Solar Eclipses 1999 and 2015

Solar Eclipse Brittany 1999 - Watercolour and mixed digital media 1999 and 2015 George Roberts

The other day, I noticed an old water-colour sketch of mine on the wall outside my son and daughter's bathroom. With the forthcoming solar eclipse visible in March 2015, I thought I would resurrect my sketch using the full palette offered by Adobe Photoshop.  In 1999, Toot and I and a selection of our children were in Brittany and traveled north to ensure that at the appropriate time we were located within the path of totality .

As we drove up the Cotentin Peninsula towards Cherbourg, we witnessed the moon bite into the sun's disc. In good time, we parked and awaited totality. As we gazed at the diminishing and darkening crescent sun, storm clouds rolled in off the Atlantic. Sadly, we were never to see totality or the Sun's Corona but we did watch dumbstruck as totality's shadow raced towards us across the fields. We witnessed the eerie silence as wild birds were fooled into an early roost and we did see the 'diamond ring' affect before the sun was lost in cloud.

I painted the above picture to try and capture the peculiar and sublime light that is associated with the dimming of the sun as totality is approached.  I chose Mont St. Michel as the subject of the painting for its medieval aura which is enhanced by the unreal twilight of the eclipse.

If you are lucky enough to live in or be visiting the Faeroe Islands or Svalbard on the 20th of March 2015 you might, weather permitting, get to see a total eclipse of the sun. If you live in the United Kingdom, you will around 9.30am GMT, see a partial eclipse in which the Sun's disc will be approximately 90% obscured by the moon. The further north you are in the UK the more of the sun will be obscured but good weather is essential. 

PLEASE REMEMBER VIEWING THE SUN EVEN WHEN PARTIALLY ECLIPSED CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR EYES AND NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN THROUGH BINOCULARS OR A TELESCOPE AS YOU WILL BE PERMANENTLY BLINDED. Solar eclipse glasses using specially treated Mylar film can be obtained from reputable astronomy suppliers via the internet.