Cosmic Date

August 12, a cosmic date - an eclipse and meteor shower in a single day! Dale and I arrived early at our chosen spot, which we had discovered just 2 days prior, to view the eclipse. It was 31°C (88°F) at 5:30PM on a very exposed, elevated location with a wide view. It was perfect: sweeping views down towards Lake Vrynwy, and parking was free (big draw in the U.K.). The sun was fierce and the heat intense, so we sat under our LSM umbrellas to shield ourselves (the air was filled with smoke - and the smell of it - from south Wales wildfires).

We ate cold pizza, chips and sodas as we waited for the eclipse. A few other people joined us over time, most having brought colanders with them as suggested by the media - it was the like the great colander reunion event of the century! 

What worked the best was Dale's binoculars focused onto the LSM umbrella as a backdrop - it was crisp and clear at 18:54,

with a little more of it obscured by 19:07

We had some competition from clouds, but they just added to the drama of the event, and gave us an opportunity to photograph the phenomenon directly. You can just make out the partial outline of the sun, the ring of fire, near the base of the cloud.

We saw about 92% coverage of the sun, as shown by our pizza

We stayed on to watch the changing sunset

We made friends with the couple on the bench next to us, swapped phone details and took pics of each other in the late sun. We're meeting so many interesting people.

Once home, and at the end of the day, we lay on our backs on our lawn and watched the Perseid meteor shower - magnificent! What could be more cosmic a date than that?