Latest News
20 July 2010
Tahiti Total Solar Eclipse
With views stretching out across the South Pacific from our temporary camp on the remote Atoll of Hao we were not disappointed by French Polynesia’s spectacular Total Solar Eclipse.
From our main base in Tahiti we travelled 2.5 hours on a private charter flight deep into the South Pacific to Hao which would be our home for three days whilst viewing the Eclipse. As always the weather was a key factor in the selection of our viewing location and Dr John Mason identified Hao as having the optimal length of totality and weather conditions for the Eclipse viewing in the South Pacific region and we were rewarded with clear blue skies as first contact was made at 07:24 on Sunday 11th July.
As the eclipse progressed we experienced amazing phenomenon as the light levels slowly darkened and shadow bands rippled across the sands. As the moon covered the sun the final glimpse of the sun's light was displayed in the form of Baily's beads which signified totality was upon us and darkness fell across the shoreline. For 3 minutes and 33 seconds we marvelled at the solar corona and this spectacular natural phenomenon, before the sun gradually started to reappear and with it the stunning 'diamond ring' dazzled us all, before the sun slowly emerged and the light levels increased again.
The group are now touring in either Easter Island or through California having spent a couple of days experiencing life in Tahiti.
Below is an initial selection of pictures from the total solar eclipse and a full report of the trip and wider selection of images will be posted once the group return from their trips.
Images: The spectacular total solar eclipse captured by Peter Morgan.
Images: Watching the total solar eclipse on the remote atoll of Hao.
21 June 2010
BAA Exhibition
Why not drop in and see us at the BAA Exhibition Meeting on Saturday 26th June which will be held at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
BAA Exhibition website
22 March 2010
Congratulations Wendy
Congratulations to Wendy Page our Operations Manager who gave birth to baby girl, Holly Louise on the 15th March, both Mum and baby are doing well.
11 March 2010
Online Survey
Many thanks to all those who took part in our online survey in January. All the feedback has been reviewed with great interest and the results will help us to arrange tours to meet the interests of our clients.
Congratulations to Mr Eric Tomney who was randomly selected as the winner of our prize draw.
Dr John is now Professor John
Congratulations to our expert consultant and tour leader Dr. John Mason who has recently been awarded the title of Visiting Professor of Science Education at the University of Chichester. All those who have been on our tours will know that the University is gaining a superb educator.
28 January 2010
Explorers Astronomy Tours 2011 & 2012
Explorers plans to introduce a wider range of astronomy tours are now well underway. We are planning a variety of tours to offer to our valued clients during 2011 and 2012.
For 2011 we begin with launching Northern Lights trips to Iceland to chase the lights and experience the natural event of the Aurora Borealis. Later on in the year we are looking at offering a specialised Star Gazing tour to Kenya where you will be able to enjoy views of the centre of the Galaxy from a superb dark site whilst enjoying game drives during the day to enjoy the wonders of the wildlife. Towards the end of the year we are currently making plans for a trip to view The Draconid Meteor shower.
Looking forward to 2012 we have a very exciting year offering lots of choices for our clients. We will again be offering Northern Lights tours to Iceland and also Canada or Alaska. This will be followed by the Annular Solar Eclipse in May where we will be heading to Bryce Canyon in Utah USA to view this spectacular event, with the possibility of continuing onto Hawaii for the Transit of Venus. This year of events will conclude with a variety of itineraries around Australia to join together at the Observation site for the 2012 Total Solar Eclipse in North East Australia.
We very much hope that some of these tours interest you and you will be able to join us on one or possibly more occasions. We will continue to offer our personal service to you our clients with the secure business backing of TUI Travel Plc.
19 January 2010
Kenya 2010 - Annular Eclipse
High on a bluff overlooking the beautiful Lake Nakuru, surrounded by rugged savannah landscape, we sat and watched the flamingos and other wildlife as we waited for the eclipse to begin first contact.
We couldn't have been more fortunate with the weather. Only a couple of days before, the rains had stopped after an unusually late rainy season, but on the day of the annular eclipse there were near-perfect skies and the air was clear and still.
As full annularity approached the light level dropped noticeably and members of our party tried a number of interesting ways to observe the phenomenon ranging from high-tech solar filters to 'pinhole' projecting through the holes in a shower mat! Sunlight passing through gaps between the leaves of acacia trees cast multiple images of the sun onto our safari vehicles, dappling them with hundreds of tiny circles of light. Annularity lasted a full eight and a half minutes from our observation point, which by eclipse standards was relatively long.
The eclipse was a highlight that came at the end of an active week in which we had taken many game drives round the Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru which between them yielded many wonderful East African mammals and birds. We enjoyed sightings of elephants, lions, giraffe, both black and white rhinoceros, cheetah, leopard, zebra and various antelope. The diverse and colourful birdlife of Kenya was also ever present.
All in all, our week in Kenya was a thoroughly enjoyable mixture of natural wonders, both terrestrial and astronomical.
The Explorers Eclipse Team
Images: The day of the eclipse dawns and Explorers clients and our Kenyan team gather to view the spectacle.
Images: A selection of the week's other natural highlights included lion, giraffe, buffalo, a lilac-breasted roller, elephants and a zebra.
28 July 2009
China 2009 - Explorers Celebrates Another Successful Eclipse Observation
Video of China Total Solar Eclipse 2009. Footage courtesy of Nick James.
Despite the best efforts of the weather, Explorers clients enjoyed a unique 2009 eclipse observation, successfully witnessing the longest total solar eclipse for the next 123 years.
Our observation site was an idyllic lakeside spot just a few miles from the centre line between the cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou in south-east China. In the hours before the eclipse, thick cloud hung low over the region, with sporadic but torrential rainstorms sweeping over our location.
As we passed first contact, we caught tantalising glimpses of the moon passing over the sun, only for more cloud to pass by and obscure our view. As totality approached, marked by the onset of a dusky light settling across the lake and surrounding forests, the cloud cover began to thin and hopes of observing the eclipse were renewed.
And then miraculously, as we hit totality, the thick cloud disappeared leaving a veil of wispy cloud and a magical view of the total eclipse. While the purists amongst us would lament that we would not view the detail of for example, the prominences around the moon, this eclipse still delivered a unique experience – the darkness was absolute with the cloud absorbing much of the scattered light; the corona, tempered by the thin cloud, showed up as a stunning soft ring of light around the disc of the moon.
The aura of this eclipse was enhanced further by our setting, the banks of a picturesque, willow-fringed lake, surrounded by rolling hills of woods and peach plantations. As the darkness of totality struck, the swarms of brightly coloured dragonflies which had been hovering above our heads disappeared, and the multitude of crickets in the surrounding vegetation were silenced just for a while.
So, a memorable eclipse for us all. We were luckier than many others with no observation possible at all in Shanghai and areas of Hangzhou also completely obscured. Some of this luck we made, and thanks must go to Dr. John Mason, whose insightful reading of the weather conditions meant we had the best chance of observation.
We look forward to seeing many of you for Kenya and Tahiti in 2010, where we hope the weather will perhaps add less drama to proceedings.
The Explorers Eclipse Team
Images left-right: Cameras are lined up ready for the eclipse; Final preparations are made; Viewing of first contact.
Images clockwise from top-left: Rain storm at observation point three hours before totality; Eclipse chasers gather on the viewing platform as weather clears; Eclipse dusk settles over the lake; View from dam at the end of the lake.