farmdoc's blog post number 462

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth and completely obscures the sun. Last Wednesday, one was visible from much of Asia [1]. And due to Asia’s vast population, it was probably the most watched total solar eclipse in history. It was also notable for its extraordinarily long period of ‘totality’ – i.e. when the sun’s wholly covered – of 399 seconds. Such a lengthy duration won’t be matched until 2132. I’ve seen several partial solar eclipses, but only one total one. It was mid afternoon on a clear and sunny Saturday, and I was typing my PhD thesis in my office in Professor Lovell’s Department at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. From here I’ve worked out it was Saturday 23 October 1976. Within half a minute it got so dark I had to put the office lights on. It became eerily quiet. Then I heard all sorts of animal calls from Melbourne Zoo a couple of kilometres away. I guessed the animals sensed something unusual. Then as the eclipse gradually passed off, the sunlight gradually increased and the animal calls gradually abated. Then all was back to normal, and I switched off the office lights. It was a few minutes I’ll never forget. Though a total solar eclipse usually occurs somewhere on earth each 18 months or so, because one’s seen from a specific geographic location only every 375 years on average, I don’t expect to witness another total solar eclipse in my lifetime. At least I’ve seen, and experienced, one.