MAZATLAN, Sinaloa — 130 miles off the coast of Mazatlán, Mexico, more than 1400 passengers onboard the M.S. Zaandam were some of the first people on the planet to see the moon completely cover the sun.
It was the experience of a lifetime.
The reactions were visceral, with lots of crying, laughing, and awe.
Magnificent, emotional, spiritual, and incredible were just a few words used to describe it. Some are already beginning plan their next eclipse trip.
"It was amazing. The diamond ring was the most amazing thing. Because it was better than the best images I've ever seen," said Dr. Lynette Wrigley-Brown, Auckland, New Zealand.
For Chris Benton of New Zealand, this was his fourth eclipse, and he urges everyone to experience its wonder, "In one word, surreal. You've gotta do it; if there's one last thing you do on this planet, it's a total solar eclipse. Surreal."
Totality was amazing, and possibly the most impressive part was when the diamond ring disappears, you take off your eclipse glasses, and there is just this black hole in the sky. The corona didn't disappoint—the outer atmosphere of the sun was spiking everywhere along the edges.
"It was one of the most beautiful coronas I've ever seen. It was streamers extending in every direction," said Dr. Rick Feinberg, American Astronomical Society.
I measured the temperature drop in partnership with the NASA Globe Citizen Science Program. According to my measurements, the temperature dropped more than 14 degrees.
Although we spent nearly 4 1/2 minutes in totality, the experience went by in the blink of an eye.
"I can't believe the 4 minutes went by quite so quickly. I mean, 4 minutes in a soccer match can be an interminable amount of time. This was over in an instant, a heartbeat, yeah," said Dominic Keating, former Star Trek actor.
In a previous Jeremy's Journeys, the captain said he would hide if there were clouds that prevented us from seeing the eclipse. "I don't have to hide now," he said.