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Friday, 20 March 2015

Solar Eclipse from Mynachlog Ddu



The car was packed with two telescopes, two deck chairs, two cameras and a picnic for two astronomers.

The early morning mist had burnt away to reveal a glorious sunny Pembrokeshire morning... NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY!

Helen and I made our way along the Cardigan road, we had the idea of stopping at the ancient burial chamber at Pentre Ifan...  

As we neared Maenclochog we decided to forget about Pentre Ifan and take a detour to  Mynachlog-ddu  to set up camp at Carreg Waldo.

Carreg Waldo is probably one of the best sites in the whole of Pembrokeshire for astronomical observing; there are very few street lights to spoil the night time viewing.

Carn Menyn

To the North you can see Carn Menyn, source of the  Bluestones of Stonehenge.


Cwm Cerwyn
 North West and to the highest peak in Pembrokeshire, Cwm Cerwyn.

Looking East

Moonrises can be spectacular over those hills, and the Moonlight of a Mynachlog-ddu Autumn is especially magical!

Looking South - Carreg Waldo

It was an amazing event, the sky gods behaved and the whole eclipse was bathed in a backdrop of faded-blue sky. 

The surrounding landscape, including the distant low-lying haze, exhibited a brownish tinge (the eclipse of 1999 exhibited a greenish tinge) for roughly half an hour each side of the maximum phase.

This eclipse was also memorable for its drop in temperature, much more pronounced than any other partial eclipse I have witnessed. 

08h40m  temperature was 9.5 degrees C 
09h38m  temperature was 4.7 degrees C  
09h43m  temperature was 4.8 degrees C
09h53m  temperature was 5.9 degrees C
10h15m  temperature was 9.7 degrees C



Here's a black and white photo taken with the C8 Schmidt Celestron.



Plus a photo montage of several shots.




What a wonderful unforgettable solar morning.