SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Over 2,400 passengers aboard a Holland America cruise ship experienced a solar eclipse on Monday, on its “path of totality” just off the coast of Mexico.
Passengers set sail on the Koningsdam ship from San Diego last Friday, accompanied by the esteemed presence of UCSD astronomy and astrophysics professor Adam Burgasser. He was invited to enlighten guests with educational lectures throughout the journey.
Burgasser spoke with ABC 10News from the sea — just hours after experiencing the rare phenomenon on deck.
“We had beautiful skies, we had plenty of space for everyone to see and we just had an amazing eclipse…one of the best I’ve ever witnessed,” Burgasser said.
Burgasser described the total eclipse as “a 360-degree sunset” in the middle of the day.
“Once the eclipse happened, it got quite dark. It wasn't a dark, dark sky like a night sky; it was more like twilight. The amazing thing was [that] the twilight was in all directions,” Burgasser said.
And with the moon blocking the sun, Burgasser says passengers could see planets in plain sight: “Jupiter and Venus were extremely bright.”
It was a spectacle Burgasser was able to take in with his family by his side.
“The eclipse is magical no matter where you are, but to be in a space where everyone has been planning for this…it was just so much fun,” he said.
And if you’re wondering when San Diego might experience a total solar eclipse, don’t hold your breath. Professor Burgasser says it won’t happen until at least the year 2200.
