Blown Away By The Solar Eclipse

At 7.30pm, when the eclipse process began, the skies were clear and the sun still well above the parched mountains which rise up behind L´Ampolla, viewed from the sea. My first surprise occurred when I put on the sunglasses made specifically for viewing an eclipse. They are so dark, you can´t see anything which isn´t entirely brilliant. However, I was able to find the sun´s reflection on the water and then followed it up to the sun itself. Second surprise. Instead of seeing a massive ball of brilliance – that  giant planet which heats and nourishes our existence – the sun was remarkably small. Seen through the glasses, it was more the size of a tennis ball rather than the basketball I was expecting. Nevertheless, it was now clear that something black had just   begun its intrusion into the sun´s perimeter. Of course, we knew it was the moon, but we couldn´t see the moon, as such. We could only see that something black and curved was coming in from the right-hand side.

A bit of perspective. The sun is about 1.4 million kilometres across, whereas the moon has a diameter of only 3,474 kilometres. Thus, the sun is about 400 times bigger than the moon. Compensating, the moon is only 384,400 kilometres from earth, whereas the sun is roughly 150 million kilometres away.

In truth, during the first 95% of the eclipse process (that is to say, the first 50 minutes), nothing changed in the ambient conditions. But in the 95-98% period, the battle between these two competing planets was finally joined. The sky began to lose its grip on daylight and allowed sunset colours to emerge. Viewed through the glasses, it was now evident that the black moon was going to precisely match the shape and size of the sun. At 99% we were able to watch with the naked eye. Without the reducing   effect of the sunglasses, the sun and moon now appeared as giants in the sky, one trying to conceal the other. Finally, here was the moment when the celestial spectacular tripled in magnitude and vibrancy. The sea suddenly turned more emerald than blue; the colours of our clothing, our faces, our skin and hair radiated a golden hue. The white fibreglass of our yacht was now cream in colour. The navigation lights on the 50 or so boats around us shone brightly as full darkness was almost upon us. At this point the relentless moon only had a tiny sliver of the sun to capture: but even with just that 1% and from such a distance, the sun was still able to caress our part of the world with a deep, golden glow.

Moments later, we reached 100%, where we stayed for 90 glorious seconds. The black moon – now fully surrounded by a thin ring of gold – had completed its assault on the most powerful force in our solar system. People on our boat and others broke out in spontaneous applause: perhaps to congratulate the audacious moon for having conquered something 400 times its size. Or maybe it was the emotion of the occasion. Here was a gigantic, inter-planetary phenomenon – repeated over many billions of years – happening right in front of our eyes. Mother Nature was reminding me that my entire life is like a single grain of sand on a very long beach: and here was Her spectacle to prove it. The sense of privilege at being present was palpable.

Now, in near total darkness, there was less gold on our faces, less awareness of our nearby surroundings. Our attention and wonderment were fixed in only one direction – to the sky – where the battle for supremacy was being conducted. The sun was completely blocked out, but a golden ring around the moon was evidence that its fearsome energy was still being fully deployed from afar, as it fought to regain its authority. Meanwhile, one sensed the moon was enjoying its act of defiance. 

The diamond ring effect – when the first of the sun´s rays reappear as the totality ends – drew further gasps of awe, at a time when it seemed hardly possible that anything else could astonish us. And so the whole process happened in reverse, as the moon slowly slid away into invisibility and the sun reasserted its dominance. Darkness gave way to light, and our faces and skin returned to their normal colour. It was hard to comprehend that the sun – without which life on earth would be impossible – had been briefly snuffed out. And then had come back.

Our journey under motor into L´Ampolla allowed us to watch the sun slowly set behind the mountains. By 9.30pm we were safely berthed for the night at the town´s only marina. Finally, a time for rest – for planets and people alike. Our 36 hours on the water ended late the following afternoon when we delivered the yacht back to our starting point at L´Hospitalet de l´Infant, 30km north of L´Ampolla.

Conclusions: getting a group together to charter a yacht to watch the eclipse was a fine example of living – not lounging. Next, I wouldn´t talk up the excitement of seeing anything smaller than a 95% eclipse because, truth be told, all the impressive stuff happens at totality and just before. Finally, I am newly enthralled by the potency of the sun, having witnessed what it can do with just 1% of its power from 150 million kilometres away. If you ever get the chance to see a total eclipse of the sun – take it.