Kourou's most stunning sunrise

Annular eclipse of Sep. 22, 2006, seen perfectly from Les Roches -
in the most stunning setting imaginable

A very special sunrise, heavily distorted by mirage effects and a few foreground clouds

The chromospheric arc at third contact, captured once again (at 1/1000 sec f/10), just as in 1999 and 2005

All pictures scanned at high resolution are here, while earlier scans are here and the first scans here!

There are also reports from Les Roches and other Guyane locations by the Whites, Pasachoff (more), Gill, Maley, Urania, Cool, SEMs, the view from (that other) Guyana, articles by Sky & Tel. and the BBC, pictures by Wetz, Jubier, Ohgoe, Melandri and Brown and a tiny gallery

Many well-known eclipse chasers from the U.S. and Europe had congregated to this one location, simply because it was one of the few accessible places on French Guyana's coast where one could see the East point over water: This tropical country is filled with vegetation - fascinating in its own right but not now - and expecially hills tend to be wooded completely. There had been some worries about the weather, of course, as it could change quickly and was next to unpredictable in great enough detail for heading to a specific spot hours in advance. Scouting trips around the coastal area had come up largely empty: While seeing the Sun at 8° would be possible in many areas, catching the half hour leading up to the climax was a different story. On most of the days leading up to Sep. 22 the Sun had been visible - together with clouds of varying degree - either from Cayenne and/or Korou and/or Sinnamary, so there had been general optimism that this eclipse would not turn into a total washout for most as the last three low-elevation eclipses in 2001 in Costa Rica, 2002 in Mexico and 2003 in the Shetlands. Plus the general weather patterns indicated further improvement, while September is probably the sunniest month in this part of the world anyway.

All the hassles some had encountered were forgotten on this morning, though, that dawned far clearer than any the days before, and so the rush for Les Roches was on. If anything always worked perfectly in this country, it seemed, it was Nature when delivering its beauties, and so it began. Out of nowhere huge swarms of birds appeared, crusing at just a few meters altitude over the Atlantic Ocean close to our cape, often turning in majestic trajectories, while behind them the colors of dawn intensified by the minute. Except for a line of tiny puffy clouds at perhaps ½° elevation, the sky towards the East looked totally clear and highly transparent, down to the horizon. And clear it was, for when the tip of the Southern crecent »horn« of the partially eclipsed Sun appeared, it was already stunningly bright, a color between orange and red. Us being very close to the equator, the Sun rose rapidly and nearly vertically and soon enough the Northern horn also appeared, with the Sun so bright that unfiltered video saturated quickly. Parts of it were »eclipsed« briefly by the tiny clouds, adding more visual drama to the spectacle, but then the Sun was in the clear and would stay there for the coming hours.

The audience had swollen considerably now, with many locals, esp. school children, joining the travellers from distant reaches of the world. All had been equipped with eclipse glasses (and many kept them on constantly, due to - as usual - a bit too dire health warnings in the media and on posters). As were a couple of men in business suits that you rarely see at »events« like this: They were actually delegates of a Colloque sur l'Espace, la Défense et la Sécurité Européenne taking place in Kourou, mostly parlamentarians from various EU countries. The eclipse was part of their official program, a most unusual way to lure politicians into a rather remote meeting spot. Here the solar crescent quickly changed shape now, growing thinner but also longer, with the horns finally approaching each other. The seconds leading up to (and then again out of) annularity are - at least when viewed at magnification - arguably the most dramatic moments of an annular eclipse: Even before the horns touch, photospheric light pops through lunar valleys and causes bright beads of light - the famous Baily's Beads - in between them which then grow to a bridge of light, closing the ring.

This stunningly (sorry for overusing this adverb :-) dynamic and beautiful show is seen best close to the edges of the zone of annularity, and true annular eclipse afficionados prefer to go right there: At the last such eclipse in 2005 this was easily possible, and the beading phenomenon lasted up to a minute. But the geographical situation in Northern South America all but precluded a similar approach: Intercepting the (Southern) edge of annularity would have been possible only deep in the jungle of French Guyana or near the coast of the neighboring Brazilian state of Amapá - but this seems to be one of the least developped regions of the country and no information on its accessibility or logistical situation had been easy to come by. Alternatively one could have gone to the Northern limit in (the other) Guyana, but there the Sun was just rising when annularity would strike. And so very near the central line we sat, with the coming and merging of the Beads taking place in just a second or two. Way too fast for my taste, and I actually missed taking (chemical) pictures during 2nd contact! But the 5+ minutes of annularity (when the ring just sits there, doing little) were the perfect time to rewind the video running in parallel and re-watch the show again and again.

