I remember that in the summer of 1994 there was a solar
eclipse, and I watched parts of it with welder's glass. Since then, though, I
have not seen any part of a solar eclipse. From Northwest Indiana, the partial
solar eclipse we experienced on October 23 wasn't going to be a spectacular
event, with only about half the Sun being eclipse at maximum, and the Sun
setting shortly after maximum eclipse. Still, I was looking forward to it, and
when the forecast was mostly cloudy, with a possibility of rain, I wasn't very
optimistic.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/partial-solar-eclipse-october-23-2014-10062014/
When I got home from work Thursday morning, I needed to take
a nap. I wanted to wake up early so I could check weather forecasts around the
region, and check satellite images to see where the best chance of a clear sky
might be. I set a couple of alarms on my phone, went to sleep, and then slept
through nearly two hours of my phone going off every five minutes.
When I finally woke up, it was after 3:30 PM, and the
eclipse was going to start in about an hour. I hurried to get ready, but with
so little time, the only observation I could get to in time was at Valparaiso
University. I arrived at the V.U. observatory around 4:20, with about 15
minutes to spare. Professors Dr. Bruce Hrivnak and Dr. Todd Hillwig were set up
behind the observatory, and ready to host a public observation. There were some
eager visitors already there, but the sky was still cloudy. Dr. Hrivnak's wife
Lucy arrived a few minutes after me, and like me, she really wasn't expecting
to see much either. Then the Sun started to peek through a clearing in the
clouds that was opening up.
I hadn't bothered getting any equipment out of my car
because of the cloudy conditions, so I hurried to get my 60mm refractor that I
use for solar observing and Sun funnel screen. The funnel screen hadn't been
used in a long time, and the black electrical tape holding the screen in place
was worn, and needed to be replaced. At some point it had come undone, and left
a black mark across the observing screen, but there was no time to properly
clean it. I hastily re-taped the screen in place. There wasn't enough time to
get it nice and tight across the top of the funnel, but would do for this
observation, which might not last long.
 |
| Not ideal conditions, but I was able to observe the beginning of the eclipse through the clouds to the west. |
Finally ready to observe, I found the Sun by using the
shadow method, and was impressed by the massive sunspot A.R. 2192. Lucy Hrivnak
gave me a pair of eclipse glasses, and I was surprised that sunspot 2192 could
be seen even without magnification. A small crowd started to gather around my
telescope for a look at our Sun. Then I saw a slight impression on the solar
limb, and the eclipse had begun.
 |
| First eclipse image on the Sun funnel screen. |
Like me, Dr. Hrivnak was using a small spotting scope to
safely project an image of the eclipsed Sun, while Dr. Hillwig had a full
aperture solar filter on a 6" SCT. Of course, they were also handing out
eclipse glasses to anybody who wished to see the eclipse. But like I found out
during the Transit of Venus, people really seemed to enjoy the funnel
projection screen. The fairly large image on the screen and being able to
observe in a group makes this a popular method for observing any solar event.
It also attracted the attention of Heather Augustyn of the
Times of Northwest
Indiana. Heather interviewed me, and Times photographer John Luke got a shot of me
demonstrating the funnel projection system. Both the image and interview were
included in the online article, and in Friday's newspaper.
 |
| Photo credit: John Luke- The Times of Northwest Indiana. |
 |
| Small crowd observing the partial solar eclipse behind Valpo University's campus observatory. |
I watched as a small sunspot near the solar limb was
eclipsed by the Moon, but didn't time the moment of occultation. I was just
trying to enjoy whatever time remained of the Sun peeking through the clouds.
Right around 5:00 PM CDST, the Sun started to disappear behind clouds again,
and it looked like the end of the observation. I left my telescope set up just
in case, but took a few moments to document the crowd, the sky conditions, and
posed for a picture with professors Hrivnak and Hillwig. From that point all
telescopic observing was over. The Sun did show through the clouds briefly
around 5:30, but it was very low in the sky, and the sunlight wasn't strong
enough to cast shadows for aligning my telescope. I could sort of make out the
outline of the Moon through eclipse glasses, but clouds were also obscuring the
solar disk, making it hard to tell just how much of the Sun was eclipsed by our
Moon.
 |
| Final eclipse image on the Sun funnel. Giant sunspot 2192 is clearly visible. |
 |
| Professor Todd Hillwig oversees observing through a filtered telescope, while behind him, professor Bruce Hrivnak is projecting an image of the eclipse through a spotting scope. |
 |
| Though still in progress, clouds cut short serious eclipse observing. |
 |
| Selfie behind the dome. |
 |
| Posing with professors Hillwig and Hrivnak, and their friend. |
 |
| Do these eclipse glasses make me look cool? |
Even before the Sun had set, I packed my gear, signed the
observatory's guest book, and said goodbye to the Hrivnaks and Dr. Hilllwig. As
I left the campus, and turned west onto U.S. 30, the Sun was just above the
horizon, and just below the clouds gathered in that direction. I could easily
see the eclipse still in progress, and pulled over to try to get a picture. The
settings on my cell phone just aren't up to getting images of the Sun, even
while almost half eclipsed.
 |
| Trying to get final images of the eclipse Sun, but my phone couldn't capture what I saw naked eye. |
Even though it turned out mostly cloudy, and I almost missed
the eclipse by oversleeping, I seem to have seen more total minutes of eclipse
than others in the region. I enjoyed it while I could, and look forward to a
trip south in 2017 to stand in Luna's shadow.
