Martin, how exciting. Have a great time.

Martin, that's fabulous. Have you been to Turkey before? Good luck and enjoy!

That sounds so exotic! Have a great trip, and I'll keep my fingers crossed for clear weather for you.

And you flew your Lear Jet to Nova Scotia
To see a total eclipse of the sun...

Actually, I was thinking it was more a bit geeky than exotic. But still, here's hoping for clear skies. I have mixed memories of the total eclipse visible from Cornwall on August 11th, 1999; I was there, but the whole of Cornwall was covered in cloud on that day. Very disappointing. Still very cool to be in the area of a total eclipse - it's quite spooky when it gets dark, and all the birds fly home to roost! - but I so want to see the corona, which is meant to be an amazing sight.

According to the BBC web site, it's going to be cloudy on Wednesday in Antalya (where I'm going to be); according to Yahoo it's going to be bright sunshine; according to the Turkish Met. Office it's going to be sunny, but with some clouds.

So who knows WHAT the weather will be like?

I've not been to Turkey before, but I've heard good things about it. It really is a whistle-stop tour - only two full days in Turkey (Tues/Wed).

An excellent web-site, the DH spent most of the morning checking things out. You can even find high tide times throughout the world!

We saw an eclipse once here at home, but everything just turned pea green rather than dark.

I had a brief Turkish adventure when we did a day tour to Ephesus, which was beautiful. My daughter and I upset a woman in the marketplace in Kusadasi. We each bought a peach and must not have paid her in the currency she wanted because she shouted at us, but we couldn't understand each other and so we kept the peaches and she let us go.

Martin, that sounds so exciting, in an exotically geeky way. :-) I'm an amateur astronomer (with the emphasis on "amateur"), and a trip like that to see a total eclipse would be wonderful. I hope the weather cooperates for you.

Martin...truly does sound geeky, and exactly something my oldest son would do. I cannot tell you how many times we froze various parts of our anatomy when he was a child and teen taking him to all kinds of astronomy adventures...most in the middle of the night, on a windy mountain top or lakeshore. Enjoy, and return safely to tell us how it was.

Addendum...the first time I wrote this, I typed "sun" instead of "son"...freudian slip or what!?

Backyard Astronomy.
Not a very clear photo of 'How to Look at an Eclipse Without Going Blind'
You will need a stand and clamp ('borrowed' from a chemistry lab) a hundred-year-old pair of binoculars and a sheet of white paper.
Arrange for the wind to die down and the Heavens to be clear of cloud for the few minutes necessary to capture the image of the moon crossing the sun and Bingo.
In both the taking of this photo and transfering it to the RP site a long and beautiful relationship suffered some slight strain.

{{gwi:2117344}}

Media is covering your eclipse big time here. Sounds like it was great viewing. Thought of you throughout the event...hope you had a good viewing spot.

Sounds fascinating, not geeky at all. I saw a not-quite-total eclipse in northern California about 15 years ago at a small lake. We were all being cool and laid-back (it was in Berkeley, after all), but everyone felt a thrill of wonder. The air grew silent and the world an eerie dark, not like twilight at all. I suspect you found it well worth the trip.

Can't wait to hear from Martin! I have always wanted to see a total eclipse - I never have seemed to get the timing right.

Carolyn, did you touch the peaches before you bought them? That could have been the reason for the shouting. In the U.S. we are used to choosing our own fruit, but in other countries this is cause for consternation. Isn't it funny how memories like that stick in our heads so vividly?

Come to think of it, we may have picked up the peaches. I know (now) not to do that in France, but it's such a habit, I probably wouldn't have given it a thought then. Maybe that is why she was so mad.

Martin,

I hope you had good weather for the event. I've never seen an eclipse of the sun, but have seen one of the moon a number of times. One of these days, there'll be one the we can see here in the Northeastern hemisphere, maybe even one with clear skies!

Hi everyone - I'm back.

Lucky or what? It was stormy when we arrived, and cloudy the day we left - but the two full days I was there were perfect. Didn't even THINK of sun-cream, and now have a red forehead and nose....ah well.

But it was worth it. Sitting drinking beer outside a restaurant on the harbour in Antalya, in beatiful weather (about 25C, I reckon), having just had an excellent lunch, and watching a total solar eclipse. Can't beat it. An astonishing sight - the moment when the last tiny bit of the sun disappears and then suddenly the corona is in the sky - words fail me.

{{gwi:2117345}}

Martin, is that your own photo? If so you have an amazingly steady hand!
Over here we only got about 17% 'coverage' but clear skies made for an interesting viewing.

Fantastic Martin! Glad you had good weather.

Vee - it's my own photo, but I didn't need a steady hand - I just left the flash on which meant the camera automatically used a short exposure. That's why the tree branches show in the bottom corner; they are illuminated by the flash.

I'm actually kicking myself slightly - I was so keen just to get a few photos in the short time I had available, I didn't think of zooming in - it would have improved the size a bit.

Ah well...

Martin, that picture is amazing, and lunch in Antalya sounded pretty darn nice, too. My DH is a bit of an amateur astronomer and he would have loved a trip like yours. Lucky you!

Glad it worked out so well for you. Certainly one great thing to have on the "Opportunities I grabbed and didn't pass over in my life" list.

Martin -- Wonderful opportunity and thanks for posting the pic. During the eclipse did you notice any unusual animal/bird behavior? Do the birds actually start to roost (I find this hard to believe)?

Well, in 1999 in South Devon, the birds definitely all flew back to their nests. It was quite eerie - they all rushed back to the trees within a few minutes - it was like a scene from The Birds.

I didn't notice that in Turkey - possibly because there are fewer birds roosting in the harbour in Turkey? and in any case, I was watching the end of the eclipse through my viewer and didn't even realize how dark it was getting till the corona started and I was able to watch again with the naked eye.

Martin, I was in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, in 1999 and the birds did roost there too although we did not get total darkness, just a weird light effect like a sepia photo and stillness.
Do you watch "Sky at Night"? I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Patrick at his birthday party just before that eclipse. The general conversation was about where people were going to see the eclipse. Some were going on a ship (I cannot recall to where but it sounded very exciting!) I think that Sir Patrick was in Cornwall for the BBC.
Of course, in Australia, we only saw this eclipse on TV. I am so glad it stayed fine for you!