Total Solar Eclipse, August 21, 2017
Total Solar Eclipse
August 21, 2017
Blend of 12 exposures, using procedures described by Fred Espenak in his chapter of Robert Gendler's book, "Lessons from the Masters: Current Concepts in Astronomical Image Processing" (plus a considerable amount of ad-libbing along the way).
I have never gotten a shot of a total solar eclipse anywhere close to this. It is not perfect, but It is about the best I can do at my current level of eclipse imaging.
I love the streamers in the solar corona, the layering resulting from overlapping features. I tried to include as much detail of the Moon (illuminated by light reflected back onto the Moon from the Earth) as I could. I also included three red prominences that were visible soaring above the Sun's surface.
A shot like this has been my goal since 2010, when I witnessed my first total solar eclipse near Tahiti. After that eclipse I saw photos taken by Alson Wong. Those photos blew my mind. I became determined to acquire the skills necessary for that kind of eclipse photography. Incidently, Alson Wong's photo of the August eclipse was chosen for yesterday's Astronomy Photo of the Day (APOD): check it out here: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170920.html
On my way home from the eclipse viewing site near Trenton, KY, I was terrorized by the thought that I had not removed the solar filter from the telescope. It was over 24 hours before I mustered the courage to check them. HUGE relief!
Camera: Canon T3i, ISO 200, f/6, shutter speeds ranging from 1/4000 to 1/2 seconds.
Telescope: Explore Scientific ED80 APO, Explore Scientific Field Flattener, Celestron Advanced VX mount
Total Solar Eclipse, August 21, 2017
Total Solar Eclipse
August 21, 2017
Blend of 12 exposures, using procedures described by Fred Espenak in his chapter of Robert Gendler's book, "Lessons from the Masters: Current Concepts in Astronomical Image Processing" (plus a considerable amount of ad-libbing along the way).
I have never gotten a shot of a total solar eclipse anywhere close to this. It is not perfect, but It is about the best I can do at my current level of eclipse imaging.
I love the streamers in the solar corona, the layering resulting from overlapping features. I tried to include as much detail of the Moon (illuminated by light reflected back onto the Moon from the Earth) as I could. I also included three red prominences that were visible soaring above the Sun's surface.
A shot like this has been my goal since 2010, when I witnessed my first total solar eclipse near Tahiti. After that eclipse I saw photos taken by Alson Wong. Those photos blew my mind. I became determined to acquire the skills necessary for that kind of eclipse photography. Incidently, Alson Wong's photo of the August eclipse was chosen for yesterday's Astronomy Photo of the Day (APOD): check it out here: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170920.html
On my way home from the eclipse viewing site near Trenton, KY, I was terrorized by the thought that I had not removed the solar filter from the telescope. It was over 24 hours before I mustered the courage to check them. HUGE relief!
Camera: Canon T3i, ISO 200, f/6, shutter speeds ranging from 1/4000 to 1/2 seconds.
Telescope: Explore Scientific ED80 APO, Explore Scientific Field Flattener, Celestron Advanced VX mount