Monday, April 8th
The Pacific Ocean
ms Koningsdam
Voyage of the Midday Moon
Day 3
Sunny - 72 Degrees
A total eclipse is the ultimate astronomical magic trick. A disappearing act. Planets align, (and suns and moons), day becomes dusk, the atmosphere cools, the wind stills. Some say it is a spiritual experience. Cool!!! But, first, the protection.
Thanks to Dr. Chen at Virginia Mason for the definitive advice from the JAMA Patient Page. Sun gazing is serious business, and can do serious eye damage. The article linked to NASA and the American Astronomical Society for more information and eye protection recommendations:
2024 Total Eclipse: Where & When
Professor Adam Burgasser of UCSD and the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences is onboard Koningsdam to narrate the eclipse and lecture on his other areas of expertise. He is brilliant and a gifted presenter. We are enjoying, if not fully understanding, his talks very much. As the Director of the Cool Star Lab, he has to be the hippest nerd since Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Holland America provided paper eclipse glasses, but we came equipped with our own authentic plastic eclipse glasses, and a solar filter for the camera, that meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard. The ship in position along the path of totality, hats on heads, sunscreen applied, eclipse glasses and camera at the ready, we went up to Panorama Deck, Deck 10 Aft, to join our fellow travelers and amateur astronomers, for this cosmic darkening, and spiritual awakening.
And, here it is, the Midday Moon, the best of our series of photos as the eclipse advanced, and then receded, the moon moving right to left across the face of the sun.
With more than four minutes of totality between 11:01 and 11:06 AM, we removed our eclipse glasses, and basked in the glow of darkness.
Magic? Yes! Spiritual? Yes!! Cool? Yes!!!
For this NASA simulation of the eclipse as we saw it, enter Mazatlán, MX at:
To see the archived livestream, check out the HAL Facebook page:
Or, read about our experience in USA Today:
'The ship can move': Why you should watch next solar eclipses from a cruise ship
USA Today quotes one observer saying that viewing a partial eclipse is like being partly pregnant. Tres agrees. He watched the 2017 eclipse from the roof of Plaza Lake City, well outside the zone of totality. It was a beautiful day, but not much of a show. Now we know. A total eclipse is totally worth it.
Next Up: 6 Days in Port, 11 Days at Sea, 17 Days Onboard, then Vancouver.
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