The midpoint of October 2023 was witness to a solar eclipse, the first one to occur near Mount Shasta in 6 years. Just like the 2017 event, Mount Shasta was about 10% outside the maximum occlusion zone. This meant we could watch the eclipse, see some pretty neat phenomena and experience the odd half-light but not be in total darkness. Unlike the 2017, the eclipse was going to occur at a time of day where being in a position to watch the eclipse and still see Mount Shasta offered some unique opportunities since the sun was going to be lower in the sky and nearer the mountain. We were going to be ready…
I headed out to Echo Point for sunrise, which was about an hour before the moon was to start passing in front of the sun. There were some lenticular type clouds near the mountain and some textured layers higher in the dome of the sky so the opportunity for an interesting sunrise before the eclipse was high. Ultimately, a lot of the clouds dissipated before there the dawn color reached its peak but it was still a fantastic way to start the morning.
The moon soon began to occlude the sun and as it did so I was joined by my wife and kids as well as a good friend. We had eclipse glasses and a few other eclipse viewing implements. We managed to capture the eclipse with phone cameras by shooting through the lens of the glasses.
The land was soon cast in the strange half-light of the eclipse. The land looked as though it was in shadow and yet not, with details present but oddly faint. As the eclipse progressed, the unusual light deepened. While I continued to snap images, it was time to play with a few other eclipse viewing implements.
Binoculars
Western Juniper
Rabbit ears
Mount Shasta in the daytime darkness of the 2023 eclipse. Note the inverted eclipse in the flare.
For all the planning we did, I forgot the eclipse filter for my camera. I am such a fool. For my error, I had to settle for an image capturing the half-light and the eclipse only visible in the strange lens flare. For once I was glad for that effect, though the colors were really unusual.
We had a great view of the eclipse over Mount Shasta, perfect weather and good company. It was a spectacular way to spend a gorgeous morning. I believe the next eclipse is in 10 years or so but when it comes, I will be ready. Hopefully it is in the morning, so we can head back up to Echo Point for the event!