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 Annular Solar Eclipse of 2006 September 22
 from Pointe de l’Etat-Major in Kourou, French Guiana

To observe the 2006 September 22 annular eclipse, I was in French Guiana at the Pointe de l’Etat-Major on the Kourou beachfront. Located between the 2° and 6° N parallels, French Guiana has an equatorial climate. This position near the equator, plus its oceanic beachfront, confers a good climatic stability : a great wind and temperature regularity, slightly varying throughout the year. Only rainfalls show consequent annual variations. The dry season from mid-July to mid-November, when the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ZIC) moves to latitudes higher than 10° N, thus sparing the French Overseas Department, gave us a good opportunity to observe this annular eclipse (about 50% odds). The days are thus quite sunny, only some rainstorms, sometimes stormy, develop during the afternoon in the interior. You can also visit the Tourism Board of French Guiana website for more information.
During annularity, the Sun was about seven degrees above the horizon, and we had a very nice spectacle for sunrise. Unfortunately the planned September 19 Ariane 5 ECA mission was cancelled, by the European Space Agency (ESA), and postponed to October 12.


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Annular Eclipse 2006
Eclipse circumstances
(Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC)

Eclipse 2006 September Cloud Cover
Cloud cover in September
(courtesy of Jay Anderson)

Detailed Map Annular Eclipse 2006
Detailed map of the eclipse
(courtesy of Jay Anderson)

Annular Solar Eclipse 2006 Animation
Annular eclipse animation


Le Malingre Island Cayenne
Le Malingre Island near Cayenne

Rémire Montjoly Flyover
Rémire-Montjoly flyover

Cayenne River Mouth
Cayenne river mouth

Cayenne Montsinery River
Cayenne and Montsinery rivers

Cayenne Montsinery River
Cayenne and Montsinery rivers


Vortex Boeing 747-400 Wing
Vortices behind
the Boeing 747-400 wing

Rochambeau Airport Terminal CAY Cayenne
Rochambeau airport terminal (CAY)
in Cayenne

Kourou CSG
Guiana Spaceport Center (CSG) map


This is page 1 |  Pages "Guiana Spaceport Center" |  Pages "Salvation Islands Penal Colony" |  Pages "Saint-Laurent du Maroni" |  Pages "Cacao, Roura, Iracoubo" |  Page "Eclipse" |  Page "Google Map" |  Page "Eye Safety"

Last page update on September 26, 2006.
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