Joyce and I saw the annular solar eclipse from Albuquerque, NM. The weather was perfect so we watched from our hotel parking lot. I did not rotate any of these images- this is how the eclipse looked visually from our site.
The sun just before the eclipse. Several sunspot groups are visible. The time was 0912 MDT.
The eclipse started with a partial phase.
The moon's shadow starting to cover the sun. This is called first contact. The time was 0914 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 0929 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 0936 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1002 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1017 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1027 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1030 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1033 MDT.
This was an annular eclipse because the moon's angular size was smaller than the sun's.
The start of annularity. This is called second contact. The time was 1034 MDT. The small bright and dark areas on the narrow part of the ring are caused by sunlight shining through valleys and peaks on the moon. These are called Bailey's Beads.
The middle of the annular phase. The time was 1036 MDT.
Approaching the end of annularity. The time was 1038 MDT.
The end of annularity. This is called third contact. The time was 1038 MDT.
The eclipse ended with another partial phase as the moon's shadow moved off of the sun.
Partial eclipse at 1039 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1039 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1049 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1100 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1116 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1130 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1144 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1205 MDT.
Partial eclipse at 1208 MDT, just before the end. This is called fourth contact.
The sun right after the eclipse at 1209 MDT.
I made a video of our observing site showing the periods just before, during, and just after annularity. There was a noticeable dimming during this time, but it's not as dramatic as during a total eclipse. The sky dimmed enough to make Venus easy to see. I sped this video up 10x. The video is 1:39 long.
