Our Universe

For Everybody the eclipse is a unique opportunity to admire and celebrate the beauty and inspiration of this celestial experience: a black Sun in a noon dawn, a Sun magnified by the aura of its powerful corona. The experience of such a moment triggers questions on the cosmos, our Earth in space, and our human condition - a shared unforgettable experience that crosses boundaries of language, race, religion and culture. I would say: Just do It at least once in your lifetime if the possibility occurs. Hylke Muntinga 1999

My 1999 Eclipse Experience:

I was driving to Virton, Belgium to experience and store the experience on film and web cam. It  took us 5 hours to get from Leiden to Virton. When we arrived the town was already crowded with eclipse travelers which all felt the excitement of this event. A feeling that works towards a climax. I went there with my mom who wanted to see this exclusive European happening as well. We met four of my moms friends at the house we were staying at. There were all very interesting individuals which all have traveled a lot and still get fascinated by exploring the world and life as it is presenting. We were staying at  a very old and traditional "French" style house. The next morning, after orientating where to sit down the sun started to get "eaten" away by the other space body: The Moon. At 11.20  the doors of the universe  started to open and slowly and gradually you see it getting darker. You can compare it with the begin of a heavy thunderstorm. This happens with a mystic vibe around it. I had a laptop and a web cam in grass pointing on some cows who laying on the grass of the hill. At 12.28 the totality of the eclipse would start for over one and a half minutes. It was 12.27 and the sky was indeed very dark and expected to get a little darker in a minute but that was not the case. At 12.28 the birds were silent and sun was "eaten" away in total. The darkness kicked in at a very rapid pace and all the light that was still there got swallowed away in a second. The sky was dark as dark as it can be. Darker than you would ever expect. A magic surprise after the already decreased light. The clouds were blocking the view of the eclipse which would only last for a short period of time. I sat in the grass and heard the voices of emotion in the village which I was looking at from the hill. I was sitting there alone living the unexpected. You think you know how experiences can look like but there are always different. There are always unique even if you know everything of the particular situation. The sky was blocked by the clouds the entire time so you couldn't see the sun,  but suddenly I turned around and my eyes were focused on one thing in the sky: A black body with an amazing ring around it. The Corona was so beautiful that I got a boost of  mystical adrenaline through my body. On both sides of the eclipse the "diamonds" of the sun were printing their beauty on my pupils which were just a big as the moon on the moment of this natural wonder. This took no longer than 10 seconds but they were worth driving 15 hours in total (Holland-Virton= 5 hours, Virton-Holland=10 hours). After the totality the light appears in one second and the sun is welcomed again. This moment is very intense as you hear everybody scream, shout and expressing their feelings of happiness. The whole town is celebrating seconds after the event and everybody on the hills are expressing their feelings as well by yelling and shouting. A wonderful experience!

Check out the Eclipse Sequence below

Check out the photo above of the Eclipse of August. Amazing and even 100000 times nicer with your own eyes

Credit & Copyright: Pavel and Roman Cagas 

Corona photos from NASA.      First photo=small         Second photo=large

You can capture this event with your camera or any other device but you can't do it both. Or you experience it in its full glory or you try to capture this natural wonder. Experience it or Capture it. If you ask  experts or admirers this question they will agree without discussion. I ended up with no photos and or movies. 

. It seems normal that at the time of an eclipse one reflects further about the
relation of man to the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, the cosmos.
.

Edwin Aldrin's bootprint, an image that has come
to symbolize human exploration of the Moon. This
footprint should last one or two million years.

 

We shall have to wait a very
long time to see a total solar eclipse over Europe after 11 August 1999. The next 8 total solar eclipses until 2010 will miss Europe. The next solar eclipse over Paris is not until 3 September 2081! 

The next total solar eclipses will take place
on 21 June 2001(Angola,Zimbabwe....), 4 December 2002 (over south of Africa), 23
November 2003 (over Antarctica).

]]Click on the thumbnail above for the large photo of the Full Moon

All this therefore leads us to celebrate, remember and enjoy the spectacular eclipse, and be inspired by its symbolism. And clearly it is an occasion to celebrate in advance a new millennium of education, exploration and opportunities.