O.k., the ring itself - actually the most perfect one I had ever seen, since I had either been close to the edge or the eclipse was extremely low or clouded out - was a beauty. It was a bit too dim for the eclipse glasses distributed widely in Guyane, though: a) there was somewhat more airmass than what those filters are calculated for, and b) during mid- annularity only limb-darkened regions of the disk are visible. Soon one could notice that the Moon was rising slower than the Sun and that the ring was »thinning« in the lower part. Now I was ready and shooting away while it once more broke into a string of Baily's Beads and then the horns separated. The view through a camera viewfinder with a 1000 mm Maksutov lens (with much less filtering than in normal solar photography; else the faintest Beads would be missed) was amazing. And again everything happened way too fast, and the crescent horns already separated with great speed, before you could even shout »yes!« Congratulations all around, then many started packing - some return flights would already be later that same day. Only some locals sat motionless on the ground, with the eclipse firmly glasses on, gazing at 2nd partiality for a long time ...

The glory of the perfect ring and the high-speed parade of Baily's Beads at its formation and breaking, preceded by the breathtaking double-horned sunrise, has one bittersweet note: There won't be any similar shows in some six years to come, as the next few annulars fall into inaccessible or probably cloudy regions of this planet or the rings are - as in the 2010 ASE - extremely thick. And so the 2006 experience will be a particularly precious memory for those who went to see it. This had not been one of those hugely popular eclipses that draw tens of thousands of travellers, like the total ones of 1999, 2001 and 2006 or the easily accessible annular eclipses of 1994 (in the U.S.) or 2005 (in Spain & Tunisia): On their own and in tour groups no more than a few dozen eclipse chasers may have made it to French Guyana for the unique early morning show of Sep. 2006, and even fewer took up the opportunity for experiencing this truly »undiscovered country« to the fullest. But whoever came, saw one of the - as a complete show - most beautiful solar eclipses in memory and got at least a feeling for the host country. And will probably subscribe to the official slogan of Guyane's tourism board: »No one will believe you back home« ...

