Some memorable eclipses
2002 to 2015
The passion of eclipse hunting - pursuing the “dark Suns” - has taken me to the four corners of the earth: Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Far North ... In search of wonderful natural spectacles, letting myself be guided by the astronomical calendar. Accompanied by my closest friends, I actually found much more than what I had gone to seek. But it would take more than a few paragraphs on this site to be tell it all…
Spitzberg - 2015
Polar eclipse on the pack ice
"Monday, 16 March 2015, eleven o'clock. Going out the door of the plane at the top of the aircraft steps, I was hit by a wall of cold: fifty degrees lower than the interior of the Boeing. The icy wind pierced my clothes instantly, as if I had plunged into icy water. Coming out of the plane, it was as if I had walked into a giant forced-air freezer. Welcome to the Arctic.» "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
"It’s a beautiful, starry night. I am on watch from two to three in the morning with Jean-François. Everything is going well. They must have been imagining things; there aren’t any bears here. At five o'clock in the morning, gunshots jolt me out of my sleep. Nicolas shouts: "Ahhh !! Eeehhhh !!! Another shot rings out. There’s definitely a bear. I immediately jump out of my sleeping bag; all the frost of the tent falls on my head. I dress, grabbing whatever clothes I can and I tumble out. I think I beat the world speed record for putting-on-polar-boots-which-normally-take-ten-minutes-to-put-on. Here I am outside, it’s already daylight, the sky is blue, and the bear that I see just in front of our camp is not only polar, but also really enormous. Fortunately he leaves, off at a vigorous pace towards the pack ice...” "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
"We might think that with our seventh eclipse, there aren’t many surprises to be expected, that the spectacle would simply repeat itself. Actually, it’s not the case. Shortly before the second contact, in other words at the beginning of the total, this eclipse gives us a lesson in humility, and the sight enraptures even us old hands. This time, it’s not the temperature that surprises us, as in Libya. The temperature doesn’t drop any lower, fortunately, because it’s already so cold. Our feet are already numb enough. Nor is it the wind or the waves - the sea is far away and frozen. Nor the animals, there’s no polar bear near us to see his reaction. Au son des éclipses. Extrait.
Australia - 2012
Diamond on the Great Barrier Reef
Aboriginal mythology considers Uluru and Kata Tjuta to be sacred sites. They protect and respect these places as persons, explaining the creation of the Earth by animals and spirits still present in the natural environment: the soil, the rocks, the fauna and the flora confer on the earth a sacred status. These are true ecologists, with wisdom to meditate on. These are people from a culture that is one of the oldest on Earth. Their way of life, close to the prehistoric, is disappearing, by way of forced civilization. Our hikes in Uluru and Kata Tjuta are impregnated with this spiritual dimension, which the sun seems to reinforce with curious changes in the light from morning to evening."Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
"The show has had its effect, and the camera films the release after the tension. Tears roll down everyone’s cheeks, without exception. The light returns suddenly, a light of the morning, with golden colors; the sky is an intense blue, with no cloud on the horizon. Another feature of this eclipse: the edges of the shadow cone were clearly visible from the beginning to the end of the whole event, skimming the horizon to the left and right in front of us. "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
The British navigator James Cook is credited with the official discovery of Australia, sailing along the entire east coast from south to north. Officially, Cook was sent by the British Crown in 1769 to accompany a scientific mission to the South Pacific. The stated objective of this voyage was to make astronomical observations from Tahiti, as on June 3 of that year a rare event was due to occur: the passage of Venus before the Sun, a phenomenon called the "Transit of Venus". But once in the South Pacific, the mission over (without great success, in fact), the captain of the Endeavor, an inconspicuous and fast frigate, opened a sealed envelope to discover the continuation of his mission. In fact, these orders were the real purpose of the voyage for the Crown: to head west and explore terra australia. "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
Easter Island - 2010
Great show on Easter Island
In the middle of the Pacific, Easter Island looks like a confetti totally isolated from the rest of the world. A confetti located exactly on the path of the shadow of the moon, perfectly aligned in the center of this shadow, which is about a probability comparable to drawing the jackpot in a national lottery. The whole island will be swallowed up by this shadow, seven times wider than it. We’ll be there."Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
The eclipse will be total in ten minutes now. The light has changed. I film our shadows. They have become clearer, the contours more detailed. The slightest disheveled hair throws an extremely precise shadow on the ground - you can see the outline of each hair. Around the shadows, the light is gradually less blinding, as if a filter was being put on a lens. It’s still daylight, but the light on the ground no longer dazzles. The critical moment is approaching, we’re hoping fervently there’ll be no clouds in front of the Sun. Above our heads, it’s a typical Pacific sky, blue, dotted with large clouds distant from each other, ceaselessly crossing the sky. Let's cross our fingers."Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
After the countryside and the tree-lined path, we find a magnificent esplanade, descending gently down to the sea and ending with rocks on which enormous rollers come crashing, with a dull permanent roar. In the middle of this coast, at the foot of the waves, magnificent, enigmatic, enthroned on an enormous base of stone that elevates them and heightens their presence, are five giant statues, the moats of Ahu Tahai. These statues make a dramatic impression in this remote setting. They’re even a little scary. Whatever else the motives of their founders, they clearly wanted to impress observers. And it’s clear that they succeeded. Even in 2010, the effect remains powerful. Why, then, did they go to such efforts to make these giant heads, with their backs to the sea, and who seem to look at us? It’s impossible to look away, it’s as if they’re watching us, wherever we stand."Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
