Event: Total Solar Eclipse

Beginning of expedition : July 17, 2009

End of expedition : July 27, 2009

Instead of the comments: Xiantao, China ( 100km to West of Wuhan)

Geographical coordinates :30° 20' 38"N 113° 24' 44"E

Number of observers : 10 membres of SAROS group.

Journal of the expedition :

Friday July 17 : Today we have risen early to catch the flight that takes us to London and join the direct flight to Shanghai. We expect more than 18 hours between flights and transfers. At 7 am the total intregantes of the expedition and we were in Terminal T4 Barajas (Madrid) by charging all the material. We went a little above the weight limit with luggage iban where the teams but in the end we were able to solve. Upon arrival in London, on a flight movidito something we had to wait about three hours to get the link to Shanghai. Front half and had 10 hours of flight.

Another flight movidito something in initial suparte, once we went through Russia and reached the area at night was stable and smoothly until the arrival in China, where it landed at the Shanghai International Airport at 9 am (local time) on Saturday 19 . At this point we have a time difference of 6 hours with respect to the peninsula.

Saturday July 18 : We have arrived safely in Shanghai, after a few hours flight and a delay of one little hour we got to Shanghai, the paranoia continues with the controls for the flu, but went smoothly. Apparently taking the body temperature with thermal cameras, though he gave no "positive" We bring in the frozen air with air conditioning, jajaja, sure to go control. On arrival we had our first visit, a river cruise in Shanghai, admiring the massive edifices of the city. The TV Tower and nearby buildings in the downtown area. The heat is sweltering, with 95% humidity and a temperature of about 40 degrees you can imagine. Then we had our first meal in China in a local restaurant. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised, though a little spicy could eat almost everything, even things we had were quite rich. Both in the restaurant, as in flight, as in the street and the hotel we have not found many eclipse chasers from around the world. Apparently taking a massive attendance of tourism to see the eclipse. It has reached our ears that have surrounded the coast near Shanghai and the central line to observe the eclipse, and even watching from being charged for those areas. We will go to Wuhan tomorrow after making a few visits and decide according to the weather forecast for where we will observe the eclipse, although in principle it seems that we will stay in the area of Wuhan is possible to go west to see it. At night we went to hang out by the center and a dinner at KFC, we tried to sell all of the Chinese, about 2 am when we returned to China to check the hotel and we have time to bed now.

View of skyscrapers from downtown Shanghai	club of relaxing at the hotel in Shanghai	Dinner at a restaurant in downtown Shanghai

Sunday July 19 : Today we have risen early for a visit to downtown Shanghai and seize the day before going to the airport to catch the scheduled flight to Wuhan for 17 hours. Yet we remain the impressive line of spectacular skyline of the city littered with skyscrapers and the famous tower of the China TV. Rather, it seems that we are in New York. Contrasts the location of large buildings to small neighborhoods typical Chinese, known as "futons. The first hearing was Yuyuan Park, with spectacular typical construction and green lakes filled with carp of colors. The gift of a son to his father, a senior official. The gardens have represented the four elements, water, vegetation, rock and human construction. At the exit go into a shop where silk showed the procedure of extracting the silk from cocoons and visited some busy commercial alleys where they sell everything and you can eat meat and fruit pinchitos not recommended for weak stomachs. After we went to the pedestrian street, with plenty of shopping we took a walk through the area that we have last night, though the day is different. Between shop and shop have been tentatively announced the eclipse was near and some curious to read the news. After lunch at a Chinese restaurant, with show of traditional dance and music left for the airport to catch the flight to Wuhan, our initial observation, although the forecasts are not very favorable for all china and previsiblamente have to schedule new observation in the light of developments in the clouds. On the way to the airport, we passed the famous bullet train, capable of reaching 450 km / h. In a train that makes a single journey of 40 kms from a station in Shanghai to the airport. A route of about 40 kms done in 7 minutes. On our return to Shanghai will mount on this train.

Wuhan is the third largest city in China with over 8.5 million. The heat is sweltering, with temperatures near 35 º to 10 pm and 98% humidity. After making entry into the hotel we move through the area where we found a local restaurant. An experience for us to understand because we do not speak English and not in Chinese.

Contrast between the skyscrapers of buildings and neighborhoods	Within the Yu Garden	View of the Yu Garden
View of the Yu Garden	At the silk factory, a process for making a mattress	The bullet train

El eclipse anunciado	Leaving behind the clouds .. for now	Curious restaurant menu

Monday July 20 : Start a new day in China and with the eye in the sky. Although the weather is clear, the forecast for the day of the eclipse across the entire area of China are bad. A front will enter Shanghai tomorrow and goes westward to affect slightly Wuhan, base our initial observation and to a lesser extent Chonqing, about 500 kilometers from Wuhan.