Fr, Sep. 15 - Sa, Sep. 16	Travel by bus & train to Cologne, Germany, by night bus to Paris, France, by metro and shuttle bus (from Villejuif) to Orly airport, by plane to hot and very humid Fort-du-France, Martinique (had some beer at a bar opposite the airport) and to Cayenne, French Guyana and by taxi to Matoury and my 1st hotel - the sum of the various legs is 17 hours, 10 minutes, 10:30 of which in the air (sharing the plane with two other German eclipse enthusiasts, one a veteran of the Sarape Adventure and now a state MP), while the time from door to door is 29 hours and 45 minutes: 2/3 of the time it took to get to French Polynesia. The need for mandatory yellow fever inoculation is taken seriously, already when checking in in France!
So, Sep. 17	Extended walk around in Cayenne (where some wind is keeping temperatures just bearable), starting with a (useless) climb of the Colline de Montabo and a hike on a brandnew jungle trail - not marked as such! - around its seaside, providing a first encounter with the lush vegetation of the Amazon region. In Cayenne itself good and cheap food in a Chinese place near Montabo, a surprise visit to Gondwana (aka. the gneiss interpretive trail at Pointe de Buzaré, a key location in Guyane's geology) and the overwhelming experience that exactly nothing is happening even in the capital on Sunday. Climb up to Fort Ceperou (nobody seems to pay attention to the NO ENTRY signs by the military here) and walk through the less affluent Cayenne quarters. Dinner in a fancier - but still pretty inexpensive - Chinese restaurant. Back in Matoury nice, if still pretty light-polluted, night sky, with the Scorpion flat on its face and Sagittarius high above it
Mo, Sep. 18	Trip with the Germans' rental car to Roura in the jungle, with a hike to the Fourgassié cataracts, and on to the Kaw swamps. At the Patawa camp chat with the resident entomologist about the strange economy and politics of Guyane and why there are so few tourists. In the evening long drive around the Cayenne/Montjoly peninsula to check for possible eclipse observing spots; found a few small beaches that would work, if needed. At one hotel chance encounter with the first other eclipse chasers, going out to dinner with them (and getting tons of information about developments in W China, scene of the next ASE in 2008)
Tu, Sep. 19	With my own rental car first to the Parc Animalier near Macourie (half way between Cayenne and Kourou, a bit inland from the RN1): what at the beginning looks like a crappy old-fashioned zoo not nearly worth the EUR 12 entrance fee soon turns into a fascinating collection of the local fauna in ever larger encloures - and finally a 3.5 km jungle hike (with overly many warning signs). First encounter with monkeys in the wild while resting at the big turtle pond! On towards Kourou with a short hike in the Montagne de Singes (where instead of more monkeys a group of foreign legionaires is encountered who were apparently planning to camp out in the woods). Finally reaching the Hotel du Fleuve near Sinnamary where not only two more Germans are located (veterans of the Discovery) but also several of the 125 participants of a Colloque sur l'Espace, la Défense et la Sécurité Européenne taking place in Kourou - with the annular eclipse thrown in as an added attraction. Get a welcome pack for the delegates (mainly EU parlamentarians) and some conference papers by mistake ...
We, Sep. 20	To Kourou early in the morning and then with the catamaran La Hulotte to the Iles du Salut off the Guyane coast, first the Isle Royale: numerous agutis and again the same kinds of monkeys (but from much closer distance) along the coastal path, partly restored prison cells and administrative buildings on the hill, plus a great view of the Ile du Diable that - for reasons explained nowhere - is totally off limits. On to the Ile Saint Josephe, waking around its shores completely, among countless huge coconut palm trees, visiting the ruins of more prison buildings and swimming in the waters off the tiny harbor (much cleaner than what is found in Guyane itself). Free punch etc. served by the Hulotte crew on the way back. Many more famous eclipse chasers were on the Islands today, too! Back in Sinnamary the local TV news feature a) a Cayenne University professor (of law) whom we had met in Martinique, b) someone from the Korou conference and c) some Amerindian producing art in connection with the eclipse. Dinner in Guyana's best pizza place (according to a guide book) in Sinnamary itself. Superb night skies out here, away from city lights
Th, Sep. 21	Again to Kourou and there to the Centre Spatial Guyanais where the regular tour is for once held in English because so many non-French speaking eclipse chasers are around. The old Ariane installations can be watched from afar, but our bus actually drives through the launch pad #3 used for the Ariane 5, and the firing room can also be visited. After the tour visit to the space museum where in an inflatable mini-planetarium the sky motions over 5°N as well as elsewhere are ably explained. Exhibits include a Vulcain engine (very complicated innards!) and a simulator of the European Robot Arm for the ISS (which I manage to destroy several times, followed by a »game over« :-). An eclipse t-shirt is on sale for EUR 23; of course everyone has to have it. And the scouting for the perfect viewing spot begins: In a convoy we go to Les Roches, a little cape in Korou itself that looks gorgeous; some then head towards Cayenne for alternative sites. Since a boat I had booked in Sinnamary for the afternoon was broken, a little visit to the Pripri de Yiyi, some swamps NW of the town and an important wetland: strange insects and (at dusk) also birds show up. In the evening a major pre-eclipse party in a grill restaurant in Kourou: turns out that Les Roches is still by far the #1 spot, but we decide to get up really early the next day.
Fr, Sep. 22	Alarm clocks go off at 3:20 a.m.: perfectly clear skies, but there are some shallow fog banks on the way from Sinnamary to Kourou at 4:30. Les Roches starts filling with people - locals as well as eclipse chasers from afar - well before sunrise which, at 6:20, is absolutely spectacular with the »horns« of the partly eclipsed Sun rising out of the Atlantic. A low bank of puffy clouds at low altitude is cleared in no time, and annularity occurs in perfecly clear skies at 6:50, 8° up. Sun hardly dimmed by extinction; the best view of a low-elevation annular in decades. Right after 3rd contact heading back to Cayenne and to the airport, to learn only now that I am booked on a flight that does not exist - and hasn't existed on a Friday for many months, including the time when I got the e-ticket. 5 hours later a plane does go, to Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe and - after a stop-over - to Fort-du-France, Martinique, landing minutes before the plane to Europe is to take off. We passengers to Paris are rushed through special hallways to the plane which is airborne half an hour later, even carrying our checked bags
Sa, Sep. 23	Since the plane arrives at Orly in Paris, France three hours later than I had been led to believe by Air Caraibes, the flight to Germany from CDG airport can not be reached in time (tranfer between the two airports takes almost 1½ hours even with the fancy monorail/commuter train connection that's being recommended as the fastest way). Since alternative trips bought on the spot at CDG would all cost EUR 400+ (and it is not obvious yet whether the guilty airline could be forced to refund that), the Thalys high-speed train at 1/4 the price is eventually taken, making it home via Cologne, Germany and Königswinter. The legs together took 16 hours 40 minutes this time (incl. 10:43 in the air), with 35 hours elapsing between leaving Sinnamary and reaching home, with the eclipse observed along the way, of course ...

