~ The Sun: Our Spectacular Star at Runaway Bay Library ~
 
I had a wonderful time at the Runaway Bay Library presenting one of my lectures on our amazing star the Sun. This topic is very close to my heart as I’m an avid solar observer and I was able to share all my solar experiences with everyone who came along to the presentation.
 
These included showing all my images of the Sun, solar eclipses and beautiful aurora along with rare pictures of the two transits of Venus.
 
Everybody learnt how dynamic the Sun really is and how safely they can observe solar events themselves with the right equipment.
 
A great time was had by all and thanks you again to the librarians from the Runaway Bay Library who provided a safe and happy place for the event.
 
Please find some photos below from the evening, happy and safe solar observing, Noeleen Lowndes :-D

It took a lot of effort to get to this total eclipse of the Sun, traveling from Australia to the US then to Mexico, but it worth every second to get under the Moons shadow for Totality.
 
We are on board the Holland America’s cruise ship called the Koningsdam and eclipse day was just perfect with the weather. The Captain did a wonderful job of positioning the ship right under the central line of the shadow in the sea halfway between Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlán off the Mexican coast.
There were three other cruise ships out here with us all lined up under the shadow.

I set up on the Aft deck along with many hundreds of other people to view this most spectacular cosmic event in the sky, this is my fifth solar eclipse and it was the most beautiful yet with over 4 minutes of totality, its awesome beauty just went on and on as compared to just 58 seconds of totality at the Exmouth total eclipse last year in western Australia.

Images were taken with a Canon 70D camera and 100-400 mm lens at 400mm making a focal length of 640mm, I bracketed my images and captured the diamond ring image with 1/2000th second exposure, and the totality image was only 1/30th second with ISO400 which surprised me greatly!

This is the second Total Eclipse of the Sun that I’ve done from a cruise ship and it shows that you can indeed get great photographs, the ships captain goes out of their way to steady the ship and they always have great speakers on board giving astronomy and space presentations, thank you to Holland America for making this magically moment for us :-)
​
I will post more images of the partials when I get back as this ship goes on to Hawaii and then to Alaska, I’m hoping if I’m lucky to capture the northern lights…Oh Wow wouldn’t that be amazing!

Wow…this time it’s going to take a lot more effort and time to get there!

It’s going to be another exciting adventure to get under the shadow of the Moon travelling from Australia to Vancouver then to San Diego to board a Cruise ship to view the total eclipse of the Sun off the coast of Mexico close to the city of Mazatlan.
 
This will be our 5th Solar Eclipse…. Wow, I think we can now call ourselves ‘Eclipse Chasers’ Yay!

​I'll try and post my images as soon as I can, that is if we are blessed with clear weather....
 
Below you will see a map from the excellent website ‘Great American Eclipse’ you have to get right under the shadow path to see ‘Totality’ outside of this path and you will only see partials and the sky will not go dark to see the awesome corona.

https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024

WARNING: You must not look at the Sun with out proper solar filters or solar glasses, the only time you can look at the Sun is during ‘Totality’ and you must be under that shadow path that is displayed on this map…Please be very careful as your eyesight and camera equipment will be permanently damaged!!!!
 
~ Blogs and photographs from Passed Solar Eclipses ~
 
Ellis Beach near Cairns on the 12th November 2012
https://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/total-eclipse-of-the-sun-in-australia-2012
 
Annular Eclipse at Bunka Bunka Station 10th May 2013 in Central Australia
https://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/the-wonderful-annular-eclipse-in-central-australia-on-the-10th-may-2013
 
Award Winning photo of the Annular Eclipse ‘ David Malin Awards’
~ Ring of Light in Outback Australia ~
 
https://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/-david-marlin-astrophotography-awards-2013
 
The Great American Eclipse at St Joseph in USA 21st August 2017
https://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/-the-great-american-solar-eclipse-at-st-joseph-in-missouri
 
Total Eclipse of the Sun at Exmouth in Australia on the 20th April 2023
https://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/total-eclipse-of-sun-at-exmouth-in-wa-on-board-po-pacific-explorer

My little koala is off again to see another Total Eclipse of the Sun….Yay!

​I was so lucky to get a window seat on our flight back from Perth to Brisbane on the 22nd April 2023.
 
Looking out the window at sunset I saw this gorgeous view while we were at 30,000ft or 11,000 meters, you can still see those stunning colours from the volcanic aerosols in the atmosphere!
 
