Can You Believe It Is 10 Years Since...

[Weather-history]

........ the total eclipse of the sun touched British soil on the 11th August 1999? First time since June 1927

Here's some memories of that day

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/11/newsid_2494000/2494687.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/sci_tech/specials/eclipse_99/default.htm

From Manchester, we had a fairly good view of the 90% eclipse. The sky at the height of the eclipse was weird with a slate grey around the crescent sun and a purple sky generally. The sky was noticeably darker to the south than to north as you were looking deeper into the shadow of the eclipse. The temperature dropped, an odd breeze got up and there was a strange weak light. Although it was hard to detect because your eyes adapt to slow changes, there was a noticeable drop in light levels. Cumulus clouds that had formed decayed just after the height on the eclipse due to the weakening of convection.

There will be a couple of near misses with paths of totality passing close to the UK in the next 25 years.

20th March 2015, total eclipse from the Faeroes, the UK will see a partial eclipse of >80%, the further northwest you are the larger the partial will be

12th August 2026, the path of totality sweeps from western Iceland down the Atlantic to the west of Ireland and into Spain near sunset. The UK will witness a partial eclipse of at least >85%, the further west you are the larger the partial will be.

The next solar eclipse visible from the UK is on the 1st of August 2008.

Most of the Channel Islands will see totality on the 3rd of September 2081

The next total eclipse that will touch British soil is on 23rd of September 2090 where the SW, south Wales and southern England as far north as south London will see a total eclipse close to sunset.

The front page of the Times of 12th August 1999

Edited August 10, 2009 by Mr_Data

[noggin]

In that case, it is also 10 years since I had a holiday! Ah, well.....

We were in the Scottish Highlands at the time. It started to get a little colder and the birds started twittering as if it was dusk. In fact, as we were so far North it hardly darkened at all come the actual event and it was interesting to see, in the papers the next day, how dark it had gone down south.

Ah, those were the days, before penury and old age struck!

[Nick L]

I remember it. Me and my Dad went to Cornwall to get the best view, it was cloudy unfortunately so we couldn't see the eclipse itself, but it went as dark as night. My Dad thought he recorded it, but he left the lens cover on the camcorder

[philglossop]

Amazing to think that 10 years have gone by. Where did they go??

Inline with loads of Plymouthians the only place to see the eclipse was on Plymouth Hoe. I went to see it with my then partner- and what an experience. We of course had the total eclipse here- what a shame it was a cloudy day!

As I remember, our then ITV Station Westcountry had a massive TV screen up by Smeatons Tower which showed the RAF planes pictures taken above the cloud. On the ground it started to go darker and darker (I've got some pictures taken over the time) before the eclipse really started.

However, my Mum and Dad got the best view of the eclipse from a local hill called Burrow Hill, whereby you could see the outline of the total eclipse, as Dartmoor was not in complete totality, hence the moors looked light still, with Plymouth in total darkness.

All in all a once in a lifetime experience and one I will never forget!

(I'll add some pictures when I find them and try and upload the video took from Burrow Hill showing the light Dartmoor.)

Edited August 10, 2009 by philglossop

[Don]

Remember that day well. Saw 97% where I was and we were lucky to have clear skies to get a good view. It didn't go as dark as I expected but the colour contrasts changed and the temperature certainly dropped a few degrees. Would love to witness a total eclipse.

[Phil UK]

Was talking to a friend about that event only on Tuesday. 10 years to the day. Doesn't seem that long to be honest.

I think I brought about five newspapers the following day, with it being the main headline news of the day. (I'll scan and post these in this very post. I still have them somewhere). Some had differing points of view but many areas were unfortunately predominantly cloudy, especially where the band of totality occured.

My personal experience was one of awe. It didn't become as dark as I would have expected with the Sun 96% obscured (Was high cloud so might have been diffraction?) but there was this eerie light, sort of like what you would witness about 15/20 minutes after an ordinary sunset. Morning convection has dissipated, the birds went quiet and the temperature certainly dropped.

I used a Samsung camcorder as I at the time did not have any sort of digital camera. But I did (don't ask me how!) use a cheap and nasty digital camera about 4 or 5 years ago to take still playback on video recorder images of what we saw in Solihull. (Thank God for blank CDs and a small amount of Blu Tak eh. That was the only camcorder lens protection I had to see to view to record was happening at the time. ) I did watch the live BBC coverage but nothing like seeing this sort of phenomenon at first hand.

Again, I will upload the still images when I find the appropriate back-up disc.

23rd September 2090. Yep, that's the next one but I fear my life membership on planet Earth may well have expired by then, unless I live to be 120.

Phil.

Edited August 13, 2009 by Phil UK

[Harry]

This day was surreal - thankfully, still a school boy and during the summer holidays, I got to witness it

It was a clear, hot day with blue skies in sunny Kent, giving us a superb view. Due to our geographical position, we were not graced with a total eclipse, but a very much partial eclipse.

I will never forget the moon slowly creeping across the Sun, while the sky still clear and blue, everything becoming dim. What was an increasingly hot morning, turned almost quite cold and chilly! The street lamps came on, which in itself was bizarre, considering the sun was still 'out' and the sky still blue.

It really was an incredibly experience, another which I hope to experience. Sadly though, unless I live to 104, it wont be on our fair turf!

[Anti-Mild]

Would you believe that it took me by surprise! I had forgotten all about it and I was driving between Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, there was total cloud cover (although quite thin) and it just got dark, not like twilight but like nothing else I have ever seen. I remembered what was going on so I parked up and got out and it was definitely noticeably cooler.

Very odd, very eerie experience. I'd love to see another one but will have to live to 115 to make it to 2090, and at that age I'm not sure I'll be that bothered!!