The total eclipse memory

Today is August 11th 2009. A whole decade ago, most of Britain were in Cornwall to wait for one of nature's stunning sights; a total solar eclipse.

I had been waiting for that day all my life; no really. I had the Reader's Digest Atlas which had all the eclipses until the end of the century, and I harboured some hope it would fall on my birthday.

But, alas, no.

I had wanted to see three things; an eclipse; a comet and the northern Lights. I had seen a comet, Hale-Bop a couple of years earlier. After a lifetime of comet disappointments, I had heard that there was another one due, and it may be quite good. I looked up one day and there it was.

I would have to wait for a quiet night outside a church in Aberdeenshire a few years later for the northern lights, but the comet was going to be tough. Or easy if I could get to Cornwall.

The RAF had other ideas and thought i should go to Las Vegas instead. I was torn if truth be known. We were due to fly out that morning and would be over the Atlantic as the moment passed.

Like all things military, it was a shockingly early start; it was dark when the bus picked me up from the house. At least it was a short drive to Brize to pick up our flight.

My mixed mood greatly improved when our pilot told us he had filed our flight plan and we could fly over Cornwall and see the eclipse; from 30,000 feet!

Win!

So, we climbed aboard, strapped ourselves in and whoosh, we were airborne.

And unlike the millions down below we were to see the whole of the eclipse, but also see the sky go dark and the stars come out. I got to the window just after totality had passed and the diamond ring effect could be seen.

Then we flew on to Vegas. And the party really began; but that is another story for another time.