Eclipse on Cornwall CAM

Updated Wednesday 11 August 1999, 21:34 GMT

Photographs taken before, during and after the total eclipse of the sun in Cornwall on 11 August 1999, photographed with a Nikon Coolpix 900s camera.

Wednesday 11 August 1999 - Viewing the Total Eclipse of the Sun from Carn Brea ...

This was the scene at about 10.00 a.m. as the crowd gathers to watch the spectacle from this splendid viewpoint

Looking west towards Pool. Unfortunately, it's overcast with a light shower arriving but that doesn't dampen our enthusiasm!

Someone's prepared for bad weather!

I've never seen so many people up here before - It must be a long time since there was a crowd like this on the Carn.

Looking west into the approaching gloom at 11.10 a.m. just before totality

11.11 a.m just as totality begins - tremendous atmosphere!

11.12 a.m and the street lights of Pool have come on - spooky.

There's still some light in the sky on the horizon out to sea, from beyond the shadow of the moon. This sends shivers down the spine.

11.13 and it's getting light again, rapidly (sorry this one's a bit blurred - it's the excitement making my hands shake). Those two minutes just fly by - seemed more like 30 seconds.

It's still pretty dim as the crowd starts to disperse at 11.17 a.m.

We passed beside this fine rock formation is on the south-west side of the Carn as we walked back down.

And this is what we would have seen on a clear day. In fact I've heard that they did have a break in the clouds at the right time at Perranporth, only 10 miles away - lucky devils!

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