Japan - 2009
Eclipse of the century on the land of the rising sun
To witness the rising sun from the summit that culminates in the Land of the Rising Sun, is something that every Japanese must experience at least once in their life. It’s a wonderful experience, even if you’re not Japanese. Hardly have the first glowing rays appeared in the sky and a clamor rises all around. This fervor carries you away. In reality, the show comes mainly from the spectators themselves. At this particular moment, I think back on all that we have experienced since our arrival on the Japanese archipelago: the eclipse on a isolated island, this expedition to Mount Fuji, the night in a farm lost in the middle of the rice fields, invited by a family, all those many walks, chatting with Japanese women as if we had known them for a long time: all these experiences have satisfied our quest for the exotic. "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
In the sea facing us, huge compared to the small beach where we are, an enormous dike stops the waves. A dozen meters wide and several hundred feet long, overhanging the enormous waves that come to shatter on the imposing mass of concrete that dominates the area. It’s from this promontory that we will observe the eclipse, even if the sky is apocalyptic. Whatever the weather, the eclipse will be taking place in a few moments, and we’ll be there. As it happens, we will experience the eclipse of the century during a massive storm. We’ll be in the midst of surging black waves. At least this will give a peaceful use to this mammoth military construction, dating back to the Second World War. The Japanese had a base here for their warships, and the size of these jetties gives an idea of the fleet that docked here during the war with the Americans. "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
It seems that in Japan, personal relationships are of primary importance. Other people have precedence. As a result, codes exist in all the aspects of life, and are learned at an early age. For example, you do not hold a business card or document carelessly with one hand, but with both hands. You bow to the person you’re speaking with, who does the same, to show the deep respect that one has for each other, even with a perfect stranger. At lunch or diner, one serve drinks to the others but never to oneself, waiting for others to do it. You don’t touch anyone. You never raise your voice. No jostling or pushing. It took us some time to understand these codes. I believe that Gerard and Kumiko, familiar with the country, were a little embarrassed with us at the beginning of the journey. (I dare hope that we have made progress since then). Noisy, in a herd, never in the right place, our clumsy and conspicuous presence must have made us look like savages parachuted into a civilized country. "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
Libya - 2006
The sheltering sky
March 29, 2006, 1:00 pm. The wind is dying down a little, after blowing very hard this morning. Around us, the sand dunes are tinged with an unforgettable ash color. Our Libyan traveling companions vigorously beat their drums and sing Tuareg songs to encourage the sky to bring back the sun. The turn of events is a bit too bizarre to their taste. They want it to stop, things have gone too far. My friends and I had warned them. I am recording everything I can with my microphone, without knowing that this recording will be broadcast later on France Inter, a French national radio. The total eclipse has just begun. The temperature dropped by twenty degrees in half an hour. Breathtaking. This 2006 eclipse will remain forever engraved in our memories. A grandiose spectacle crowning a journey started two weeks previously. "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
March 29, morning of the big day. Of course the weather is splendid: the sky is deep blue and cloudless, like the other days. There won’t be any worries about cloud cover. The black Sun will reign over the volcano, the surrounding desert and us. As happens every morning, the temperature is already beginning to climb, approaching thirty-five degrees. There is one big difference with the other days: the wind has been blowing, strongly enough to carry away anything light. This unexpectedly complicates our preparations, as everything flies away, and cameras placed on insufficiently weighted bases fall over, and the swirling sand clogs up the lenses. It had seemed too easy..."Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
In the evening, around the fire, the discussions carry on, just like the other days. For the first time, our Libyan friends sing their nomadic refrains, to the rhythm of a typical local percussion instrument: empty gas cans. While the percussionist plays variations with the palm of his hands, we join in the choruses and dance around the fire. The sky is lit with a thousand stars, as if to encourage us to enjoy our time together. We acquire a taste for hot bread cooked in the sand, for tea so strong it stings the back of your throat, and all the simple pleasures that our Berber companions share with us in the desert. "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
South Africa - 2002
Hunting the eclipse in the savannah
What, me? Go to South Africa, just to see an eclipse that lasts at most a few minutes? And why not, let’s go with all our friends! Dreaming is fine, Martine, but come on, let's be realistic! I smiled - good old Martine. We are walking along briskly, but the rest of our group of hikers is already far ahead... "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
There is always a lot of noise in the savannah, and it’s only afterwards that we realize just how quiet it had become. The birdsong has stopped, and the permanent daytime racket of the savannah. But unlike at nightfall, the usual nocturnal symphony doesn’t start up. No, none of that. Pure silence settles on the landscape, and it is absolutely incredible. "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.
This journey has been an initiation for us. An initiation to eclipses for most of us, who have seen the Black Sun for the first time in their life, but above all an initiation to the hunt for the eclipse. As soon as we are back in France, everyone agrees: we’ll go and find future eclipses, wherever they might be, and we’ll go together. "Au son des éclipses". Extract. English adaptation.