Tim Peake on the solar eclipse: "It's an unnatural, otherworldly experience"

Hi Tim, thanks for speaking with Wanderlust today! So, I've just caught you after witnessing a total solar eclipse. I'll start with, how was it?

So we're out in Western Australia to see the solar eclipse, and today was incredible looking up at the sky and seeing the moon come across the sun. It’s actually the first eclipse that I've seen from Earth, as I had the privilege of seeing an eclipse from space in 2016. In space, we saw the moon shadow coming across the planet. But to actually be standing underneath the shadow was really surreal. And it was it was a much, much more intense experience than I expected. Obviously it’s going to get dark and the temperature is going to drop a bit, but to actually feel that happen, and to be around other humans as well – because there are thousands of people watching it  – the response was amazing. And it happens very quickly. Although the whole thing is a three-hour experience, it really is all about that last couple of minutes, when the sun finally gets shut off, the temperature plummets, the wind drops, the animals go to roost and it goes quiet. Very eerie, very spooky, very surreal experience.

Wow, incredible! Where exactly were you for it?

Exmouth in Western Australia, and the line of totality for this eclipse. That's pretty much the only place on mainland where you could have seen a total eclipse. There were some vessels out in the ocean that would have been able to see it as well. But in terms of standing on mainland, then Exmouth was the place to see it.

I know many people will have travelled from around the world for a rare event like this. What was the atmosphere like?

There were loads of people from all around the world, and that was great to see. Some were passionate and can be considered 'eclipse chasers' if you like, but it was also some people’s first eclipse. It drew crowds here because these are rare events and today was what is called a hybrid – sorry, a whole flock of cockatoos just flew over me! – but yes, it was called a rare hybrid eclipse. So it went from an annular eclipse out in the ocean, then it went to total eclipse where we were, and then it went back to being an annular eclipse. These hybrid eclipses, there's probably only about ten in a century.

I'm guessing it was emotional being there then?

People were hugging and crying, and some people were cheering or whooping, all sorts of different emotions. And it's just incredibly surreal, because it's lighting conditions that you can only ever witness at an eclipse. Normally, when the sun goes down, or the sun rises, it happens fairly slowly, and you see long shadows, and we've all got plenty of time to feel the planet warming up, or the planet cooling down at night. But when it happens really quickly, at a solar eclipse, and the sun is still high in the sky, the shadows are still coming from directly above you, but it's getting very dark. It's an unnatural, otherworldly experience.

But as someone with a scientific background, do cosmic experiences still mystify you?

I think what they do is remind you of our connection with nature. And they actually remind you of our ancestors, and our history, and what it must have been like seeing an eclipse before we understood the science behind it. But it also reminds you that we're on a big planet that's just orbiting around an average star and the moon gets in the way every now and again.

I also want to ask about your time in Western Australia. What have you been up to?

It's been an incredible trip so far. I'm filming for a documentary about secrets of the universe. So obviously it's brilliant out here for dark skies, seeing the Milky Way, the stars and the planets. We’ve also been to the Gingin Observatory (at the Gravity Discovery Centre), we're going to the Pinnacles for some stargazing and we're going out to the Square Kilometre Array as well. We went diving yesterday, so we got to see lots of marine life which was absolutely fantastic. I’ve also come across wallabies and kangaroos, and even a lovely endangered species of python –  it was great to see one of those. It's just so rich with nature, and with that raw feeling of wilderness in the Outback. So yeah, it's been an amazing experience so far.

Beyond the solar eclipse, you’ve also mentioned Western Australia is great for its dark skies. What’s it like gazing up at the night sky here compared to seeing it from space?

It's very similar actually. There's very few places on Earth where you can really look up and see the Milky Way as we have so much light pollution everywhere. But Western Australia is one of those places where you can just find so many spots where it's completely black, so you look up at the night sky and you see it in all its glory. It makes you feel connected to nature.  And that's where I again think back to our ancestors and what they saw pretty much every night. Today, we are depriving ourselves of that view, and we're removing ourselves from nature. So I think what's wonderful is to take yourself back to how the universe is and how our ancestors would have seen it. It’s lovely to look up at the night sky and remind ourselves we're part of this galaxy, that's right above us.

I hear you’re a keen diver. Going back to Ningaloo Reef, can you tell me a little more about this experience?

That’s right. I've been diving recreationally for many years, but also for work we have to dive an awful lot in preparation for spacewalking, because underwater, it gives us what’s called neutral buoyancy. I’ve had to spend 12 days living underwater off the coast of Florida in an Aquarius habitat. I love it. I love marine life. I love being in the underwater environment. So being in Ningaloo Reef was just stunning. Its teeming with marine life. We saw nudibranchs, we saw a blue-spotted ray, a white-tip shark, lots of octopus, and turtles. So really fun to be enjoying that marine life.

What are you looking forward to most for the rest of your trip?

I'm really looking forward to getting to the Pinnacles. I’ve just heard a lot about is geology and again the dark skies in that area. The Square Kilometre Array is going to be fascinating to go and visit as well a radio astronomy so there's obviously a listening post, listening to anything else that's out there and in the universe. And that's fascinating providing us with lots of science as well. So it's going to be a really interesting, interesting trip.

And finally, how is it catching a flight to Australia from the UK compared to flying to space. I hope a little more comfortable?

You know what, when you’ve flown to space, you can't help but get frustrated because when you've been travelling at 17,500 miles an hour. Nothing else quite lives up to it. We would get from London to Sydney in 45 minutes on a space mission, so it’s a little bit longer when travelling by ourselves. But of course, it's absolutely fine!

Tim travelled on Singapore Airlines. Flights start from £994 in economy. Book by 2 May 2023 singaporeair.com