Annular Eclipse of the Sun, 20th May 2012

Annular Eclipse Montage

An annular eclipse happens when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to be able to cover the Sun’s disk fully. Provided the eclipse is central (rather than partial) the Moon passes over the centre of the Sun as seen from somewhere on Earth. In this case our group was positioned very close to the centre line, but not dead centre, as can be seen by the slightly off-centre ring of sunlight around the Moon.

This has been my only annular eclipse to date, and although not as spectacular as a total, it is still a very impressive sight.

Bryce Canyon, Utah USA

A spectacular location from which to view the eclipse, Bryce Canyon was formed as part of the Colorado Plateau, itself the result of huge eruptions of lava that took place fromt he mid-Tertiary to the late Cenozoic periods, leaving the plateau standing 9000 feet about sea level. The plateau then began to be eroded by streams that created huge amphitheatres filled with tall thin spires of rock called hoodoos. These formed in places where harder rock lay on top of the underlying softer rock, protecting it from erosion. There are thousands of these and some are over 200 feet tall.

Eclipse viewing site

Our group travelled to Bryce Point to view the eclipse, which occurred late in the day. First contact was at aboud 6.30pm MDT  with the maximum eclipse about an hour later. Sunset intervened shortly before the end of the eclipse. As with most eclipses, the central track was crowded with sightseers, especially at a location like Bryce Canyon. However there was plenty of room for everyone, though not always on level ground!