Don't ...	Do ...
... believe that hugely expensive package tours are the only way to explore French Guyana in comfort as travelling on your own is not difficult and will cost you at least 50% less for at least as much fun	... collect as much information - on accomodation options, transportation and excursions - beforehand, esp. by contacting the Bureau de Tourisme (Paris address): They send you thick booklets for free!
... think that you'll get better service at the few larger hotels listed everywhere than at the smaller ones	... give the little places a chance - where, e.g., the breakfast offered can be vastly superior at the same price
... take personal taxis as the fares are astronomical, like EUR 30 for just 10 km (collective taxis are much cheaper but only go on certain routes and only when full; buses exist but are even rarer)	... rent a small car instead: For some EUR 45/day you can get one, including all insurances, and while gas is expensive at EUR 1.45/liter, you can do about 10 km/1 EUR; most roads are in excellent condition
... expect to meet many people speaking English, even in the tourism business	... learn some broken French, which will nearly always get you farther than good English
... expect swift (or rather: any) response when you contact a hotel by e-mail or fax	... call them instead by phone (the access code is ++594-594, by the way) - or have the Paris bureau do that for you
... show up unannounced in a place where you want to take a boat ride or guided tour: As there are so few tourists in the country, there simply aren't any operators waiting there on stand-by	... make reservations at least a day (better more) in advance, through one of the few tourism agencies or local offices; even then it's not guaranteed that the tour will actually take place, though (so a plan B is advisable) ...
... arrive in Cayenne between Friday afternoon and Monday morning: most everything will be closed and you can't make any arrangements for the next days, only walk the desolate roads of the city or hike on yourself	... have enough spare time ready for business transactions of all kinds, even on weekdays: Hardly anything happens on time, and sometimes the most simple operations (like checking out of your hotel) can drag on. Get used to a different way of life ...
... think (as all too many do) that the only real attractions in French Guyana are the Centre Spatial and the Iles du Salut (often erroneously referred to as »Devil's Island« by foreigners) and that's it	... visit these two places as they are worth the hype (esp. the stunningly beautiful islands) but also leave enough time to go to at least some of the natural sights in the mainland that can be reached quite easily from Cayenne - but don't forget the reservations for boats etc.!
... expect all forests (which cover 97% of the country!) to be the same: There is a lot of variation in the vegetation as one moves along the coastline and esp. gradually more inland	... follow signs at the road that advertise hiking trails into the forest of a few km length: You'll always be rewarded with something new. These »sentiers« can become much rougher along the route than at the beginning, though ...
... expect to meet many animals when hiking through nature: While birds can be abundant, both reptiles and mammals prefer to hide most of the time; even large insects are surprisingly hard to find	... visit the Parc Animalier near Tonate: It presents a good overview of the main inhabitants of French Guyana, even if often held in bad cages or in strange conditions (saw an Anaconda fight with a huge frog; the frog won)
... count on any international newspapers being available readily or international news channels on TV (the Sinnamary place actually had several Russian channels, for people working on the Soyuz launch facilities)	... get the daily France-Guyane paper: At least in the week covered here it was full of space-related stories every day, from manned spaceflight to preparations for the eclipse

The author (with a video camera) at Les Roches as snapped by Jay Pasachoff

Daniel Fischer (now at 5 successful annular eclipses [out of 8], including 3 at high and 2 at low elevation, plus 12 [out of 13] total eclipses, with 10 high and 2 low, i.e. 17 out of 21 full-silhouette eclipses travelled to since 1983 have worked out)

First posted on September 25, links added October 10, 23 and 30, November 12 and 15 and December 1 and 17, pics and links added & layout adapted October 16, 2006, new pictures and link to new scans added March 22 (first half-anniversary of the eclipse!) and a Sinnamary link added October 16, 2007.