Are you going to see the eclipse in August?

Cloudy morning near the horizon where the eclipse was visible from where I was on O'ahu, so I've only got a few digital shots where the occluded disk of the sun is actually visible, and they get pretty noisy if I try to make the shadows visible.



I doubt any of the film shots have it, but I'll know later today, when I have some time to process the negs. I've got some nice sunrise shots on the water, though, certainly in color, and probably in B&W as well.

Theo Sulphate said:

Awesome doesn't even describe it.

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Yep. It was totally, totally worth all the driving to see these 2 minutes. My daughter was so overwhelmed by the sight of the eclipsed sun that she started crying (she's 10).

I'm glad that I didnt drive down to Nashville. Instead, at the cost of about 15 seconds of totality, I stayed in Kentucky and went to a small town. There in front of their court house were about 300 people, all peacefully sitting in the sun, waiting for the event. As the sky got darker and darker, what was totally amazing was how blazingly sharp shadows became. I have never seen my own shadow like that before. Individual hairs on my head could be spotted if they were out of place. I have no idea why shadows change the way that they do but that was just incredible to see.

Then, as totally approached, the small crowd started cheering loudly. I had an iPhone app that counted down each and every event that the sun underwent. It was amazing but this app could count down to totality without any margin of error at all. When my iPhone counted zero, the sun disappeared. It gave me a 10 second warning when the sun was about to re-appear. Pretty amazing program. Well worth $1.99.

The 2 hour drive back to Louisville took 8 hours. That was one hell of a traffic jam. Just brutal. But still worth it.

I didnt shoot any eclipse photos. Instead I shot 1 roll of Portra 400, Acros 100, and 400H with my Fuji GA645. My daughter shot 20 sheets of INSTAX film, documenting our little road trip together.

Tomorrow morning starts the drive home back to Ann Arbor.

I took a few shots of the partial portion of the eclipse using a solar filter, but as the sun was almost immediately overhead, there was no real way to differentiate my photos from anybody else's. About ten minutes before totality, a dark cloud moved to cover the sun, and it remained in place until about 10 minutes after totality. I took a few analog shots, but probably won't develop them for a few more days.

Sirius Glass said:

I realized that driving a little further than I planned will add 30 seconds to the eclipse, and possibly hours to the drive back.

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faberryman said:

I live in Nashville, so I'll just be going out on the back porch when the appointed time arrives. I am not planning to take any photographs. I think NASA has it covered.

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Definitely worth it. Still wish it was twice as long. But that distance added 5 hours to the drive back to Denver. Cloud free.

I could see that the moon was smoother than the sun. Must have been solar flares.

It's really hard to hand-hold a 1000mm lens LOL. I couldn't get my tripod to cooperate so tried shooting hand-held. I squeezed off maybe 4 shots, have no idea how they turned out. Then I grabbed a couple with my cell phone, and then just stood there in awe of the sight until totality ended.

Then I drove home. What should've been a 4-5 hour drive was about a 9 hour drive.

Words are totally inadequate to express the awe and wonder of a total solar eclipse.

For those who saw 99% totality and don't realize what they missed, I've been trying to think of analogies. I think a food analogy might work: a 99% percent eclipse is like going to your favorite Italian restaurant; a 100% eclipse is like going to Italy.

Here are a few very quick preliminary edits. These were taken just west of Morrill, Nebraska. (see: Nowhere, Middle Of)

Partial shots came out good. I was disappointed in the Bail(e)y Bead ones but I did get a few almost-good diamond ring ones which I have not really tried post-processing yet.







More here: http://www.demare.me/gallery/index.php/tag/38/Eclipse

Theo Sulphate said:

For those who saw 99% totality and don't realize what they missed, I've been trying to think of analogies. I think a food analogy might work: a 99% percent eclipse is like going to your favorite Italian restaurant; a 100% eclipse is like going to Italy.

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The classic comparison is that seeing a partial solar eclipse is to seeing a total solar eclipse as shaking hands is to making love.

Just heard at work: a 99% eclipse is like going 99% of the way to Disney World.

I made the trek out to a friend's ranch at 8,200 feet above Dubois Wyoming and in addition to some wonderful observing time at night, shot the eclipse using some black and white film. I used a Hasselblad 501CM, 60mm F3.5 CFI lens @F8 for 1/15th of a second ( for this exposure ) with Kodak Tmax 400 pushed to 800.

I also used a mirror which I will be replacing with a first surface one this week. The whole apparatus moves in a unified manner as to keep the mirror perfectly true to the frame of the camera. I just ran the film today, got two printable frames.

My two photos of the Sun were on film, made with my Exakta, so I don't have those photos yet.

Here a few screen-captures from my phone’s video.



This was taken an hour and half before totality, it shows the city of Rexburg, Idaho in full sunlight. We are very close to the centerline of where the moon’s shadow will be, so we get 2 minutes and 17 seconds of totality at this spot. The shadow of the moon will be approaching from the west, between the two buttes in the distance.



