Partial solar eclipse 2021-06-10
The solar eclipse day started out with hot weather and clear skies.
Tora Greve had summoned the Tycho Brahe Solar Group to her private garden. In the last minute, the chairman of the board of the Tycho Brahe Society finally found out that we ought to have an official arrangement for the public on the Tycho Brahe Observatory. The inner core of the Solar Group didn’t approve. We are all between 65 and 78 years old and didn’t want to meet the public yet. Most of us are fully vaccinated against covid 19, but we are still cautious. To begin with we were only 5 persons with 3 Canon system cameras. The 5 of us were Tora Greve, Erik Johansson, Hans Kronkvist, Ann Sidbrant and Torsten Olsson.
The solar eclipse was beginning 11.33, with a maximum 12.42 and was ending at 13.52. In other words, it was to take place during the time the sun was standing highest in the sky, almost in zenit. We all gave up on cameras on tripods and decided for hand holds. I used a Canon 1100D 300 mm zoom and 400ASA, most pictures 1/125 F11 through a double mylar filter. In addition to that, we had access to a Corona solar telescope and saw some protuberances between 1 and 2 o’clock. In the telescope, the solar eclipse moved between 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock, in the camera between 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock. We spotted first and last contact with the telescope.
To begin with we stood in the sun, but that was soon unbearable, so we moved to the pergola in the middle of the garden to sit in the shadow. People were lining up to watch the sun through the Coronado, which was popular.
Eventually, some haze began covering up the sun, but it was so thin that we still had to use filters to watch and photograph. I missed photographing first and last contact since I was glued to the Coronado then with the others almost climbing on me to watch.
Sometimes around maximum Karl Palm stood at the gate. He had escaped from the Tycho Brahe Observatory since the audience concisted of under 10 persons. The arrangement there was announced too late, I guess.
After watching a successful solar eclipse, we packed our equipment and left it in the home of Tora before going to the usual Chinese restaurant by the beach. There we met Göran Iveberg who hade watched the solar eclipse from his own garden not too far from us. Kjell Westman, who had also escaped from the meeting at the Tycho Brahe Observatory, called us from the yacht club only some few paces away from us and said he couldn’t come, because his boat had to be in the water at a specific time. Well, are you living in a tourist center like Limhamn, your boat must be in the water when the space on land is needed by the tourists in caravans. So we were 7 persons settling on 2 tables under a big tree enjoying our meal.
A solar eclipse is not only observing the sun, it is supposed to be a party, too.