Wuan in our situation was not chosen by chance a year ago. In anticipation of adverse weather, we would be right in the center of the whole band on China, with the possibility of moving towards the east or west, depending on the weather. After a meeting tonight and analyze all weather maps and satellite imagery, Tuesday morning we decided to move west, towards where the forecasts suggest Chonqing best skies. Initially we will stay in the area near the dam of the Three Garagantas, which slightly exceeds the full 5 minutes.
Today we dedicated Monday to make several cultural visits around the city. We visited the Pagoda yellow on top of a hill, from where you could see much of the city with huge skyscrapers. Later went to a Buddhist temple where he shows us several rooms with different images of Buddha and a collection with over 500 figures from it.
After the usual lunch on a rotating table, we went to Lake of Wuhan, a large park and aquatic areas where city residents will ride scooters water and bathe in their warm and murky waters as if it were a pool municipal.
At night we visited one of the highest hotel in the city with over 45 floors. We take to the dinner buffet roof, shaped glass sphere, more than 150 meters in height and an impressive view to the whole city. The restaurant turned in on itself and allowed us to enjoy the panoramic views while the local food degustábamos.

Tomorrow we rise early to prepare the logistics and we start perenigraje west of the country in search of the whole.

Overview of Wuhan from the Yellow Pagoda	Yellow Pagoda	Map of Wuahn
Eask Lake in Wuhan	view from the restaurant's elevator	At the top of the building is the revolving restaurant where we dined

Tuesday July 21 : While Spain sleeps, we are shifting today Tuesday west of the country, following the central line of totality. We hope that the skies to find better weather forecasts announced by the rest of the country and that will complicate the observation of the eclipse. Following advice from our guide, we went to see an eclipse observation area located some 60kms east of Wuhan where they will gather there for several heavyweights of eclipses among the hunters to see the eclipse. On reaching the site, we are not convinced even a hair, the clouds threatened to be present tomorrow in that area, so we decided to return to Wuhan and look for another alternative route to the West, where it seems to be better tomorrow heavens. We arrived in Wuhan and the nohce and we stayed at the hotel hour hours reviewing the satellite images. Before going to bed (some) to rest at 4:00 we were out with the coach in search of the area of observation. We decided to go west, as far as possible to avoid the clouds that threaten Wuhan tomorrow.

Wednesday July 22 : TOTALITY!!!!!!

...... and the great day arrived. After meeting the previous afternoon, and study the weather maps move by several potential areas of observation we decided to do night in our hotel in Wuhan, and from early morning to the point of observation. According to the evolution of time through the maps, a front part of the threatened area in the whole Chinese territory. For Shanghai were entirely pessimistic forecasts for the area and Añez. Wuhan to high clouds that would see the eclipse through them, but not a 100% safety. To the west, but the best estimates point to 900 km in favorable Chongquing.

Many spent the night awaiting the computer and waiting to update new satellite images to see the evolution of clouds. We had very clear, move to the West as much as possible as the stormy front came almost to the city of Wuhan. We leave at 4 am due west, and after hours by road and about 100 km from the city sky began to lighten and offered us a better perspective of where they were clouds. The latest satellite image shows an area on the face of high clouds that came in the Northeast and were localized to the area. Halfway between Wuhan and Yichang, a rest area with a service station we stopped to study the evolution of clouds and trajectory. We were fortunate to accder internet here and watch the latest satellite images. We mount the device observational at this point with direct access to the highway remained almost entirely parallel to the banda west of the country, if conditions worsened and we had to move in search of clear skies.

The area had Añez a grass esplanade with a garden, an ideal place to mount the telescope. They were reaching villagers, some twenty of them, we watched while we were recording the course of the eclipse. Some acerbic and looked through our telescopes. The sky with clouds remained vague but let sunlight pass, and some small clear fronts and more compact cirrus amenzantes. During the partial phase, after the second contact some of these fronts stood between us and the Sun, but quickly followed its course and allowed us to observe the sun in clear skies. The ambient light had declined greatly, with its typical metallic light illuminated the small meadow and Venus began to loom in the zenith.

Some members of the expedition during the partial eclipse	curious about looking into the scientific work

Ten minutes before the whole new front of a more compact cirrus came to the area where our star, possibly "fed" by the micro climate which drags itself shadow of the moon through the Earth's surface. We did fear the worst, but the sun was still visible through the thin clouds. This fact forced us to change our initial Planing on computers and modify the parameters of the cameras.
The time of all with the second contact, also known phenomenon known as "diamond ring" and night fell on this area eclipse China. Left of the solar corona seen through the veil of cirrus clouds covering the Sun and modify its structure, and endow it with life itself, as a function of the density of the clouds passing in front of the selected areas showed more or less brilliant not so homogeneous as in an eclipse without clouds. During the more than 5 minutes from all that we could always observe the lunar disk, the corona and protuberances guna through telescopes. A spectacle.

