TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
Baja, Mexico (San Juan De La Costa, Sea of Cortez)
Photo Atlas/Observations
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My solo 4x4 expedition to see the '91 solar eclipse (my 1st ever) ranks as one of the best experiences of my life. I had a chance to experience one of the great spectacles of nature, and at the same time do some solo Baja off-road exploration. What an adventure!
At RTMC in May '91, I had run into people going to the eclipse (Jeff Charles of Versacorp, Carter Roberts, John Sanford, Bob Mortimer), and only then decided to give it a go. My biggest obstacle was prepping my 4x4 van, whose engine needed new cylinder heads. I even got my racing friend to loan me 2 50 gallon gas drums (due to rumors of possible gas shortages on the way back, for the long 1000 mile drive from the southern tip of Baja. This turned out to be all a bunch of hype).
The drive down Baja was amazing, the incredible unspoiled beauty. As I approached La Paz, I noticed some thin clouds & pulled over to study their movement. I decided it was best to go north a bit (off the centerline), which corresponded to clearer skies (as it turned out I got 5.75 min of totality, less than the 7 min max). I entered a rugged area with arroyos draining into the Sea of Cortez, and found the perfect site: a sand dune off the beach with a giant Saguaro cactus at the top. Just offshore is Espiritu Santu, an island popular with kayakers.
The notable aspect of my eclipse experience, was that of being out by myself (no crowds, no problems). Truly a mesmerizing experience.
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This is 3rd contact diamond ring -- a very long exposure (5 sec) for outer corona. Taken with a 4" f10 (1000mm FL) SCT on Kodachrome 64. |
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This is my isolated (no people) eclipse site @San Juan De La Costa (north of La Paz), an elevated sand dune 50 yards from the beach (on the Sea of Cortez). Note the 30 foot tall Saguaro cactus. I used 4WD to run west through some sandy arroyos, until I hit the beach. In the process, my steering box was slightly torn off. The humidity and heat (a thermometer in the sun read 120 deg) was incredible; only 15 minutes of exertion, and I had to rest & drink water. My skin was sunburned pink. |
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This is my telescope equipment for eclipse photography. There is an 8" f10 SCT (2000mm FL) for H-alpha photography (I was able to spot the Horsehead Prominence on the west limb, & consequently planned a pre-1st contact "eclipse". See below). Piggyback on top is a 4" f10 SCT (1000mm FL), for outer corona shots; piggyback below is a 70mm f6 refractor, for partial phases. In the background, is my video platform. |
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This is a sequence showing the limb of the moon, gradually "eclipsing" the Horsehead Prominence, just before 1st contact. You can actually "see" the contour of the limb. The Horsehead Prominence was a very memorable feature of this eclipse, where it was dramatically seen @3rd contact. |
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This is just past 1st contact. Note the sunspot & filament. This is just past 1st contact. Note the sunspot & filament. |
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This is a 50mm (35mm format) horizon shot, looking towards the west. You can see the brightening on the western horizon, since the umbra is moving towards the east. |
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This is a 8mm (35mm format) horizon shot (circular fisheye), looking straight up, JUST before 2nd contact. Note the brightening towards the east (cactus & van), i.e. the leading edge of the umbra is just about to "envelop" the sky. Towards the west, you can see the reddish horizon. See next image, for totality. |
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This is a 8mm (35mm format) horizon shot (circular fisheye), looking straight up, DURING totality. Note that the umbra "covers" the entire sky (compare with above pre-2nd contact image). |
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This is sunrise day after the eclipse, from my site (elevated sand dune near the beach). Ironically, there was quite a bit of clouds.. |
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This is sunset the evening before the eclipse, from my site (elevated sand dune near the beach). Same cactus in the above sunrise shot. The deep colors are due to extensive atmospheric scattering, due to particulate matter from the Mount Pinatubo eruption. |
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This is a evening twilight shot looking towards the west, a few days after the eclipse. You can see the crescent Moon, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Regulus (of the constellation Leo). |
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This is near my site, along the beach next to a cliff (Note the greenish-cast rocks). This is how I initially got to my site, running in the sand right next to the waves. In the background, is the sandy arroyo (which drains into the Sea of Cortez), the path where I used to get back to the graded road. During some night 4-wheeling, I actually got STUCK in the sand during high tide. I ran into a buried tree, peeled the left-rear tire off the rim, and had to change the tire with the water up to the axles! I didn't panic, and just slept on the sand that night. Next morning, when the tide went out, I backed out. However, this was after I drained the battery dead due to starting problems (the fine sand had clogged the carburetor). I later rebuilt the carburetor in La Paz, with the help of a friendly Mexican mechanic (who didn't speak any English). |
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This is a giant supermarket in La Paz, which had an "eclipse promotion" sign. It was as big & modern as you see in the USA, and some very nice eclipse souveneirs (t-shirts & hats). This was part of my sightseeing after the eclipse, and later visited Cabo San Lucas & San Jose Del Cabo (many people observed the eclipse from here). I discovered that my steering box was damaged, and had a welder fix it (traded him some canned beans). |
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I did a lot of exploring, during the long 1000 mile trek north along Hwy 1 back to the US. North of Loreto, I pulled off the road overlooking a beautiful bay. I found a narrow/winding switchback path & decided to follow it; this is where I ended up! The water was as turqoise as you see in the Carribean, and was very still (isolated cove). |
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This is the renowned Giant Boojum cactus forest near Catavina. The Baja 1000 racers know it well. That Saguaro cactus is HUGE (dwarfing my van), almost 50 ft tall! |