 Totality on the cliff at Wheal Coates |
The 1999 eclipse was to be the only one visible in my own country during my life time. Eastern Turkey or Iran were expected to have the best weather but I had dreamt about seeing the eclipse in Cornwall since I was 12 years old. |
I met my future wife Talaat Qureshi at college when we were both studying Chemistry. She reluctantly followed me to Mexico for the 1991 eclipse. After it was over, she asked, when's the next one? I told her that the next one in England would be in Cornwall. We were married in January 1994 and have since seen four eclipses together.
I discovered astronomy when I was a young boy. I and a like-minded friend, Bob Snell, used to star-gaze from the top of the dormer windows we both had outside our bedrooms. Bob and I saw a partial eclipse of the sun at school in 1966. We were taken out of the classroom to watch it in the playground. We could clearly see that the Sun had a large piece missing. We were fascinated. Reading further we discovered other types of eclipses including the spectacular total eclipse of the Sun. Many books said that the next total eclipse of the Sun in England would be in 1999 in Cornwall. Even as 12 years olds we made plans to see it together. We would be in our mid-40s.
My cousin, Adam Adamou, has travelled around the world helping set up conservation projects. He has always been fascinated by my eclipse trips. I had attempted to get him to join me on previous trips, especially with his large knowledge of wildlife, but work commitments have always precluded this. The 1999 eclipse seemed the perfect opportunity for us to share this phenomenon together.
John Mears has been a friend since the early 1970s. We have seen many musical bands and football matches (at Arsenal) together. John is the lynchpin of many school friendships that are common to us, often organising reunions and meals out. In 1994, John was best man at my wedding. John is a relative eclipse veteran. He has seen two with us (Mexico 1991 and Chile 1994) with a total duration of 9m 57s.
After leaving school I was a civil servant for six years. David John Mitchell and I were far too eccentric for a staid government job. We gravitated together to alleviate the boredom of the work. I went to college and entered the computer industry while Mitchell disappeared to Africa to teach. Every week letters would come full of gossip, surreal observations and science questions to be answered by return of post.
The 1999 eclipse was to be the only one visible in my own country during my life time. Eastern Turkey or Iran were expected to have the best weather but I had dreamt about seeing the eclipse in Cornwall since I was 12 years old. Talaat and I invited Bob (and wife, Angie), Adam (and wife Emma), John and the Mitchell family to join us in Cornwall after renting a house for the week.
It was a good week to be with friends and family. We had, however, several problems:
During the week, we went to a talk given by the BBCs Patrick Moore in Truro and I gave a lecture with slides about my past eclipses in a hall at St Agnes. I was enjoying the build up. However, the weather forecast for eclipse day was getting gloomier by the day.
On eclipse day, we all awoke to a reasonably clear morning. Clouds could be seen in the west. Jupiter and Saturn were still visible in the twilight.
Our eclipse site was 8km away and we convoyed to a small car park that we had discovered earlier. The site was over a spectacular cliff face dotted with ruined tin mines at a place called Wheal Coates near St Agnes. A series of rocky coves swept along the north coast to an island light-house and the bay of St Ives about 20km away. The cliff faced west from where the Moon's shadow would approach.
We had the place to ourselves, apart from the clouds. It was grey and dismal. There were gaps over the sea but the weather forecast was still of a frontal system coming in from the Atlantic. The views were excellent.
The Gill-Cary family were among the few dozen people who joined us. These included some work friends from London, Sid and Tina. We passed the time with tea, coffee and biscuits. The sky became greyer. We waited for the eclipse to begin.
At 9:57, First Contact occurred. We could not see the Sun; the cloud cover above us was complete. In the distance we could see rain over St Ives. There was also rain over the sea. The rain avoided us. It was difficult to tell how much light reduction was caused by the weather and how much by the eclipse. The radio reports gave no reassurance. It was pouring in Penzance.
A patch of blue sky appeared in the east. The Sun was almost due south. I could see the sky colour deepening as the eclipse progressed. Around 10:55am the eclipsed Sun appeared through thinner cloud. It was a crescent. Everybody whooped with delight. The mylar filters and glasses we had were too strong for the semi-hidden Sun. Without the filters the Sun was still too bright. The Sun kept disappearing behind cloud.
The rain over St Ives had moved away from us but more had arrived. Only a few spots fell on our site. Around 11:10am we saw the Sun again. It was disappearing towards totality. As the last bit vanished, a large grey cloud covered it.
