Hikueru Atoll French Polynesia
A very authentic experience spent as guests of the local Polynesians on Hikueru Atoll, 500km east of Tahiti. Weather was not at all promising on the morning of the eclipse, but through incredible good luck totality coincided with a brief break in the clouds.
Eclipse images: Televue 76 Apochromatic Refractor with 1.4 teleconverter (operating at f/8.8) • Nikon D90 • Takahashi Teegul Equatorial Mount • Exposures vary (1/2000 to 2 secs) and captured using the thoroughly excellent camera control software "Solar Eclipse Maestro"
Leaving Papeete, 500km to Hikueru
On approach, Hikueru Atoll, Centreline 2010 Eclipse
The forward party welcoming us at the airstrip
The refreshments!
By boat from airstrip to the settlement and our campsite
Land Ahoy!
The telescope has made it too!
"Camp Hakari", home for 2 nights
Settling in, home sweet home
Ah, hmm, the "facilities"
An evening of entertainment ... "The Band"
The fun and the frolicking
Err, more fun and frolicking?!
Eclipse morning ... this is not looking good!
Desperately trying to locate the sun ...
20 minutes to totality and it's raining!
seconds to go, a gap in the cloud starts to open up ...
Timelapse images leading to 2nd contact
2nd Contact
Chromosphere post 2nd contact
Mid totality, short exposure
Mid totality, medium exposure
Mid totality, long exposure
Prominences pre 3rd contact
Chromosphere pre 3rd contact
Bailey's Beads at 3rd contact
Composite image of prominences
Multi-exposure composite - 1/2000 to 2 seconds
3rd contact, the cloud rolls back in. Amazing luck!
Timelapse images leading to 3rd contact
There's something out there Scully ;-)
Success! It's smiles all round
Dawn the following day
Return trip to the airstrip
Time to say farewell ...
"Goodbye Hikueru", surely the most friendly people in the Pacific