Almost without realizing it, it was time for the second or third ring of diamonds contact. Have been the fastest 5 minutes of our lives, and after espectaculiridad and shouts of joy of all who attended, completed the total phase. Venus still observed at the zenith minutes later. The villagers began to leave the area, impressed by the eclipse and the group continued to the last stage to the fourth partial contact.

Sequence of photos during the times of 4 and a bias for all, where you can see the solar corona somewhat weaker than in the past

chromosphere visible during the 2nd contact	Photographed prominences all over, one of them off the surface of the Sun
chromosphere visible during the 3nd contact	Inner & midel corona
Totatily with Mercury	Totalidadity where you can see some bright stars that peek shyly from the thin clouds.
Baily's Beads in the 3rd contact (composition of various shots)	Baily's Beads in the 3rd contact
Baily's Beads in the 3rd contact	Diamond Ring in the 3rd contact

The group of climbers to complete. Saros 2009

The forecasts were quite pessimistic, in fact, thousands of people and leading expeditions that went directly to Shanghai and enjoy the surroundings could not be overshadowed by storms. Our logistics made a year ago has enabled us to successfully register a total solar eclipse, the second consecutive Chinese land after last seen August 1, 2008 in the Gobi Desert.

After gathering all the equipment we move back to the hotel in Wuhan to rest and replenish furezas. Last few days have been very stressful, full of uncertainties caused by storms that sweep the front part of China.

Our adventure does not end here, tomorrow morning we will travel to the airport to fly to Hangzou, a beautiful city southwest of Shanghai where we will spend the next few days, then go back to Shanghai a few days until our return to Spain on Monday 27 July.

Thursday July 23: Our last morning in Wuhan has been a mere formality, get up early and after breakfast we move to the airport to catch a flight to Hangzhou where we will spend the next two days. This city of 9 million is 60mk southwest of Shanghai, situated between mountains and lake with a spectacular visit Friday morning. After lunch with the same food "typical" china (nothing to do with that we eat in Spain), which began to hate, we went to visit a tea plantation. There we explained the procedure for collection and treatment plant, types and preparation.
The rest of the afternoon we spend at the hotel resting, as the accumulated fatigue and stress yesterday with the observation of the eclipse begins to take its toll on the expedition.

Friday morning we have scheduled a cruise on the lake in Hangzhou, and a visit to "China Pharmaceuticals. Already know about the potion that we offer .... . In the afternoon, we leave the city and spectacular night in wooden houses in a nearby town, planted on the lake water. Promises to be an experience interante. Tomorrow we will comment that was in them.

As of today we have begun to meet with many groups of climbers from all over the world. Previously it seemed that they were hidden and we were the only ones posted on the site for observing the eclipse. So far most have bad luck with the clouds to be located further east, with respect to Wuhan, which could be seen through clouds, as in our observational position to 100km from the city.

Friday, July 24: A new day is dawning in China. During the night we had storms, we are the first since our arrival in the country, rains that have accompanied us throughout the morning. After breakfast we move to the Lake of Hangzhou for a cruise on a small boat and enjoy magnificent views of the city and its famous Pagoda. We also visited the city a center of ancient china traditional pharmacy with natural remedies for all ills ...
After lunch we caught the bus bound for Whuzen, a wonderful "village" of 50,000 inhabitants, and with a spectacular rural settlement around a lake, called the Black Town, where we will spend the night. We have christened the "Venice China. All its streets with medieval appearance "pass between lakes, bridges that cross from side to side and intense vegetation. A real picture of Chinese landscape, probably the best we have seen in this issue after the eclipse.
Saturday morning played a week stay in China and we will move back to Shanghai early, just 2 hours by road. In the city spend the next two days, visiting traditional markets, the zone of skyscrapers, climbing some of the spectacular skyline of the city, the communications antenna or to the main building of the city with about 500 meters above sea level and our new challenge, make a journey on the "bullet train", a train on rails is magnetic, as if floating on them and that moves at speeds up to 430 km / h. Travels the distance of 47km that separates the city from the airport in just 7 minutes. In the coming days we will be updating the stories and images of these experiments.

Instruments used for observing the eclipse : Telescopio Sky-Watcher 102x500, 2 CanonEOS 350D, 1 Canon EOS 400D, 1 Canon EOS 50D, 5 cámaras de vídeo, estación meteorológica

Weather conditions during the eclipse : Given the forecast for Wuan cirrus clouds and decided to go for the clear sky to the west. To find a site about 100km more or less clear, although the last time we played a bad clouds passed, preventing its full explendor see the eclipse. Even with clouds, we saw part of the crown, Venus, Mercury and even some bulge

*** Both the photographs and videos throughout this document are the property of OASE and / or Saros and its authors, is completely prohibited copying and / or use without express written permission of the owners or association