In the west it had been getting darker for the previous ten minutes or so as the Moon's shadow approached. It was travelling at 900 metres per second and was visible from 20km away. It resembled a huge explosion in reverse, with darkness instead of light spreading out from the centre. It darkened dramatically, much darker than I'd ever seen before.
At 11:11am, totality arrived. A black blanket sat over us. Everybody was amazed at the speed of events. The horizon was glowing orange. It was especially pronounced in the west beyond the rain over St Ives. Clouds hid the totally eclipsed Sun. The lights of St Ives had come on. The lighthouse on Godrevy Island switched on and we could see the beam rotating. Thousands of camera flashes were visible all along the coast for several kilometres. It was the first time I had ever seen this.
We could see it getting brighter in that direction as the shadow rapidly passed over us. Still no Sun could be seen. We contented ourselves with watching the rapid brightening of the sky. Totality was over.
For the first time I had been clouded out and missed the corona. It had been a spectacular eclipse but without the coup de grace! Everybody else was ecstatic. Adam said he must see another with the Sun shining. Bob was talking about southern Africa in 2001. Everybody had agreed that the site had been excellent and we were all glad to have experienced the eclipse together.
The TV coverage showed that the corona had been very symmetrical. Three huge pink prominences had been seen around the rim of the Sun. Most of Cornwall had been clouded out apart from a few lucky spots.
There were many reports in the next day's newspapers.
The Independent:
As an experience, it went far beyond the religious or spiritual. It was quite simply, a tiny demonstration of nature's immense power and precision, displayed with the speed and virtuosity of a master magician and, finally, presented as a gift to all of us who were privileged to look up and witness it. In just over 120 seconds of heart-stopping colour and beauty the solar system used the twin props of the Sun and Moon to give us one gigantic wink of its eye as our solar furnace was turned into a jet-black fire-rimmed disc. As it did so the sky, the clouds and the sea were painted with a succession of brief, flickering colours from creamy green to inky black. Time seemed to stand still as the huge shadow swept over us, turning day into night and drawing a single howl of delight from the thousands gathered below.
Despite apocalyptic forecasts that the Moon would become glued to the Sun and the MIR space station would fall on Paris, the most untoward incident in France before or during yesterday's brief midday darkening of the skies was a sunglasses riot in Marseilles. Scores of people - mostly middle-aged men - fought over 5000 free pairs of "eclipse glasses" that were being distributed in the car park of a shopping mall. Many of the glasses were destroyed in the process.
One man in southern Germany climbed an electricity pylon for a better view. He was being treated for severe electric shock last night.
The Guardian:
Totality was sensational. If it is this dramatic when the weather is bad, many thought, a cloudless eclipse must be amazing. Eclipse tourism could be the next travel boom. Count me in.
Trials and hearings at many crown and magistrate courts, including the Old Baily, were briefly adjourned to allow jurors and lawyers - but not defendants - to watch the eclipse.
The Mirror:
Spooky, Wasn't It?
The start of cricket matches was put back 45 minutes - to avoid stoppages for bad light.
In the end you didn't have to see it. You just had to be there.
The magic of the eclipse showed there really are some things that you have to experience before you can understand them.
The Sun:
Most of those who saw the total eclipse rated it as the experience of a lifetime - one that they will tell their grandchildren about.
I felt humbled and nothing leading up to the moment could have prepared me for the feeling as daylight gave way to the dead of night.
Western Daily Press:
When it comes to eclipses, if it's not 100 per cent, it's not magical.
The Daily Mail:
Shortly before the eclipse, disorientated seals attacked a number of swimmers around Newquay.
Tourists in Black Sea resorts reportedly used their bare hands to catch thousands of disorientated fish swimming in shallow waters.
Metro London:
...most animals at London Zoo carried on as normal... gorillas continued swinging in the trees... [gorillas normally live on the ground]
The Star:
Eclipse Killer's Knife Frenzy
Luckily for us, there are no more total solar eclipses to be seen in England. That means that for all future eclipses, we can do what we have done in the past: go to the place with the best weather prospects...
Written and Directed by Kryss Katsiavriades (© 1999)
Photographs:
Totality scenes by Emma Adamou
Coastal views by John Mears
Partially eclipsed Sun by Bob Snell
Newspaper by Kryss Katsiavriades
1999 Eclipse Archive
An archive of all the information published on this web site about the 1999 eclipse.
[Total Eclipses of the Sun]
[1983 Eclipse]
[1988 Eclipse]
[1991 Eclipse]
[1994 Eclipse]
[1995 Eclipse]
[1998 Eclipse]
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