March's Solar Eclipse
Eclipse watchers from the Bandstand, Whitby.
All things considered we were rather fortunate to catch more than a fleeting glimpse of the partial eclipse on 20 March. The forecast did not make for pleasant viewing, but at least from Whitby the cloud fragmented just enough, and at the right time, for the greatest show ‘off earth’ to be viewed by the masses. From the Whitby pier band stand (our location for the event) light levels certainly dimmed, the temperature dropped, things seemed to go still, around the time of maximum obscuration – just after 9.35 am. Even the seagulls fell quiet for a while! Wherever you managed to watch it from, I hope you were as delighted, impressed and moved as we were. It will be another eleven years before another solar eclipse of similar magnitude will be visible from our shores, although a couple of lesser events will occur before then.
Mark Lawson,
Whitby & District Astronomical Society
All things considered we were rather fortunate to catch more than a fleeting glimpse of the partial eclipse on 20 March. The forecast did not make for pleasant viewing, but at least from Whitby the cloud fragmented just enough, and at the right time, for the greatest show ‘off earth’ to be viewed by the masses. From the Whitby pier band stand (our location for the event) light levels certainly dimmed, the temperature dropped, things seemed to go still, around the time of maximum obscuration – just after 9.35 am. Even the seagulls fell quiet for a while! Wherever you managed to watch it from, I hope you were as delighted, impressed and moved as we were. It will be another eleven years before another solar eclipse of similar magnitude will be visible from our shores, although a couple of lesser events will occur before then.
Mark Lawson,
Whitby & District Astronomical Society
