I’m doing the Sky Watch Friday early again because the movers are expected today at 8:00 and Friday might be a mess. We’ve got all our things prioritized and it’s looking mighty tight to fit all we want into the moving container. We’ll just hope for the best.
This photo was actually taken on July 11th, 1991. We planned our trip home to the Big Island to coincide with the total solar eclipse. However, when we landed, the car we rented was not available because so many people had come to the Big Island for the best viewing. We were stuck in Kona. Waikoloa is where there was supposed to be the absolute best view and you needed a car to get out there. We got a tiny bit of rest and then woke early the next morning, jet lagged but happy to be there for the eclipse. We got our special viewing glasses and went out to Kona harbor to watch this special show.
The morning started out cloudy but a couple of minutes before the eclipse the clouds cleared and we got the most amazing display we were so lucky to see. When the eclipse was total I remember bird songs stopping and grasshoppers taking over with their own nighttime melody. The street lights came on automatically. We could see jewel like sparkles around the sun. It was spectacular. I could certainly see why primitive peoples would have been frightened when day turned to night so mysteriously.
We learned later that the poor folks who had traveled to Waikoloa had nothing but cloudy skies and could not see anything. It was even clouded over on Mauna Kea (or was that Haleakala? Bad memory!) where the observatory is located. Sometimes things work out just right and you just have to savor the moment when the stars line up for you… or in this case, the sun and moon.
Here's a link to Mr. Eclipse.com that has better photos of the eclipse.
For more great Sky Watch Friday photos, join us at Welcome to Wiggers World and meet our very wonderful and most cordial host, Tom Wigley.
