Total Solar Eclipse
11 July 1991
Mexico
La Paz
BCS, Mexico
My first trip in the Shadow of the Moon
Eclipse chasers like to keep track of the amount of time they've spent inside the Moon's shadow. The number is expressed in seconds. I call mine my "UmbraLog" and I am currently enjoying number 1355 (or 22.58 minutes). The number is a bit of a status symbol and a point of achievement and pride amongst lifetime chasers. While a typical total eclipse might give you 2 or 3 minutes of totality, the event of 11 July 1991 turned out to be one of the longest eclipses of the century, plunging us all into almost 7 minutes of unearthly magic. Not bad for my first try.
Baja California Sur, Mexico, is the thin peninsula that extends south of the state of California along mainland Mexico's Pacific side. In the days leading up to the eclipse, the town of La Paz was flooded with scientists and chasers from around the globe transforming this sleepy coastal village into Astronomy Central.
Mexico was well prepared for this event. The government spent lots of time and money to promote the eclipse and to manage the converging interests of thousands of people. And they did a great job. The official Mexico eclipse logo (top of page) was everywhere in the newspaper and on billboards, hats, T-shirts and pamphlets, and the local parades, dances and parties in the street in celebration of the eclipse went on for almost a week.
The Mexicans know how to throw an eclipse party!
Many chasers arrived within the path of totality days in advance to align and test their equipment.
The North American media always make a big deal of any eclipse that falls between its shores and this one was certainly no exception. In addition, numerous films were made about this eclipse including one feature film entitled "Eclipse" by Canadian filmmaker Jeremy Podeswa.
(Follow this link to eclipseguy's Eclipse Film Database.)
eclipseguy relaxes with "Eclipse" film cinematographer Michael Spicer (right)
in La Paz on 10 July 1991.
On the day of the eclipse, my friend, Amy, and I drove to the highest hilltop we could find in La Paz as the partial phases unfolded in the sky above our heads.
With the crowds of chasers along the beach and in town, it looked as if we had picked a perfect spot to watch the Shadow of the Moon approaching us.
When the shadow finally swept across us I couldn't believe my eyes. It got so dark all the street lights went on in the town below. Night!! But it wasn't night. It was the monstrous Moon's shadow fresh from a run across the open Pacific. It sank us in darkness and revealed the corona in a wondrous sky above our heads.
Six minutes and fifty seconds of totality marched across my face in an instant. I'm not sure if I breathed or not. When it was over, I was an eclipse chaser.
"The Diamond Ring" effect marks the beginning of totality in Baja July 11, 1991. Andreas Gada
I didn't know it at the time because it was my first, but the shape of the corona on 11 July 1991 was the most exquisite. It has become the standard by which all other coronas have been judged. Absolutely magnificent! It's no wonder I haven't been quite the same since.
MEXICO 1991!