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The total solar eclipse of 2006 crossed northern Africa and central Asia. Among the many countries in the path, Libya, Egypt and Turkey attracted most eclipse chasers because of their favorable weather prospects and long duration of totality. NASA's 2006 total eclipse website has detailed predictions and maps of this remarkable event.
Gary Spears (Spears Travel) and I led an expedition to the northern desert of Libya for the eclipse. Our March 29th rendezvous with the Moon's shadow took place about 300 kilometers (200 miles) south of the Mediterranean coast, near a small city called Jalu. There in the desert, Nasser Edeeb and other Libyans had erected an amazing text city to accommodate several thousand eclipse observers.
Arriving less that 24 hours before totality, I had little time to explore our surroundings since I had much equipment to unpack, assemble and test. My primary telescopes were a Vixen 90mm f/9 fluorite refractor (fl=810mm) and a TeleVue Ranger 70mm f/6.8 (fl=480mm). Nikon D200 10.2 megapixel DSLR's were attached to each of these instruments. The telescopes were bolted in tandem on a Celestron Super Polaris equatorial mount.I also had four Nikon SLR's with programmable backs and three video cameras.
Below is a small selection of photos obtained from the Libyan desert. For more 2006 eclipse images, visit all five photo galleries:
A - Overview | B - Diamond Ring | C - Inner Corona | D - Outer Corona | E - Sequences |
Click on each image below to see a larger photo.
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Eclipse Sequence 1 (T06-11x1-2cw) Eleven photos were combined into a sequence showing the various phases of the eclipse. The central image of the corona during totality is a composite of 22 separate exposures which reveal subtle details and structures in the Sun's atmosphere. Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29 (Jalu, LIBYA) |
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Eclipse Sequence 2 (T06-13x1-2w) Thirteen images capture various phases of the eclipse from start to finish. The ten partial phases were shot using a solar filter while the start, middle and end of totality were photographed with the filter removed. The central image of the corona during totality is a composite of 22 separate exposures which reveal subtle details and structures in the Sun's atmosphere. Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29 (Jalu, LIBYA) |
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Eclipse Sequence 3 (T06-25x1-2bw) Twenty-five images capture various phases of the eclipse from start to finish. The twenty-two partial phases were shot using a solar filter while the start, middle and end of totality were photographed with the filter removed. The central image of the corona during totality is a composite of 22 separate exposures which reveal subtle details and structures in the Sun's atmosphere. Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29 (Jalu, LIBYA) |
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Diamond Ring & Totality Sequence (T06-7x1-2aw) This seven-image sequence captures the diamond ring effect at both 2nd and 3rd contact as well as totality. The central image of the corona during totality is a composite of 22 separate exposures which reveal subtle details and structures in the Sun's atmosphere. For more diamond ring photos, visit Photo Gallery B - Diamond Ring. Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29 (Jalu, LIBYA) |
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2006 Eclipse Matrix 1 (T06-5x3-1aw) The entire eclipse is captured in a matrix of 15 images, taken every 12 minutes throughout the event. The diamond ring at each contact is included while the corona has been computer enhanced to show subtle details and prominences. Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29 (Jalu, LIBYA) |
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2006 Eclipse Matrix 2 (T06-7x5-1aw) The entire eclipse is captured in a matrix of thirty-five images, taken every 5 minutes throughout the event. The diamond ring at each contact is included while the corona has been computer enhanced to show subtle details and prominences. Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29 (Jalu, LIBYA) |
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2006 Eclipse Matrix 3 (T06-11x7-1aw) The entire eclipse is captured in a matrix of 77 images, taken every 2 minutes throughout the event. The diamond ring at each contact is included while the corona has been computer enhanced to show subtle details and prominences. Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29 (Jalu, LIBYA) |
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2006 Eclipse Matrix 4 (T06-11x15-1aw) The entire eclipse is captured in a matrix of 165 images, taken every 60 seconds throughout the event. The diamond ring sequence at each contact is included while the corona has been computer enhanced to show subtle details and prominences. Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29 (Jalu, LIBYA) |
All photographs, text and web pages are © Copyright 2006 by Fred Espenak, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. They may not be reproduced, published, copied or transmitted in any form, including electronically on the Internet or WWW, without written permission of the author. The photos have been digitally watermarked.
The photographs may be licensed for commercial, editorial, and educational use. Contact Espenak (at MrEclipse) for photo use in print, web, video, CD and all other media.
WebMaster: MrEclipse
Last revised: 2007 Jan 21
