Solar Eclipse Photos circa 1988 in GenSan

As I am writing this, the Partial Solar Eclipse is happening at this very moment. Here below is my shot taken at 9:42 am, July 22, 2009 in General Santos City. I covered the lens from the Canon 300D Camera I was using with a used x-ray film to shoot this.

Inspired by this heavenly phenomenon, GenSan News Online Mag is sharing with its faithful readers Solar Eclipse photos taken by Kryss Katsiavriades, a photo journalist and “eclipse chaser” from United Kingdom, Europe who documented the March 18, 1988 Total Solar Eclipse from General Santos City in his website.

At that time, the Solar Eclipse was best seen at its totality here in General Santos City, (then known not as the Tuna Capital but as Pineapple City), and therefore, hordes of scientists, astronomers, journalists, tv crews, tourists from all around the globe flew into what was then a quiet, sleepy city. Even then President Cory Aquino joined in the fun of experiencing her first total Solar eclipse from what is now the Pioneer Seeds Compound in Barangay Apopong.

I had to take the plane from Cagayan de Oro, where I was then based to Davao, a day earlier to catch the solar eclipse which the local government of General Santos City (under former Mayor Rosalita Nunez) was promoting as one big Tourism Event.

The City Tourism Office and some enterprising people came out with all sorts of souvenirs including tshirts, brochures, visor caps, hats, solar glasses, etc for the occasion. A dance contingent made up like Ati-Atihan dancers even greeted the visitors near the City Hall. It was a fiesta, to say the least.

Here are some of the solar eclipse photos taken by Kryss Katsiavriades of that eventful time, not necessarily of the eclipse alone but of the people around him. They are priceless photos of a GenSan gone by and of an event which will forever be etched in the memories of those who experienced it.

Now, here are the precious money shots, from the camera of Kryss Katsiavriades. Below is the Iglesia ni Kristo Building visible from the General Santos City Hall Rooftop which Kryss used to illustrate the progress of the March 18, 1988 Solar Eclipse. Read the time line from each photo’s caption supplied by Kryss himself.

And finally, here is the 1988 Solar Eclipse Photo of Kryss, taken by his handheld camera.

UPDATE: Found these pictures I took of my family and household in Gen. Santos during the actual day of the Total Solar Ecplise in 1988. I am the one in RED PURONTONG SHORTS that were the fave that time.

How about you, where were you during the Total Solar Eclipse on March 18, 1988?