Gerhana Matahari Total on Ternate, Indonesia (9 March 2016)


Totality at 09:51:44 local time, six seconds after second contact.
 

The location of the island of Ternate on North Moluku, and the path of totality.
 

En route from Singapore to Manado, Indonesia
To be able to observe the total solar eclipse of 9 March 2016, I flew on March 5th from Amsterdam via Frankfurt to Singapore. After an overnight stay, I flew on March 7th to Manado in Indonesia. I had arranged transport to the Novotel hotel.

There were many eclipse tourists in the hotel, and many of them had flights to Ternate. Some others went to Palu. On March 8th I arrived on Ternate. The plane had a two hours delay due to operational reasons.

On Ternate I met a number of seasoned eclipse chasers. Some of them had been on the eclipse flight on 20 March 2015. We had accommodation at the basic Losmen Kita hotel in Ternate. The higher end hotels were already booked in advance by eclipse tour operators. My airconditioned room was fit for purpose, with a simple bathroom including a shower with warm water.



On Manado Airport we had an operational delay of about two hours. Flight GA-684 eventually made it to Ternate.

Arrival at Ternate Airport. Our plane was a Bombardier CRJ-1000 of Garuda Indonesia.

Above: in a tropical climate there are always leaves to sweep. At the courtyard of the Losmen Kita hotel in Ternate.

Left: the mayor and vice-mayor of Ternate were present at street posters, and we were welcome to attend the Gerhana Matahari Total, or total eclipse of the Sun.

A large group of Japanese eclipse chasers on the centre field of the stadium of Ternate.


Travelling light I brought some basic equipment: eclipse binoculars, compact camera for video, and my Leica M8 with Summarit 90mm.

I brought some 15 eclipse googles to hand out to the local population. These were really appreciated.

09:45:19

Six minutes before totality, there were some high altitude clouds. Fortunately these clouds were relatively transparant, and did not block the eclipse as had been the case in Shanghai in 2009.


09:51:37
On the picture left and right the so-called Baily Beads. These occur when the last rays of Sun light pass trough the valleys on the Moon. This is just seconds before totality.

According to my own eclipse calculator totality at my location (0° 47' 8" North, 127° 23' 4" East) should start at 9:51:38. Therefore reasonably accurate ;-)


09:51:38

09:54:11

During totality planet Venus was very clear high in the sky.
Below a short video impression of the total solar eclipse.

 


The video above (49 sec) is made with a simple compact camera and posted on Youtube. Make sure that you sound is working. More than a video, it is also a sound recording of the public during the eclipse.


 

Tough guys of all sizes on the streets of Ternate.

Street view on Ternate. The flags mark the entrance of our hotel Losmen Kita, freely translated as Our lodge. Many motor cycles, and driving on the left side of the road.


The group of eclipse chasers at the Losmen Kita hotel and the hotel owner and his family. Some of them I met already last
year during the eclipse flight AB1234 on 20 March 2015. I am the guy with the red shirt.

 

On March 10, I flew back from Ternate to Manado on Sulawesi, and spent two more days at the Novotel enjoying the climate and the pool. Picture above: on the early evening of March 11, the young Moon was already high up in the sky.


Up to the next TSE on 21 August 2017!

Back