Sunset at Pulau Aur

30 Minutes after First Contact

Annularity

Shahrin : The bus ride was not at all pleasant, since I sat at the back seat, the worst seat in a bus! Couldn't really get a good night sleep, since most of the journey was bumpy.

We arrived at the Mersing jetty at approximately 5.20 am, the sky was still dark. Breakfast was served later on. and by 6.50 am, after much fuss about the baggage I brought along, we boarded the boat.

The Boat Ride

Shahrin : The trip was certainly a test for the stomach! I think almost half of the 80 people for the trip, didn't have a pleasant journey at all. I spent most of the time on the boat rooftop. It took us some 3 and a half hours to reach there. Some of us managed to see flying fish, jumping all over the ocean surface. It was certainly an interesting sight.

David : I was okay for the first hour, but because of that bumpy ride on the way to Mersing, I was terribly exhausted and had to a little nap. That's when it all began.

The Island

Shahrin : A giant 1.8 m (diameter) satellite dish was the first thing that caught my eye. Not only that,but also trees of all kinds, the sounds of the South China Sea's waves splashing on the soft sandy beach, with crystal clear waters waiting patiently for the eclipse tomorrow, greeted us.

The test run

Friday afternoon and evening on Dayang was a time for all of us to set up and test all our instruments. The Japanese, along with Looi, were frantically trying to have their instruments perfectly set up.

Shahrin : I tested my Mylar filter on my Dobsonian, and it worked great. Several sunspots could be seen that evening, and one huge one at the bottom was visible.

Night before eclipse

David : The night sky at Pulau Dayang was truly out of this world!! The sky remained transparent although there were clouds in the sky. The Milky Way was clearly visible and Jupiter rising slowly in the east, became the first focus of our attention.

Dawn

Dawn. The sky was clearing up. Greeted by the hunter and his raging bull, Orion and Taurus,  everyone was gearing up for the big event. Venus was there as well, in the east. Under the dim light of the twilight, everyone was eagerly checking and double checking their instruments, from telescopes of all sizes, to cameras of all kinds, to solar eye-filters of all shapes. All eyes were fixed on the eastern horizon, towards the sea awaiting the rising sun.

Sunrise.

David : The horizon was clear and excitement rushed through me as I was about to witness the most beautiful sunrise ever. A sunrise of anticipation.

Annularity !

Shahrin : The time was 8.21 am, less than a minute from annularity. The view through my eye-filters was so unreal. Soon, the horns combined and merged, forming a ring of fire around the moon! Everybody cheered and clapped. I was simply stunned and couldn't take my eyes from the (telescope) eyepiece!

David : The chat system was a failure. The internet connection via INMARSAT set up by the Japanese went down to speeds as slow as 1 byte per second. The only failure as far as I'm concerned.

After-event

David : At 3 p.m., about 30 of us went snorkeling around Pulau Lang, a nearby island not far from Pulau Aur. Another unforgettable sight for beginners as we toured the world underwater.

We also had another astronomy session at night, but many were in bed sleeping after a tiring 2-day filled with activities.

Endword

We, on behalf of everyone, thank Faisal and Looi for their dedication and efforts to make this trip a success. Faisal, now loosing hair and Looi now with more gray hair, have been helpful throughout the trip and everything was well organized. We had the best site in Malaysia. Other areas, namely Malacca, Mersing, and Bintulu were clouded out. We now await the next solar eclipse to touch Malaysia, probably in the 21st century. Who will be the coordinators then? Hopefully the young coordinators of the Astronomy Group now, both of us-lar! (David & Shahrin).