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Sidewalk Astronomy during the partial Solar Eclipse of 2006/09/22


The partial solar eclipse on the afternoon of Friday September 22 presented an opportunity for the HartRAO Science Awareness team to take astronomy to the sidewalks of Krugersdorp. The photo essay below shows the unfolding story.

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Setting up a display stand on the lawns alongside the Town Hall in Krugersdorp.

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Sam Rametse and Bogoshi Mogadima set up spotting scopes to project images of the Sun.

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The Sun shortly after the start of the eclipse.

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Sam gets his first customer, using an eclipse viewer to look at the Sun safely. An interesting feature of this eclipse was the grass seemed purple in some photos.

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The crowds start to gather.

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Passers-by are surprised at what they see.

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Deeper into the eclipse.

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Anacletta Koloko searches for more victims while Bogoshi is clearly impressed by the sight.

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Close-up of the projected image of the partially eclipsed Sun.

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Mother and daughter - her ensemble matching the eclipse viewer - take in the eclipse.

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School's out but its time for some extra-curricular education.

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These ladies were particularly impressed.

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More schoolboys get into the action.

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Older passersby were equally impressed.

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Mid-eclipse. The HartrAO weather station shows that the temperature is about two degrees cooler now than on the previous two days at this time, when the weather was similar.

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Bogoshi explains to a schoolboy what is happening.

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projected image near mid-eclipse.

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Another keen spectator.

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This little girl had assistance from Anacletta.

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Sam assists a man in a ethnic robe.

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These ladies were impressed.

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The Friday afternoon shoppers multiplied as the afternoon wore on.

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This girl and her mother get a look as the eclipse starts to draw to a close.



created 2006/10/16 by Mike Gaylard.