Solar eclipses have always fascinated me, and this annular eclipse had been on my mind for several years. I made arrangements to meet a couple of friends in the small town of Winnemucca, located in northern Nevada near the eclipse centerline. Unfortunately, the weather conditions deteriorated along the West Coast through the week and it appeared that it would be completely overcast on the day of the eclipse through most of the northwestern US!

It was looking pretty hopeless, and I was debating on whether to make the long drive from the Bay Area to the viewing site. However, my wife pointed out that I would really regret it if it turned out to be sunny and I didn't take advantage of the opportunity. Smart advice!

The conditions were looking pretty grim on the morning of Oct. 14th (see the image in revision D for the sky conditions at the site). However, we were really fortunate that there were enough gaps in the clouds to catch a glimpse of the sun during maximum eclipse. It grew markedly cooler during this phase, but not quite as dark as I though it might. Nevertheless, it was very striking to see the thin ring of sunlight!

I had brought my telescope, H-alpha filter, as well as several neutral density filters with me to image the eclipse. However, I was actually the most happy with the images I took with my DSLR camera and 135 mm lens. I set the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to its minimum value to avoid saturating things. The clouds obscured enough of the sun's light that I was able to take color images without any filter -- the cloud cover really creates a dramatic effect. I also really like revision C posted here, which shows a flock of birds flying through the scene!

When I can't manage to travel to a major astro event like this, it is always enjoyable to live vicariously through other people's experiences and images. Perhaps I can return the favor in some way here!