Flamsteed Astronomy Society

March 20, 2015

Solar Eclipse Viewing Event

Report by: Mike Meynell
The solar eclipse!!! Honestly, it is there (behind the clouds!)

The solar eclipse!!! Honestly, it is there (behind the clouds!)

As I write this short report, I’m staring out at a beautiful sunny day. Hard to believe that only a few hours ago, we were completely clouded out when trying to view the largest partial solar eclipse visible from London since 1999! Ah well, that is the law of sod, is it not? The truth is that despite the leaden skies, we had a wonderful time trying to view the solar eclipse at the Royal Observatory Greenwich this morning.

The Royal Observatory estimate that we had at least 1,500 people in attendance. An extraordinary turnout when you consider the weather conditions and the fact that it was very unlikely that anyone would see even a glimpse of the eclipse. A real shame that we didn’t get to view the eclipse, but the thing that struck me about the whole morning was how much fun people were having. I saw smiling faces everywhere I looked, and that is a testament to all of the Flamsteed volunteers who engaged with the crowds and helped to make the event a huge success despite the weather.

At the eclipse maximum, there is no doubt that the skies got slightly darker. Certainly, the street lights down in Greenwich suddenly turned on, so light levels definitely deteriorated. It also got noticeably colder, so we felt the physical effects of the eclipse, even though we couldn’t see the eclipse itself.

The astronomers at the ROG all remarked on the professionalism of our volunteers and the fact that everyone was having so much fun. I understand that every time the Sky News cameras were pointed our way, they just saw our volunteers chatting to members of the public, with lots of smiles and laughing. What a great image for us to share around the world. More than the astronomical event itself, it’s our engagement with the public that really makes a difference at these events, and all of our volunteers did a brilliant job.

Thank you to all who attended.

Slideshow Video of the Event (video by Mike Meynell – pictures by Mike Dryland, Kerri Farey, Bobby Manoo and Andy Sawers):

Pictures from the Event (by Mike Dryland and Andy Sawers):

Setting up the telescopes – sky does not look promising!
Greg and Bobby chat before the start of the event
Flamsteed telescopes set up and ready
Media are out in force
Flamsteed telescopes and the Great Equatorial Dome
Clive and Christina await our visitors
Rupert shares a joke
Mike M and Bobby
Jane and Brian
ROG solar telescopes are set up and ready
Nick (x2) and Christina
Nick before the start of the event
Mike and Grey make the final arrangements
Rupert setting up his telescope
Brian chats to a member of the public
Best way to view the Sun on a cloudy day… though an app on a phone!
Rupert aligning his telescope
Brian chatting to attendees
David chatting to attendees
Over 1,500 people in attendance
The solar eclipse!!! Honestly, it is there (behind the clouds!)
Mike chatting to some friends
Crowds gather around the General Wolfe statue
Roger, Bill and Sumitra
Mark and his solar telescope
Roger, Bill, Sumitra and Mike
Vast crowds arrive as we get close to the maximum of the eclipse
But there is no Sun to see
Bobby gives an impromptu talk about eclipses
Grey chatting to members of the public
Malcolm and two (count ’em) solar telescopes
Live broadcast from Sky News
Big crowds, as Grey keeps the public entertained
Shez talking about the Sun
Everyone looks happy, despite the cloudy skies
Media interviews with Tom Kerss
Mike gives an interview to some students
Malcolm explains how solar telescopes work
Grey enjoying the event
St Ursula’s schoolchildren with their solar glasses
Brendan and Tom being interviewed by Sky News
Kids with solar glasses – but no Sun to see!
We were all entertained by the man on the drums!
Mike shows an image of what we would be seeing – had the skies been clear!
Bobby and Shez entertain the crowds
Mike M, Mike D and Roger debate the prospects for seeing the eclipse (conclusion: there are no prospects)
Shez demonstrating a solar telescope
View through the Sky News camera
Trying to view the solar eclipse
Brian chats to the crowd
Malcolm looks after his telescopes
People still looked through the telescopes, despite there being nothing to see!
Grey discusses solar eclipses

More Pictures from the Event (by Bobby Manoo and Kerri Farey):

Posted under: Flamsteed, Meeting Report, Public Solar Viewing