Second contact marks the start of totality. In a matter of seconds, Bailey's beads, the diamond ring and the ruby red chromosphere of the Sun are visible. During this solar parade, the corona grows brighter until totality is achieved. We experienced about three minutes and forty-five seconds of totality. I did not see Bailey's beads at all and only glimpsed the diamond ring because my attention was focused on the greenish-gray umbral shadow of the Moon which grew larger and larger on the southwestern horizon and raced towards the ship at 1200 mph. This picture was taken just after totality began. The fast shutter speed produced an image of the inner corona. Note the bright red prominence at 12 o'clock. It was visible for only a short time and had dissipated well before the end of totality.

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