ECLIPSE 1994 – UNLOADING FROM THE TRAIN IN THE ALTI PLANO IN BOLIVIA
GALLERY SLIDESHOW PHOTOS FOR THE 1977, 1979, 1991 and 1994 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES:
The period between 1977 and 1995 had four fairly accessible total eclipses and two annular eclipses. These were all in the 1970s or the 1990s. Why is nothing shown here from the 1980s? The 1980s, in fact, had six total eclipses (yes, six!… 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988 and 1990), but they were mostly inaccessible or even totally inaccessible. Two were in Antarctica only and two were in the Arctic in the Siberian Sea. Two others were amost entirely over the ocean in the region south and west of Australia. The 1980s were indeed a tough decade for eclipse chasers. Of the six eclipses from 1977 to 1995 that were chased, four were total and are presented in this slideshow, and two were annular, with those being shown in another slideshow which you can access.
The total eclipse of 1977 occurred on November 12, and was mostly over the Pacific ocean. The eclipse path left the Pacific and entered South America at the coastline of Columbia, which was not the most stable country in 1977. However, the eclipse was accessible via a cruise ship off the coast of Columbia. This eclipse cruise departed from the Port of Los Angeles, with stops in ports-of-call along the Pacific coast of Mexico. The eclipse path was near the edge of the inter-tropical convergence zone, where some clouds are always present. The cruise ships (there were three in the vicinity at eclipse time) steamed through the clouds, found a reasonably clear hole, and a nice eclipse was observed. Mercury and Venus were very prominent during totality.
The total solar eclipse of February 26, 1979 was the last one in the continental United States for 38 years, and it was not the greatest set of circumstances. It barely caught the northwest corner of the USA, and quickly moved into Manitoba, Canada. Manitoba in February is a guarantee of extreme weather, and possible gray cloud cover and ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. It was observed by a group of 16 from the Warren Astronomy Club in Michigan, and the cold weather was indeed present. The eclipse was observed in 14-degree below zero F temperatures with some slight ice-crystal haze in parts of the sky. Some of the film cameras had their shutters freeze after sitting out for hours waiting for the eclipse to start, thus they would not operate when the eclipse started. Therefore the eclipse was seen by some members, but not photographed! Thank goodness the new digital cameras do not have those big movable mechanical parts that can freeze shut! The eclipse was fairly impressive, with very nice prominences as shown in the slideshow.
The 1991 total solar eclipse was another member of the great saros series of 7-minute eclipses. Every 18 years and 10 days a similar eclipse in the same saros series occurs, except that it is 1/3 of the way around the earth from the last location. After three saros cycles of 54 years and one month the same eclipse returns to the same part of the earth as it did 54 years earlier. Therefore, the July 11, 1991 eclipse was a 7-minute eclipse that followed the great 7-minute eclipse in Africa in 1973 (our group was at that one too!). It should be noted that the eclipse 54 years earlier than the 1973 Africa eclipse was the famous 7-minute 1919 African eclipse which astronomers used to try and verify Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. (They were not successful, but were successful at a later eclipse in Australia).
The next great 7-minute eclipse one saros cycle after 1991 was the 2009 eclipse in China in July. Our group was also at the 2009 eclipse, but were unfortunately clouded out of both the 1991 and 2009 eclipses. Thus, 14 minutes of totality was missed! It happens. The two obvious viewing spots for the 1991 eclipse were the Big Island of Hawaii and the tip of the Baja peninsula in Mexico. Our group chose Hawaii, which turned out to be a bad choice. A spectacular long eclipse was observed in crystal-clear skies in Baja, whereas the sky was totally cloudy in Hawaii on eclipse morning.
Another total eclipse of the sun occurred on November 3, 1994, and the path of totality passed through central South America and the country of Bolivia. It was successfully observed in the Alti Plano region of Bolivia from a point that was a 10-hour train ride south of La Paz (10-hours each way). The Alti Plano is a very large and high desert region (14,000+ ft). A special eclipse train left from La Paz on the evening before the eclipse. This was because of the long trip required to get to the centerline, and because the eclipse was a mid-morning event. The train passed through the high, dry and desolate Alti-Plano, with only a few small villages seen. The eclipse occurred during the weekend national celebration of the “Day of the Dead”, so all villages were celebrating all night, with dancing and music. The southern milky way and the southern cross were spectacular views when the train stopped for water at 3:00 a.m. along the way. Upon arrival, the sky had scattered clouds, but the clouds did not interfere with the eclipse. The eclipse was viewed at an altitude of nearly 15,000 feet, probably the highest of any eclipse of our lifetimes. In that thin air the eclipse was a spectacular sight … one of the best of all those that I have seen, only topped by the 2001 eclipse in Zambia. On the long ride home we counted dust devils and llamas!
Just Below are the Gallery Slideshow Photos for the 1977, 1979, 1991 and 1994 Eclipses:
*** NOTE: Click on “Show as Slideshow” to Display these Photos as a Slideshow at the Bottom of the Page. When the Slideshow Begins, place the Curser at the Bottom Center of the Photo to View the Slideshow Navigation Bar. The Title of each Slide is in the Center of the Navigation Bar. To Pause the Slideshow on a Photo, click on the Slide Number. To Mute and Unmute the Music, click on the Speaker Icon that is Second from the Right. To Display the Slideshow in the Full Screen Mode or in a Smaller Window, click on the Display Icon at the Far Right End of the Navigation Bar. To end the Slideshow click on “Show Picture List”.***