As it got darker, you could see a tiny 2 day old crescent Moon with the planet Venus above, it was a bit tricky to get the photo’s but I put a blanket over my head to try and get rid of the reflections from the down lights on the plane…. and it worked, the colours were very vivid…Amazing!
 
Images were taken with a Canon G7 x Mark11 camera on manual focus at infinity. I’m on our way back from the incredible Solar Eclipse Cruise on the P&O Pacific Explorer :-)

I wasn’t really sure what these shimmering undulating bands of light were running along the ships deck just a few minutes before totality, but I did think they might have been those rare shadow bands that I’ve read about during a solar eclipse.
 
Thank goodness I had my camera with me and was able to capture a short movie as I hurried back to my setup on the back deck. They were quite mesmerising and I will never forget that strange pulsating shimmering light…I hope you enjoy the movie!

To read more about these fleeting shadow bands please go to the links below:
​
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/exploring-shadow-bands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_bands
https://www.strickling.net/shadowbands.htm

It was all very exciting to get on a plane in Brisbane, fly to Perth and board a cruise ship just to get under the shadow of the Moon, I think Graham and I are now true eclipse chasers along with a couple of our fellow SAS members.
 
The ship provided plenty of excellent astronomy presentations from members of the Australian Society of Australia (ASA) but what we really wanted to see would happen on the morning of the 20th April if the weather stayed nice and clear. Kelly Beatty from Sky & Telescope was working with the Captain to find us a safe anchorage so the ship would be stable enough for all on board to view and take pictures of the event.
 
The Captain did a wonderful job of positioning the ship and anchored in the Exmouth Gulf just off the mainland, being on a moving surface did present its own set of problems, but excuse the pun…we were all in the same boat!
 
Cheesy brought along his telescope to image the event and spend days worrying about how he was going to take his images, but in the end he got some amazing photos of the eclipse. Belinda and Warren also set up on the ships deck not far away from me and got some awesome images.
 
You never know what’s going to happen on the day, I was all set up with my gear on the back deck and was really getting carried away with the atmosphere of the event. I left my setup a few times to go exploring to see what other people were doing, what I saw were so many families waiting patiently and excitingly to see the eclipse with all sorts of equipment to capture some pictures.
 
I came across sunlight breaking through tiny holes in the banisters of the ship that produced little crescent Suns on the deck, I also saw this weird shimmering effect in front of me just before totality and was so thrilled to be seeing what’s known as shadow bands, I took a small movie as it’s quite rare to capture, Yay!
 
I got back to my camera just a few minutes before totality and that’s when somebody called out look at the Moons shadow path!!! I looked behind me and saw this shadow race over us and across the water, it was so fast, when I looked back in front of me and up…there was this incredible diamond ring flash on the limb of the Sun it was just AMAZING! I was bedazzled by it and that’s when it happened…I looked down at my viewfinder and it was black, I thought I had knocked the camera and could not believe I could not see the Sun. (Oh dear!)
 
I picked up my little Canon G7X camera and took a picture and then another incredible diamond ring flashed and that was it, it was all over…only 58 seconds, but ‘Oh Boy’ it was just awesome, and I didn’t get any pictures of totality except the one with my point and shoot Canon camera!!!
 
I could not believe it, what I’d done in all the excitement was to forget to remove the solar filter off the lens :-o Cheesy was so excited he got the whole of totality through his telescope and Belinda got some awesome pictures as well, everyone was just so excited. Lynn a past member of SAS was also on board and she captured a lovely picture too.
 
I was very conflicted, on one hand I was so upset with myself, but on the other hand I saw and experienced the whole event with my eyes, but I can tell you 58 seconds goes so fast and it was worth every second of it :-)
 
Please see a photomontage of the solar event; I took photos every 10 minutes of the partials right up until the end of the eclipse. I’ve put in my one and only picture of totality that I took with the Canon point and shoot camera. My friends (including Tel) have offered to give me one of there images of totality which was very kind of them, but I’ve gone with my own image to let me know that sometimes things are just the way they are…. are we going overseas for the 2024 eclipse next year, you bet we are!
 
Please see a slideshow of my pictures from our adventure, would we go on board a cruise ship again for an eclipse…Yes, we definitely would, as it’s lots of fun and the atmosphere was just awesome!

Yay! My husband and I are going on this wonderful cruise to see the eclipse and flying to Perth on the 16th April 2023. We’ll stay a night in Freemantle first before getting on the ship for a 9pm sailing on the 17th April 2023.
 
I’m a bit concerned about being on a moving surface like but I’m sure the ship will stop while the event is happening so we can capture our images. It’s a five-hour flight from one side of Australia to the other but how exciting!!!
 
