A Hybrid Solar Eclipse at Valladolid (Spain)

Today, November 3, 2013, we have had a hybrid Solar eclipse partially visible from Spain. As everyone knows a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks ("occults") the Sun. This can happen only at new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth in an alignment referred to as syzygy (a straight line configuration of three celestial bodies). In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In partial and annular eclipses only part of the Sun is obscured. A hybrid eclipse (also called annular/total eclipse) shifts between a total and annular eclipse: at certain points on the surface of Earth it appears as a total eclipse, whereas at other points it appears as annular. Hybrid eclipses are comparatively rare.

From the charts and the animation above, you can see that this eclipse was predicted as being only marginal in Spain, as shown in the below scheme (taken from here)

However, I have taken some photographies of this celestial event and one of them allows to watch the eclipse. See the series below:

The 'big' picture

The central zone (real size pixels)

The central zone enlarged

Idem in black and white

The 'big' picture was taken with a normal digital camera using as filters two 3.5" floppy diskettes and an oportune cloud, that have originated these artificial colours. The other images have been made with the help of Photoshop. The edge of the Moon can be seen down right on the surface of the Sun. The picture looks like the above diagram, but the area bitten by the Moon is smaller because Valladolid is at a higher latitude than Madrid.

So, no expensive cameras, no lenses, no telescope... but I have watched a Solar Eclipse 'under Windows'!

And now for the nostalgic amongst you: Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart

 

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