IWO JIMA 2009
We decide to watch the 2009 eclipse from north of Iwo Jima, on a cruise
out of China organised
by
Roy and Bonnie Mayhugh. Our ship is the Costa Classica.
| Yoko and I arrive in Beijing with a day to spare, to reduce the risk of missing the ship, and to have a day to look around the city. We had been disappointed to read, at the time of the Olympics, that the Chinese authorities had scoured Beijing removing notices in Chinglish and replacing them with correct English. We need not have worried. This source of gentle and harmless amusement lives on, as evidenced by this notice outside the main Olympic stadium. |
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It is raining when we wake up the next morning, and it rains all day. Like all eclipse freaks, we begin to obsess about the weather. The forecasts for the mainland are gloomy and we are pleased to be on our ship and getting away from China. |
Beijing's a nice place, so they say. But it rained every tick of today. So nothing could be finer; We are on our ocean liner In China--and sailing away. |
Our first full day on the ship is busy. There are many lectures
on astronomical themes and we see
presentations about the Hubble telescope (by Kelly Beatty), tides (David
Lynch) and eclipse
photography (George Keene). Costa Cruises staffers doggedly try to
interest the umbraphiles
in more traditional at-sea activities.
Busy times out on the sea swell.
I've learned stories only Hubble could tell.
And how the tides run,
Photographing the sun,
And dancing the salsa as well.
On the next two days the ship visits Jeju island (South Korea) and
Kagoshima (Japan). On Jeju we
visit volcanic zones and explore kilometres into lava tubes. From Kagoshima,
we visit the the volcanic
area Sakurajima ("shima" and "jima" mean
"island" in Japanese but Sakurajima has been a peninsula
since the eruption of 1914). Jeju and Sakurajima are liberally
covered with rocks and prompt
modification of a limerick from Easter Island:
| I'll remember these volcanic zones Until old age crumbles my bones. And I'll stop taking trips To see an eclipse When Jeju runs out of stones. The picture shows a walking trail in We leave Kagoshima and head for |
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On deck 24 hours before the eclipse, with the ship at the speed
and heading it will take during
the
eclipse, it is very hot and very humid. But it is still
overcast.
At rehearsal, the heat was a rotter.
High temperatures made us all totter.
But if you're with me today,
You'll know why I say
I hope that eclipse day is hotter.
We hear several presentations about the momentous battle for Iwo Jima,
and a talk by William
Mayhugh, Roy's father, who was at the battle (as a signalman on the USS
Tennessee). So our
circuit of the island early on eclipse day is a meaningful experience; we
know a detailed history
of every place we see.
Eclipse day is sunny. It is the only clear day of our
cruise. There is a circle of cloud all the way
around the horizon, but no cloud above us, not even the high cirrus expected
even if we avoided
the low cumulus. The sea is so smooth we can see
the clouds reflected in the
water. The horizon
cloud is actually a
bonus--we can see the
clouds change colour as the umbra overtakes us.
The longest eclipse of the century. For us, more than 6 minutes 40
seconds. Again, I yield to
temptation and watch the diamond ring at second contact, thus spoiling my
dark adaptation. Still,
soon I can see Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn, plus several stars--Sirius,
Procyon, Rigel, Pollux,
and others I can't identify with certainty.
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| Diamond ring at second contact. Photo Norihiro Doshita |
Corona at mid eclipse. Photo Hiroaki Kuwahara |
Plenty to look at. The corona seems smooth, as might be expected
at a time of minimum solar
activity, but compact. Not much red colour from the chromosphere,
with the moon larger than during
most eclipses. Not many
beads. At third contact, one prominence. It's over too soon.
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I do have time for a photo with my Canon pocket digital camera (left). Select Auto, just point and shoot. Amazing what these gadgets can do. An eclipse of six minutes and more? I was afraid that it might be a bore. Second contact to third, Time flew like a bird. And then I was crying for more. A long eclipse is a dark eclipse. Many observers (particularly those with binoculars) could see lunar surface features illuminated by earthshine.
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This photo, taken on Eniwetok Atoll, clearly shows the moon's marias.
Copyright © 2009 Brad
Templeton, Kathryn Myronuk, and Landon Curt Noll.
All Rights Reserved.
| The day after the eclipse, our ship heads for Kobe, Japan, our last stop before Beijing's port Tianjin. We laugh at the pouring rain. Now we are thinking about next year's eclipse. |
Eclipses never fail to amaze. But this year's is back that-a-ways. Our problem is now To figure out how To pass the next 356 days. |
Easter Island is tempting, but the weather is doubtful. Perhaps
somewhere a little south of Tahiti.
I want to maintain my record of not being clouded out for all of the seven
eclipses since 2001 (it's
actually eight since 1999, but that's a more difficult rhyme).
I'm a fortunate son-of-a-gun.
Clear skies since 2001.
And all those people to greet--
The friends that I meet
At total eclipses of the sun.
See you next year!