Total Solar Eclipse, 21st July 2001

Having been "so near but yet so far" in Cherbourg for the 1999 eclipse we resolved to do it properly next time and so signed up for an African safari in order to see the 2001 event. This time we were able to do in perfect conditions - not a cloud in the sky nor a breath of wind to shake the camera - virtually on the centre line in a field by the side of the Great North Rd out of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. I had never tried to capture anything like this on film since attaching my dad's old camera to a telescope to take pictures of the moon as a teenager, so nerves were on edge as the time approached. I staked out my spot in the middle of a maize field, set up the camera and tripod and then retired into the shade to await developments.

First contact was duly observed (through filter-specs, of course) and as more and more of the sun was covered the drop in temperature and increase in darkness were really quite marked. It was interesting to see the shadow images of the sun change into crescents, a phenomenon well shown by the leaves of the tree under which we had had our lunch. A nearby cock started to crow and the cicadas began their evening serenade. I approached the camera and lined it up (a surprisingly difficult task!) to take some shots of the partial phase, and counted down the minutes. Totality itself was a stunning experience, possibly even more dramatic seen through the viewfinder. I tried to keep calm when taking the photographs, to avoid any silly mistakes, but was quite unprepared for the emotion rush after it was all over: I just had to sit down and let it wash over me. Maybe simply release of tension, maybe something more, but it took me a good quarter hour (and two beers!) to recover enough to speak sensibly again. Some exchanged experiences, some just contemplated in silence, but we all knew we had seen something special.

As it happened, Lady Luck smiled on me that day as the results were, in truth, better than I could have reasonably expected. The views you see here are a representation only, due to the limitations of scanning and computer screens, but hopefully should give a good idea of the spectacle.