Dobsons first southern skies

The solar eclipse of Nov 3 1994 was the most spectacular on Brazilian soil so far known. The state of Santa Catarina had the priviledge to be in the line of totality. The sky of Florianópolis from July on the same year, inhaled astronomy, even so that the sun was not totally covered by the moon 2% of light made it not to be total. GEA. And the university’s planetarium acted as never before. We were the real center of information about the eclipse and at the same time we made the preparations to watch it and register it from the totality line until 200 km of the Island of Santa Catarina. Our observing point was established at the municipality of Lajes in a country motel typical of the mountain surrounding, simple but comfortable right on the line of totality. Besides the group of REA and the Planetarium of UFSC there were some foreign groups, Hungarians, Americans, and the Astronomical league of São Paulo. Among them there was John Dobson – the inventor of the famous Dobsonian telescope carrying his name. At the age of 80 it was his first long total eclipse during his in his long and productive life dedicated to astronomy, and it was with us! Short and thin his snow white hair covered with a knitted cap mixture of autodidact and American grand father. During the spare time before the event Dobson played billiard on a table with the children that took part in the expedition.

The place chosen was to establish was the farm – a motel Cyclone being exactly on the totality line. A real farm transformed in a motel for tourists but without the fancy installation such as swimming pool and other items of comfort that often deprive it of its characteristics. The part that houses the guests is in the form of “O” with the bricks showing and on both sides the rooms simple and clean and comfortable but as a pleasant surprise no TVs neither a bar. The reception room was a big saloon with open fireplace where Mr. Dobson had fun with the children. Carpets of leather and furniture made of tree trunks. The hotel reflected life on a farm in every corner.

We arrived at this place the evening before the eclipse. By ban bus full of eyes telescopes, cameras, films equipments and full of excitements and some funny translations in Hungarian and English .When we arrived somebody warned us that there is water on the floor near the door, but said half in Portuguese and half in English standing at the open door: Cuidado, water on the chão (Careful, water on the ground) pointing at the dirty water in front of the door, but it looked as if he were collecting the fee! Somebody translated for our new friends and they understood the gestures. Another time Dobson embarrassed me when he asked me the name of a certain bird that sat on a fence on the lake, I didn’t hesitate and said. It’s a white Anu – Anu is blackbird. The famous astronomer must have thought that he was seeing a “Uaitanu”.

The heavy equipment to register the event we unloaded at the central patio. Calibrate, positioned, fixed in the middle of hundreds of wires and cables we waited in silence for the day to come. Later the sky called us, completely transparent, with all its brilliant nakedness of stars, planets, and galaxies. Extraordinary the numerous stars above us. Far from the city in the middle of country, even the zodiac light reflecting the earth sun was easily visible fine and delicate. The southern sky richer than the northern enchanted Dobson who didn’t get tired of admiring the Southern Cross, a sight so familiar to us down here. The belt of stars that crosses our skies slipped in our sight from the Andromeda Galaxy until Magellanic Clouds. Saturn with the more powerful telescopes showed the fantastic rings always impress the one that sees it for the first time. Watchful eyes stayed open until dawn Dobson never gave in to admire, for the first time the rich sky of the south will be one of the memories in his trained astronomical brain for a long time. We slept little because the night before promised us the next day full of surprises.

The day of the eclipse arrived with a fine curtain of fog that always happen in the mountains. Slowly the sun dominated the troop of white clouds and sent them far away opening the blue stage of spring for its own performance. Glued to the equipment adjusting it the last second. Suddenly, the given time, the moon kissed the sun and transported us to the beginning of the eclipse. The ones that were not busy with equipment and cameras in the middle of the hotel run with their eyprotectors and equipment the hands to a hill higher than the hotel. From there they watched the cone of the shadow, a magic moment that occurs before the totality when the lunar disc finally covers the sun completely.

It is impossible to describe a total solar eclipse. You must be present. For a solar eclipse it is necessary to feel with your body the sudden drop of temperature. During the moments when the sun gets dark you must hear the sound of the cone to breath the air mixed between night and day. The moment of totality begins with the final approach of the moon over the sun the last moment only a tiny fraction of the star is visible and forms against the back ground a thin diamond ring in the sky. Suddenly with the ring the solar corona appears the region that surrounds the sun and can only been seen during a solar eclipse. During the silence that follows we hear Dobson enthusiastically: the corona is blue. Jupiter lit up near our star of the day and many stars appear at 11 n the morning.

There were 4 minutes of darkness and wonder. During an eternity inside each of us eye witnesses of the cosmic voyage that we are taken. Nature commands the show impossible not to notice during an eclipse. Slowly the moon let loose of the sun. We all Brazilians or otherwise, were hypnotized by the grandness of the eclipse of which we are sure Dobson took the corona of the Brazilians from the south with him. And we hope that John will dedicate many more years to Astronomy. These are the wishes of his friends from Brazil.