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03/29/06 Total Eclipse of the Sun from Egypt:

   This will take you to a high resolution animation of the eclipse, ~14 MB.

   Go here to see images of the Sun.  Images are at 30 second intervals.

   Check out the technical details used to create a composite image of totality.

   This is a short photo galley of the trip to Egypt.

 

 

  Click here or on the image for a high  resolution view.  Click here for image details.

 

The eclipse as seen from western Egypt near the small fishing village of Salloum on the Mediterranean Sea.  At our location, we were treated to 3 minutes and 56 seconds of "mind numbing darkness" in the silvery shadow of the moon, also referred to as totality.  This composite is an approximation of the full dynamic range as seen by eye at the time of the eclipse.

 

 

      Click here for the high resolution animation, ~2.6 MB.

 

Here is the path of totality on March 29, 2006.  On the far right is a satellite image showing the moons shadow in the Sahara Desert at maximum eclipse. 

 

 

 

Here are some maps that show where in western Egypt the eclipse took place.  Our observing site was at 31 degrees 33 minutes North latitude and 25 degrees 10 minutes East longitude, magnetic declination 2 degrees 56 minutes East.

 

 

 

 

The above animation shows the relative size of the sun and moon on March 29, 2006 from Salloum, Egypt.    The relative motion of the moon against the corona can be easily visualized.  The moon moved from the lower right to the upper left.  Solar flares were much more prominent at second contact as compared to third contact.  Close inspection reveals the silhouette of lunar mountains and valleys against the corona.  Click on the image or here for a higher resolution view.  The above sequence shows a sample of 12 out of 308 images taken of the partial phase of the eclipse.  Click here to see all of the images of the partial sequence.  The animation of the entire eclipse (~14 MB) can be seen here.    North is up and East is to the left in all images.

 

 

  This is a full frame composite image of one 1/8000th and three 1/1500th second exposures.  The short exposures are needed to catch the electric pink prominences and flares of the chromosphere.  There is a distinct lack of extended corona here due to the short exposures. 

 

  A closer look at the image above.  Prominence can be best seen just after 2nd contact or just before 3rd contact.  The hot pink solar flares seen here dominate the chromosphere just two seconds after 2nd contact.  Click on the image for a closer view.  How many flares can you count?  Check out the magnetic looping visible in the corona near the center of the image.  This area is adjacent to a group of sunspots coming around the limb of the sun.  Go to the bottom of this page to see more.  Also note the looping in the corona around the largest prominence here and even more clearly in the composite image at the top of this page.

 

 

The following animation (~2.6 MB) shows images that are in a time series around 2nd and 3rd contacts.  The animation of the entire eclipse (~14 MB) can be seen here.

 

 

 

Each frame can be seen below.  Time and exposure information is adjacent to each image.  These are not full frame images.  Each has been slightly cropped.  Click on each image for a full resolution view.

 

  Time:  09:35:00 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:35:30 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:36:00 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:36:30 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:37:00 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:37:34 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:37:38 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:37:48 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:37:52 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:37:54 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:37:58 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:38:00 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th, less than 2 seconds before 2nd contact.

  Time:  09:38:04 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th, less than 2 seconds after 2nd contact.

  Time:  09:38:06 UT  Exposure: 1/3000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:38:12 UT  Exposure: 1/1500th second, no filter.

  Time:  28 exposures within 96 seconds of 2nd contact.  Exposures:  1/6th to 1/8000th

  Time:  09:41:16 UT  Exposure: 1/3000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:41:18 UT  Exposure: 1/1500th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:41:52 UT  Exposure: 1/250th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:41:56 UT  Exposure: 1/125th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:41:58 UT  Exposure: 1/60th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:42:02 UT  Exposure: 1/250th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:42:04 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:42:08 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:42:10 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:42:14 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th second, no filter.

  Time:  09:42:26 UT  Exposure: 1/8000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:42:52 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:43:22 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:43:52 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:44:22 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:44:52 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

  Time:  09:45:22 UT  Exposure: 1/1000th second with the solar filter.

 

 

 

The following images are in an exposure series from a long exposure to a short exposure.  These 9 exposures show how "every exposure" yields something important about the eclipse.  Longer exposure show the extended corona while shorter exposures show the inner corona and chromosphere.

 

  1/6th second

  1/15th second

  1/30th second

  1/60th second

  1/125th second

  1/250th second

  1/750th second

  1/1500th second

  1/8000th second

 

 

Exposure animation:

 

  This animation shows the above series of 9 frames of long and short exposures.  It is from these frames that the full dynamic range composite, the image at the top of this page, was made.  Click here for all of the technical details of how the composite was processed.

 

 

  This blinking animation shows the relationship between the sunspots and corona during totality.  These sunspots might be responsible for some of

the "turbulence" seen in the corona.  Magnetically controlled looping is common around sunspots.

 

 

  This animation blinks between 1st and 4th contacts.  The sunspots visible on the East limb move as the sun rotates during the 2 hours and 40 minutes of the eclipse.