After successfully observing the June 11, 1983, total solar eclipse in Indonesia, I knew that my last chance of seeing totality for the next five years was the Nov. 22, 1984, event in the South Pacific. But it would hardly be an easy eclipse to observe; the maximum duration of totality was less than two minutes and the most favourable areas of the eclipse path were over open ocean.
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![]() | One of the most convenient places to observe was southwest of New Caledonia.
The shadow outline is shown for 21:53:57 UT, when it passed over the Cap des Pins at 22o52' south latitude and 164o57' east longitude
(coordinates courtesy of Glenn Schneider).
Click on any image for an enlarged view. |
I left Calgary on Nov. 16 and arrived in Sydney two days later. The first few days were spent adjusting to the new time zone and to the change in season (of course, November is late spring in the southern hemisphere). I took a city tour and visited a koala farm. But I was impatient to board the cruise ship TSS Fairstar that would rendezvous with the eclipse shadow. Finally, it was Nov. 20 and I proceeded aboard ship, which was docked next to the famous Sydney Opera House. The stay on deck, however, was a very short one. There was a call for the amateur astronomers to meet; we had a few minutes to chat with each other before the reason for the meeting became known. The directors of the cruise line walked in and, with the greatest of concern, told us that due to boiler problems the ship would be unable to reach the eclipse site in time. In retrospect, it seems a little amusing, but at the time ours were faces of sheer incomprehension. We had travelled thousands of miles to get this far (and in fact had overflown the eclipse path) and now the eclipse seemed father away than ever.
Most of the astronomers seemed resigned to staying and enjoying a cruise without totality. Others cancelled and went home. In the end, three of us were determined to beat the odds and get to the path of totality in time. In addition to myself, there was John Beattie, an American, and Robert McNaught, who lived in Australia. Through the assistance of the Fairstar crew, we learned of an air connection to New Caledonia, via Fiji, that would put us in touch with eclipsers collecting in Noumea (the capital of New Caledonia). John had been speaking with some of these people in Tahiti and knew of their plans to charter a boat from Noumea to the eclipse site some 100 kilometres to the southwest. With this in mind, we left the ship a few hours before it sailed from Sydney.
We flew as scheduled to Fiji, stayed one night in Nadi near the airport, and flew to New Caledonia the next day. My French, after seven years of hibernation, got a severe workout in this French island as we obtained a car and checked with the weather office at the airport. Prospects for the eclipse, then less than 24 hours away, seemed excellent. We drove to Noumea to meet the captain of the boat. We purchased our tickets and discussed the recent troubles on the island between the native people and the European settlers. Then we travelled to the hotel and met the other amateur astronomers. It was quite exhilarating to know that so far we had escaped a doomed ship to get this close to the path of totality. We joined the rest of the group for dinner and then drove to the docks to board the eclipse vessel Cap des Pins. The ship left harbour about 10:00 p.m. and soon it was time for some sleep, which few people accomplished very well.
By 5:00 a.m. eclipse day, it was light enough to roam the boat and meet the various groups aboard. In addition to the people we had talked with in Noumea, there was also a large contingent of Japanese amateurs. The fore and aft decks exploded in a display of telescopes, telephoto lenses, cameras and a horde of other optical and electronic equipment. I set up my Meade 4" f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain and loaded Kodachrome 64 for the partial phases. For totality I would be using VR 1000 film; the rocking of the ship made long exposures impossible. The sea was choppy enough to cause whitecaps, but the wind was only moderate and the skies were clear as expected.
![]() | Eclipse celebrities on board the Cap des Pins included Wendy Carlos (center, in the red blouse). Her account of the eclipse is here. |
With the aid of a shortwave radio, we were able to predict the start of the partial phase to within seconds. Sure enough, the previously unblemished disk of the sun had a tiny notch to one side that quickly grew in size. When a cloud passed over the sun 30 minutes before totality, the drop in light was very noticeable. Ten minutes later, the decreasing light was noticeable even with the sun in a clear sky. The engines were shut down to prevent excessive vibration and the ship gently rocked upon the water. The feeling in the last two minutes before totality belied rational explanation, even though this would be my second view of the corona. The sky brightness was dropping by the second; one could see that it was getting darker, and all aboard were transfixed by the sun about to be snuffed out. There were a few brief seconds when a ring could be seen forming around the moon; the diamond ring, then the sun was gone. The sky was dark blue and the horizon glowed a dusky yellow. Everyone on deck was screaming at the corona enveloping the black disk of the moon. It was completely unlike the Indonesian spectacle. Now it was dimmer, but with long equatorial streamers and delicate brushes at the poles. Meanwhile, I was trying to chase the wandering image in the camera viewfinder. In the 93 seconds of totality I managed to get five shots of varying exposures. Prominences were visible all around the moon. Then the sun burst through at the other side of the moon. In the instant that I could behold this sight, the yellow brilliance of the sun contrasted with the pearl white of the corona and the reddish-pink prominences. But it was time to return to the solar shields.
The ship started the long voyage back to port after the end of the partial eclipse. Some people tried to catch up on their sleep, but for most it was a time to compare their impressions of the event and to discuss plans for upcoming eclipses. The unobscured sun provided excellent tanning before it set as we arrived back in Noumea.
![]() | I relax on board the Cap des Pins after observing totality. |
The three of us flew out of New Caledonia the next day, arrived in Sydney, and then connected with a flight to Nadi, Fiji. After a long and tiring bus ride overland to Suva, we met the Fairstar which had finally limped into harbour. The other amateurs were pleased that our efforts had been successful, but of course they were disappointed to have missed totality. I had my film developed on board and the photos of the corona were passed around at the meeting of the astronomers. The cruise continued with stops at Dravuni Island (where I burnt myself quite well), Port Vila in Vanuatu, and back to New Caledonia. The cruise ended back in Sydney on Dec. 4. In the meantime, I had the opportunity to talk with many amateurs from around the world, including Rodney Austin (discoverer of comets C/1982 M1 and C/1984 N1) and Graham Blow, a noted occultation observer in New Zealand.
![]() | We reboard the Fairstar in Fiji. |
After a few days in Sydney, I flew to Alice Springs to join an Australian Adventure Tour. This had been planned as a contingency in case the eclipse had been clouded out, and consisted of a coach and tent expedition from Alice Springs to Sydney. We travelled throughout the desert centre of the continent, to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the opal mining town of Coober Pedy and south through the wine growing areas near Adelaide. The Magellanic Clouds were spectacular and the Southern Cross was prominent in the early morning sky. The final days were spent travelling across the states of Victoria and New South Wales, through the ranges of the Blue Mountains, and onward to Sydney.
![]() | Climbing Uluru (Ayers Rock) was prohibited after Oct. 26, 2019. In 1984, I was able to get to its summit. |
By Dec. 18, I was back in Calgary. There was some shock in getting accustomed to the winter temperatures after the 40oC temperatures of central Australia, but in no time at all I was planning my return to the southern hemisphere. I would certainly recommend Australia to anyone contemplating a vacation during the return of Comet Halley next spring. As for another eclipse, the next really favourable chance for seeing the corona is not until March 18, 1988, when the sun will be obscured for up to 3m46s. Hopefully, I will be somewhere along the eclipse path in Sumatra, Borneo, or the southern Philippines for my third view of totality.
Reprinted and updated from The StarSeeker, newsletter of the Calgary Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada