11:11 am, MARCH 20, 2015, LONGYEARBYEN, SPITSBERGEN, SVALBARD
Truly a memorable experience being in Longyearbyen, Svalbard at 78 degrees, 15 minutes north latitude, where the moons’ shadow as it obscured the sun crossed our path during the total solar eclipse of March 20, 2015. It seemed to happen in a flash: the moon almost covering the solar disk, the light on the snowy plain dimming, then suddenly it became dark and there was a black disk in the sky where the sun had been, surrounded by the shimmering corona. The whole scene seemed to be in black and white. White snow and a stark landscape provided no distractions as we viewed the spectacle in front of us. It almost seemed to take forever- when was the sun going to return?
The setting could not have been better- standing on snow covered ice, looking through a gap in the snow covered mountains of Spitsbergen Island. Many thanks to the people at Travel Quest for organizing this complicated trip and finding the perfect eclipse viewing location.
Wonderful photos!
And on August 21, 2017, there will
be a much more accessible total
eclipse, with the path running right
across the center of the US. Not to
be missed!
An excursion. How exciting!
Hi Stan, this is magnificent.
Do you know if there’s any composite pictures made on your trip by anyone – showing the inner as well as the outer corona?
Fabulous! 🙂