7 is a perfect number

Venezuela 1998, Austria 1999, Zambia 2001, Australia 2002, Turkey 2006, China 2008 and now : Australia 2012. 7 visible total eclipses of the Sun. As I said before, it is indescribable, so I won't even try to explain. I will just leave the pictures to speak for themselves.
I got up early in the evening and headed out. Checked with a friend for the latest weather updates. The best prospects where on the other side of the mountains. I got into the car and drove 2 and a half hour northwest. Constantly checking my GPS to see where I was.
In the middle of nowhere, I parked my car beside the road, at 1 in the morning. Enjoying a night of starry skies before the big morning arose.
The Sun rose already partially eclipsed. As always, it was a beautiful, out-of-this-world experience. I can only give you the pictures. Enjoy!

I got 1 minute and 57 seconds of totality from the spot I was standing. Slightly less than the max in the area. But I didn't care. I got to see it. The beautiful corona. And I got to share it with some guys from Australia, Japan and Italy. A truly worldwide bonding experience! :-)
The Italian, before setting off back to Port Douglas, said to me "See you on Svalbard in 2015!". We will see.

Ragnar
Sungazer