After the 1999 total eclipse experience, Phill was determined to make the 21 June 2001 total eclipse his second. This eclipse was visible in Southern Africa. He found an advertisement for Mayhugh Travel, a company run by Roy Mayhugh in California. One evening in a hotel room in London, Phill called Roy. He answered on the second ring! They talked about the 2001 eclipse and Phill signed up on a trip to Zambia.
A trip to Africa required some vaccinations. This included yellow fever. This was only available once per month at Exeter hospital by appointment. Anti-malariam drugs were also required.
Phill took an Air Zimbabwe flight from London Gatwick to Harare, Zimbabwe. He was booked on a connecting flights to Johannesburg and then Cape Town. At Harare airport he met three others who were on the same trip. He was determined to get of the first flight to Johannesburg and succeeded. The other three had to wait over 8 hours for a flight.
After a few days in lovely Cape Town, Phill flew to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and took the Shongalolo Express train to Harare, Zambia via the impressive Victoria Falls.
The eclipse viewing site was a field at the end of a dirt track. We started setting up our equipment. It was amazing the kit which appeared out of various bags. There were numerous cameras and telescopes.
The waiting was soon to come to an end. It was rapidly approaching 13h34, the time which we were told to expect first contact. Many eyes were focused on the 7 o’clock position of the Sun’s surface looking for the first bite of the Moon. Several people were giving time checks on a regular basis and the tension was rising. The time of 1334 arrived, no sign of the Moon. Seconds and then minutes passed. There was a growing tension and some joking that it was the wrong day. At 13h42 a small circular dent appeared in the lower left quadrant of the Sun. There were various calls of “First contact”. The tension turned to excitement as everybody had confirmation that the eclipse was really going to happen.
Over the next 80 minutes the Moon gradually covered more and more of the Sun. People were making periodic observations. Some were taking sequences of photographs. As the eclipse progressed some of the effects started to occur. Although it was the WInter solstice in the southern hemisphere it was a hot cloudless day. As more and more of the Sun was covered by the Moon, the Sun’s rays were noticeable cooler on the skin. There was a greying effect on the surrounding scenery. A white sheet had been placed on the ground and shadow bands could be seen. Will’s straw hat was projecting crescent patterns though the holes in the weave.
As 15h09 approached it was noticeably cooler and darker. A 360 degree sunset appeared. I was watching the slowly diminishing crescent of the Sun through my viewer and taking brief glimpses to my left to look for the Moon Shadow. The crescent was almost gone and the dark wall of the Moon Shadow approached from the left. I chose the moment to look directly at the Sun. I caught the last glimpse of Baily’s beads and then a very spectacular Diamond RIng. The corona was clearly visible as a spiky halo around the Sun’s disk. There were many oohs and aahs as the Diamond Ring disappeared. The corona was visible in its full glory. There was a large orange prominence in the 3 o’clock position. I looked through my telephoto lens and saw that there were many more prominences in the lower left and upper left quadrants. Structures could be seen in the corona. The 3 1/2 minutes passed all too quickly. Suddenly there was a blaze of white as a second, even more spectacular Diamond Ring appeared. Sadly, it was time to use the viewer again. Everybody was clearly moved. It was an eclipse to remember.
Some people started packing their equipment away at this point. Some of us appreciated that there was another hour or so of eclipse to go. I took frequent observations as the Moon slowly uncovered the Sun. Determined to make the most of the experience, I observed closely as fourth contact approached. There was a sense of loss as the last trace of the Moon’s disk left the Sun. Now was a time to recollect the experience and start planning for December 2002.
This was the 57th eclipse of Saros 127. Totality lasted about 3.5 minutes from our viewpoint.
