Astronomers-to-be help record rare ring solar eclipse

Text and photos by IGGP Bayu Ismoyo

DUMAI, Riau (JP): A flurry of activity was seen here Saturday in response to a rare event: a ring solar eclipse.

A group of astronomy students from the Bandung Institute of Technology were among observers who decided that Riau, one of the areas along the eclipse's path, was a good spot to record the phenomenon, believed to be the region's last this century.

It took the students, accompanied by professor Mudji Raharto, two days to drive from Bandung to their destination. They stopped to pray and wash at mosques, and ate at restaurants along the Trans-Sumatra Highway. The 20-member group arrived on Aug. 18 and split up into five teams.

Three teams set about informing the community on how to best appreciate the natural wonder, while the other two teams surveyed several sites to determine the best observation spot.

They settled on two spots: Dumai's Pinangkampai Airport and Makmur Bay.

The community teams cooperated with schools and a local radio station, CDS to disseminate information on what causes an eclipse and how to safely view one. The station put on a 90 minute live broadcast in which the students explained about the eclipse to callers from the listening audience.

Some of the students made paper "sun glasses", or solar ray filters, for residents to view the eclipse while the whole group hurriedly worked on their preparations from morning to past midnight before the eclipse was to occur early Saturday.

A single question hovered over the group as dawn approached: Would there be any rain or clouds obstructing their view? If so, all of their efforts and the long journey would come to naught.

A drizzle did begin to fall, subsiding soon before the eclipse was to come. Clouds, however, remained. Telescopes, cameras, compasses and other equipment stood ready.

At 6:10, when the eclipse began, clouds still obscured the view and attempts to record the phenomenon failed. Then the sun slowly appeared. Then the long-awaited two minutes came: from 7:15 a ring-like image of the sun was recorded as the moon stood directly between the sun and the Earth.

Residents cried out "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) as the morning seemed to turn again to night. The young aspiring astronomers, already veterans of a few eclipses, simply smiled at one another from their posts, saying: "We made it."