly without solar filters. We never did make it into the clear spot, but we saw all the usual phenomena associated with a total solar eclipse, minus the middle and outer coronas and the appearance of bright stars and planets in the twilit sky. I recorded a temperature drop of 4.5 degrees Celsius, with the minimum coming about a half hour after totality. Shortly after totality, I saw a whale surface off the ship's port side. Someone else reported seeing a marlin, or something like it, jump out of the water. We saw lots of flying fish too. The Moon's umbral shadow was very dark and ominous in the west during the last minutes before totality, no doubt aided by the heavy cloud cover. During totality the horizon was a bright yellow-orange all the way around.
		Photos by Rick Fienberg

Some reported seeing a bluish-green tint in the corona. Others reported a pinkish aureole around the eclipsed Sun. Videos of the event show quite a bit of color in the clouds around the Sun.

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