Skipped Sunday’s rare solar eclipse? See what you missed
Did you miss Sunday’s total solar eclipse? If you’re outside of Africa, odds are the answer is yes.
But never fear! You can watch a not-so-instant replay of the event from the remote Kenyan countryside thanks to the online observatory Slooh.com.
Astronomer Paul Cox narrated the event under a partly cloudy sky. He got a little choked up at the moment of “totality,” when the moon blotted out the sun.
“There’s totality, and it still looks wonderful through the clouds. It is spectacular,” Cox said as he clearly struggled to keep his composure. “That’s amazing.”
In the background, you can hear his fellow observers in Kenya cheering as the clouds parted just long enough to make the eclipse visible. The whole thing lasted a grand total of 14 seconds.
“The sun just came out in time for us to witness totality,” Cox said. “I’m sorry, I’m emotional. That was amazing.”
The eclipse was visible from the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, in parts of southern Europe and everywhere in Africa. Plenty of shutterbugs in those places took pictures, and we’ve gathered some of their best shots together in a photo gallery that you can view above.
Still hungry for more? Check out these images from previous solar eclipses.
If you’re charmed by a solar eclipse, you like the things I write about. Follow me on Twitter and “like” Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.
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