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Category: Astronomical Events
Bill Burton iPhone thru Celestron C90 Maksutov June10 2
Bill Burton Photo using an iPhone 12 through a Celestron C90 Maksutov with a Thousand Oak Solar Filter-June10, 2021

Before sunrise on June 10th, Analemma Society volunteers Alan Figgat, Dan Ward and wife Donna, Mary Blessing, Bill Burton and wife Laurel Wanrow, and Daniel Vrolijk prepared the Turner Farm Park Observatory's coronograph to view the eclipse and their own telescopes with protective filters. In Virginia the sun rose at 5:45am EDT with eclipse maximum at 5:48am and the last moon contact was 6:29am. Despite the overall poor weather forecasts, the final forecasts did predict breaks in the clouds around sunrise. That is exactly what happened.

Eclipse DanWard 

Jacob's Ladder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a light public turnout, probably due to the poor weather forecasts and the early morning hour. However, several parents with children came at the early hour to oberve the celestical event of the moon blocking about 65% of the sun. Clouds blocked the eclipsed sun for a few minutes as it cleared the treeline, then gaps and clearing of the clouds provided dramatic views of the partially eclipsed sun with clouds passing in front. With the return of public access to the Roll-Top building, Analemma Society volunteers showed visitors telescopic views of Jupiter and Saturn before and after sunrise.

Meanwhile Bob Kellogg was in upstate New York and had the same weather of hazy clouds with 80% of the sun blocked. However, just before sunrise there was a spectacular sun dog making an almost complete Jacob's Ladder. (sun pillar).