My dear folks,
right now the sky is clear here and in the afternoon it was sunny. In the morning, however, it was densely clouded.
There were a few small gaps, but none where we needed it. So we did not get to see the eclipsed sun. I had the strong impression, though, that daylight came on much too slow today, so I like to think that I observed at least some effect.
Still it was the right thing to do, to meet with my astronomy friends on some hill on the edge of town with a good view to the Eastern horizon.
The official TV of our federal country was there, too. I just saw their report, which was nicely done and even features a very short comment by me.
I'm glad, though, that Luth saw it and that my eclipse glasses were so helpful to her! I'm even proud that you allowed so many people to have a look through it.
Thank you for that!
But please, folks, don't watch the sun without proper protection. The nasty thing is that you don't feel the damage immediately because it grows in the hours after the exposure, even if no more light enters your eye. So you never know how long you are on the safe side! Watching the sun on the horizon, when it's rising and when it's dimmed by the haze so much that it doesn't seem bright is ok, of course - but when you feel that you want to close your eyes instinctively, then it's too much.
Well, my next attempt is probably Australia 2012...
Cheers!
Markus