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Solar eclipse of 29th March 2006.

Soapy Sam

Penultimate Amazing
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One reason I did not go to TAM was that it meant changing my work schedule. For some months I've been anticipating the total eclipse visible from the north Caspian on March 29th. We should have around 2 minutes of totality around 11:30 local time.

As a good rationalist, I am not praying for a clear day. But I sacrificed a roustabout last night and the auguries are propitious...

Looking at the NASA website below, it has just dawned on me that I could be the sole JREF member in a position to see it. The track crosses few major poulation centres. Maybe Luciana?


Anyone else?

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/TSE2006/TSE2006.html
 
Soapy Sam said:
As a good rationalist, I am not praying for a clear day. But I sacrificed a roustabout last night and the auguries are propitious...
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Did you remember to genuflect? It won't work unless you genuflect.
 
From the looks of it, America is left out altogether.

...

If it's not with us it's against us! Destroy the moon!
 
Timing, Paul. I work a 28 day on / off cycle. Attempts to change this impact other people- ie the other three regular crew. We'll do it for a birth or a medical emergency, but not for what's basically a short holiday.

Any disruption can have knock-on effects for months. Believe me, it's a major, major pain in the ass.

The point is- had I changed schedule for TAM in January, I could not reasonably have asked to change back to be here for the eclipse. Given the choice of the two, I picked the eclipse.
 
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Soapy Sam said:
Timing, Paul. I work a 28 day on / off cycle. Attempts to change this impact other people- ie the other three regular crew. We'll do it for a birth or a medical emergency, but not for what's basically a short holiday.

Any disruption can have knock-on effects for months. Believe me, it's a major, major pain in the ass.

The point is- had I changed schedule for TAM in January, I could not reasonably have asked to change back to be here for the eclipse. Given the choice of the two, I picked the eclipse.
Click to expand...

I am not sure I would have made the same choice, but I can understand it.

I hope the weather turns out well for you and it is worth the sacrifice. Have you looked to see what the historical percentage of clear days has been for the north Caspian area on March 29th? That would be part of what I would need to know to figure out if I wanted to trade a percentage for a nearly sure thing. It would totally suck for it to be overcast on that day.

Good luck!
 
scotth- The N.Caspian pack ice is breaking up early this year. The last week has been fog free and clear. On balance , the prospects are fair. Of course, a twenty minute storm could jinx the whole show, but's the chance you take.
Look on the bright side. People are paying big bucks to travel to Turkey for this. I'm being paid to be here!
 
Frankly I think those viewing locations are a flagrant exercise in the ongoing discrimination against the southern hemisphere. I want to complain.
 
scotth said:
It would totally suck for it to be overcast on that day.
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That happened to me a few years back here in Germany. It was cloudy all day and I was rather dissapointed, since I had spend that day travelling just to get a good look.

In the end, we were lucky enough that during the eclipse, the clouds moved aside ... just for the few precious moments of totality the sun was blocked.

Turns out, as bad as the timing was, that it was still worth all the trouble and a sight not to be missed. So if I was in Soapy's position, I'd go for the ecplipse, too.

Rasmus.
 
Seeing a total solar eclipse is I think like a drug high: Totally stunning, over all to quickly, and then you are frantically searching out the next one. I saw the 1998 one from Curacao and even managed to get some great photos.
The flight from Puerto Rico to Curacao was over booked the day before the eclipse, and the airline offered anyone of us $100 to wait for a later flight. There were no takers as almost all of us were headed down to see the eclipse. I think the offer got to $1,000 before someone (possibly a clueless tourist) was persuaded to give up a seat.
Take lots of photos, and do watch your eyes- Lots of UV until the actual moment of totality.
 
Good luck with the weather. I was in northern France for the eclipse in 1999, a fantastic experience. All the buildup to totality, seeing projections of the sun's face being eaten into. Very eerie total stillness, as all the bees, birds and general wildlife went silent, only waking about 20 minutes after the event.

I got a couple of great photos, the only problem is that I can't work out which way up they should hang. We made copies for all the family that was there, everyone seems to hang it a different way, all convinced they are right (they're all wrong of course, I've got it the right way up).
 
sphenisc said:
I'm going to Mangavat, S. Turkey for it. Hooray!!
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Great! Glad I'm not the only JREFer with a chance. So far , looks like it's just the two of us.


Scotth- Sorry, I thought my occupation was common knowledge here.

The reason I didn't want to change work schedule was because I wanted to be AT WORK for the eclipse! (I realise the OP does not make that clear.)

I'm on a drilling rig in the Kashagan Field in the northern Caspian Sea. I'll be here till April 7th.
http://www.rigzone.com/data/projects/project_detail.asp?project_id=87

http://www.rigzone.com/news/image_detail.asp?img_id=2933- This is actually my current lair. Interesting shot. That's not a wake you can see. The rig is sitting on the seabed on an artificial rock berm. You're looking at wind-driven sea ice, moving from the foreground, piling up against the near end of the rig and leaving a clear water lead beyond. That would be winter 1999-2000

Actually, some crewmembers will be changing out that day - leaving here around noon local time, by which time we will already be in the penumbra.
They then fly to Istanbul , en route to Europe and the USA. So they will be above the cloud, flying pretty much retrograde along the eclipse track.
Could be an interesting flight.

Interestingly, I've just seen a cold weather mirage. The lights of Atyrau (Guryev on Soviet maps) are clearly visible from outside at the moment. They are visible from 15 feet above Caspian water level to about twenty five feet above. Ascending further, by thirty feet they have vanished. I'm not sure how far we are from Atyrau, but it's on the order of 40 miles - certainly beyond the horizon- and of course the lights ought to be visible at greater range from higher! Air temperature is 1 deg C and there is no wind. The lights are too faint for photography. Cool effect !
 
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Soapy Sam said:
Interestingly, I've just seen a cold weather mirage. The lights of Atyrau (Guryev on Soviet maps) are clearly visible from outside at the moment. They are visible from 15 feet above Caspian water level to about twenty five feet above. Ascending further, by thirty feet they have vanished. I'm not sure how far we are from Atyrau, but it's on the order of 40 miles - certainly beyond the horizon- and of course the lights ought to be visible at greater range from higher! Air temperature is 1 deg C and there is no wind. The lights are too faint for photography. Cool effect !
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I think you're a reallbugger for having such an interesting job in such an interesting place while I'm stuck in a boring office building in a boring place doing boring crap.


Yeah, OK, so I don't think you're a real bugger but I AM extremely jealous.
 
Bump.
It's Wednesday March 29th, It's an hour to go and it's 90% sunny with scattered cloud...
69Dodge- sorry I missed your query. I don't know technical details. It's a company network with a satellite link to (I think) Netherlands Telecom. (The original set up here was under the control of Shell.)
If you ask Darat, I suspect he could confirm the ISP for you. I note on the world map there's no dot in the northern Caspian, but there are some in Holland.

I'm off outside to assume my vigil. I hope sphenisc is getting good weather in Turkey.
 
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