Totality is only for 58 seconds so if anything happens…blink and you’ll miss it!
Is it worth all the money and trouble to go see it…you bet it is :-))
 
Please see the information on the cruise below; perhaps you may be able to make it too…
 
https://www.pocruises.com.au/cruises/solar-eclipse
 
This once-in-a-lifetime 5-night cruise is an opportunity to view a Hybrid Solar Eclipse that will track over the North West Cape of Western Australia, including Exmouth. Pacific Explorer will be in a prime position to catch a glimpse of the first Hybrid Solar Eclipse to be visible from Australia in 1000 years. Also known as the King of Eclipse’s, our unique vantage point will put us in place to observe the sun, moon and Earth’s discs aligning. Certainly an event not to be missed!

We have invited special presenter partners to entertain and educate you as we cruise up the coast. Professional astronomers from the Astronomical Society of Australia, will give lectures, Q&As and during networking sessions share their knowledge on eclipse and astronomy basics, cutting edge astronomical research occurring in Australia and other special topics. And of course there will be stargazing to explore the Southern sky and cultural knowledge.

​More information can be found at the main Western Australia Government website at:
https://ningalooeclipse.com/
 
https://ningalooeclipse.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Ningaloo-Eclipse-downloadable-booklet.pdf
 
Also at the Gravity Centre in Perth at:
https://gravitycentre.com.au/2023-exmouth-solar-eclipse/
https://gravitycentre.com.au/
​

Have you ever wanted to learn the night sky?
Join Noeleen from the Southern Astronomical Society to see how easy it is to find the constellations, planets and other beautiful celestial objects in the night sky, even from your own back garden.
 
Please scan the QR code on the poster below to book or go to GC Libraries What’s on at:
https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/libraries/Whats-on?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D160827310

Noeleen Lowndes is the former president of the Southern Astronomical Society on the Gold Coast and is now a lifetime member. She has actively been involved with astronomy and space education for over 25 years and has supported Gold Coast Libraries with astronomy events since 2003.
 
Noeleen has been a member with NASA’s Saturn Observation Campaign (SOC) for the past 20 years where she educates the public on NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn, then shows the real planet through her large telescope to everyone’s delight.

~ Gold Coast Libraries for 6 – 12 years old ~
 
~ Discover the planets in our Solar System ~
Southport Library  - Tuesday, 11th January 2022 at 2 - 3pm
Every planet in our Solar System is so incredibly different. How did NASA take all those amazing pictures of the planets and send them back to Earth for us to see? Come along to the library and lets discover how they did it!
 
~ Discover Our Amazing Moon ~
Burleigh Waters Library - Thursday, 13 January 2022, at 2 – 3pm
The Moon is our closest neighbour in space, how old is it, what is it made of and how does it light up our night sky?
Come to the library and lets discover all these things and how mankind is going back to the Moon and building a Moon base…Wow!
 
~ Discover and explore the night sky ~
Helensvale Library - Tuesday, 18 January 2022, at 2 – 3pm
Have you ever wondered why the stars are different colours, or where you can find the constellations in the night sky? How do you use a telescope and what will you see with a pair of binoculars? Come along to the library and see how to discover so many amazing things in the night sky from your own back garden.
 
Bookings are essential at:
https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/libraries/Whats-on
 
Presented by Noeleen Lowndes, Southern Astronomical Society Member (Gold Coast)
https://sas.org.au

Please go to the live broadcast that both NASA and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) will be broadcasting from 5.30am on the 3rd July (Australian EST).
 
NASA has partnered with the Exploratorium in San Francisco to bring live views to people across the world of a total solar eclipse, occurring Tuesday, July 2, over South America.
 
The eclipse will only be visible directly to observers within the path of totality, which stretches across parts of Chile and Argentina.

Live webcasting for Total Solar Eclipse 2019 at La Silla
https://www.eso.org/public/
NASA Live:
https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

With the upcoming Total Eclipse of the Sun due in two days times in Chile I’ve turned my mind to our wonderful solar eclipse we had here in Queensland, Australia on the 14th November 2012.
 
We were at a place called Ellis Beach just north of Cairns in tropical Queensland and at that time of year its notorious for heavy rain, and so it was as day dawned that the eastern sky was leaden with clouds, but then a miracle happen and from our beach location we saw the incredible eclipse of the Sun.
 
I wish everyone who has ventured to Chile and other places under the shadow best of luck for the 2nd July, seeing this spectacle is one of the most amazing things you will ever experience in your life :-)