Solar eclipse...observing "report?"

[OzEclipse]

This is probably a bit of an unusual observers report but here goes.......

With more than 60 hrs behind the steering wheel driving home from Western Australia, I whittled away some of the time composing a poem as an observing report come celebration of my 15th total solar eclipse. Obviously, I couldn't rest a notepad on the steering wheel. I would compose one stanza at a time, in my head. Then I'd write it down the next time I stopped to rest, fuel, photograph or sometimes I just would stop and write it down before I forgot the lines. On returning home I typed it all out and have fiddled at the edges editing and playing around with some of the lines for the past 2 weeks.

.

Fifteen Eclipses

As a traveler of Earth and sky
Fifteen eclipses, my journeys high
Across time and space I've flown
To sit at nature's grandest throne

The darkness falls, as Sol he hides
Selena's shadow sweeps the sky
The diamond forms, the corona flies
Sensations make the spirit high

In this fleeting moment swift
I think I see a cosmic rift
For nature's handiwork is vast
And in eclipse, her splendour cast

Over oceans, fields, and mountains roamed
The perfect spot to be shown
The grandest spectacle in the sky
In eclipses, I find my high

My passion for so many a solar eclipse
Like fine wine with friends, and their quips
The marvel sets my soul ablaze
And in my heart, forever stays

I shall continue to chase the sun
Through many a journey yet undone
And may the eclipse forever be
A moment that sets my spirit free.


Joseph Cali.

[Butterfly Maiden]

Unusual report indeed Joe - agreed.

But very poetic nonetheless

[messier 111]

you have taken a path that is not taken often, I like the poem.
thx.

[SkyHiker]

Very nice!

[helicon]

Great poem....I have often been moved by my experiences of the heavens as a form of synchronicity with nature, but have not waxed poetic. Certainly highly creative and VROD-worthy Joe. Congrats on earning today's award!

[Bigzmey]

Beautiful images and poem Joe! And congrats on catching yet another eclipse.

[jrkirkham]

Congratulations! Congratulations! The first congratulations is for the poem. The second for eclipse #15! Both are unusual achievements. I remember watching my first lunar eclipse as a child. I was so moved that I wrote a poem, which I lost somewhere over the years. I forget the poem, but I do remember the feeling. A solar eclipse is that magnified several times over.

[OzEclipse]

Thank you Michael @helicon and Gordon @Gordon for this double honour.

I enjoyed composing this poem during the 9 day drive home and I am similarly enjoying working with my images. The images of this eclipse are quite different to any other eclipse I have photographed with a very bright inner corona and very bright prominences. Amazing that I can still be surprised after 15 eclipses!

There has been some discussion of this on eclipse groups, many have noted the same thing. Many of us think that the inner corona is much brighter than usual due to the current high level of solar activity and because of the near unity diametric ratio between Sun and Moon. This extra bright inner corona and the small 40km umbral shadow has resulted in a highly brightened sky and lower photographic recording of outer corona.

For my part, I have been developing a different way of processing coronal image composites to the traditional approach. I am getting some great results and hope to be ready to post the image soon. I want to write up a method article describing the method before posting images. The results are not necessarily better, they are similar in quality to my own images using the traditional method, but they are much easier to capture and process than via the traditional method and hopefully this will be of use to some members with their images of next years solar eclipse.

regards

Joe

[scribbly]

Great job Joe! As you know, I am yet to process my images or write up a report. I was fortunate to share this eclipse part of the journey with you and all your help to support us "newbies" was amazing. Though we did seem to keep bumping into you throughout our 13,500km/43 day odyssey.

[Ylem]

Very nice Joe! Love the Diamond Ring, and what a beautiful poem!

Congratulations on the very well deserved VROD!

[John Baars]

Great poem, great observations.
You certainly deserve the VROD!

[Unitron48]

Well done! Congrats on your well deserved APOD!

Dave