This was about 30 seconds before totality. The moon’s shadow has reached the buttes, about 15 miles away. Moving at 1800mph (30 miles per minute), it takes only 30 seconds for the shadow to reach us. The camera is trying to compensate for the decrease in light. In actuality, it is much darker than it looks in this photo.



Full totality. The light on the horizon is the part of the sky that is outside the cone of the moon’s shadow, about 40 miles away.

My friend was about 12 miles away in St. Anthony and made this photo.

Theo Sulphate said:

My two photos of the Sun were on film, made with my Exakta, so I don't have those photos yet.

Here a few screen-captures from my phone’s video.

View attachment 185482

This was taken an hour and half before totality, it shows the city of Rexburg, Idaho in full sunlight. We are very close to the centerline of where the moon’s shadow will be, so we get 2 minutes and 17 seconds of totality at this spot. The shadow of the moon will be approaching from the west, between the two buttes in the distance.

View attachment 185483

This was about 30 seconds before totality. The moon’s shadow has reached the buttes, about 15 miles away. Moving at 1800mph (30 miles per minute), it takes only 30 seconds for the shadow to reach us. The camera is trying to compensate for the decrease in light. In actuality, it is much darker than it looks in this photo.

View attachment 185484

Full totality. The light on the horizon is the part of the sky that is outside the cone of the moon’s shadow, about 40 miles away.

My friend was about 12 miles away in St. Anthony and made this photo.

View attachment 185485

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I could not see any of these images. I kept getting ...

The image links work for me. Maybe Sean will have some insight.

It truly was awesome. A very long day in the car yesterday to get home, but worth even longer travels. I understand now why some people get obsessed with seeing that many times. I made a couple instant pinhole images that are fun and will post them after I clean up the dust from scanning, maybe this weekend....

FYI: Eclipse Glasses Redistribution Program If you used these to see the eclipse, you can pass them on...
https://astronomerswithoutborders.o...haring-programs/eclipse-glasses-giveaway.html

It only got to 93% where I was in Bremerton, WA. I shot it on Ferrrania P30 Alpha using a Chinon SLR, a 500mm mirror lens with a 2X multiplier and a solar filter. I made this GIF with some of the images. Other than the light dimming I was kind of surprised at how much the temperature dropped. I knew it was going to happen but didn't think I would notice it that much.

via Imgflip GIF Maker

Solargraphic Eclipse:

Theo Sulphate said:

[...] From about 3 minutes before to three minutes after, I recorded video of the surrounding plain of Rexburg, Idaho. The cheers from fellow eclipse watchers were my clue that totality had arrived.
[...]

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Hello @Theo Sulphate, I was only a few miles south from where you watched the eclipse, since I was in Roberts, Idaho.
Here was taking place the "Great Eclipse 2017 Festival"

We found a very convenient place, well organized and equiped for eclipse watchers, kind people, and friendly welcome.

I confirm all you previously wrote about the phenomenon itself.

Someone noted earlier that the sky wasn't dark enough to see stars. The only thing I personnaly saw was the planet Venus, to the West of the Sun.

The analog photos I took still have to be home processed (E6), we'll see eventually if I succeed.

@NedL : your "eclipsolargraphes" are very cool, and it's an operating mode pretty unique to me !

Thanks to all for sharing your experiences.

Best regards,

Raphael

Instant film pinhole eclipse:

Pinhole Eclipse II par Ned, on ipernity

Pinhole Eclipse I par Ned, on ipernity

Theo Sulphate said:

Awesome doesn't even describe it.

About 15 minutes before totality, it became noticeably cooler, more breezy, and the sunlight had less intensity - as if there were smoke or haze obscuring the Sun even though the sky was completely clear. Someone unaware of an upcoming eclipse would have, at this point, felt the lighting was a bit odd. Shadows were becoming indistinct and the shadow of one girl's hand with outstretched fingers showed multiple smaller finger shadows. Shadows of leaves were crescents.

So, it was quite amazing to see the darkening within the last three minutes. From a high vantage point looking west, I saw the approaching dark shadow about 15 seconds before totality. From about 3 minutes before to three minutes after, I recorded video of the surrounding plain of Rexburg, Idaho. The cheers from fellow eclipse watchers were my clue that totality had arrived.

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I planned my vacation around the Eclipse and ended up deciding on Casper Wyoming. Myself, my wife and another couple rented an RV, which would give us a "chase" option if it became cloudy. Fortunately, there was only a touch of smoke and some very light cirrus clouds in the area. Words can't describe it, and the overalll effect in person can't be recorded on video. While I futzed with my camera gear during the run-up, at totality I popped off a couple of bracketed shots, but spent most of the 2+ minutes simply looking around and grinning.

NedL said:

Instant film pinhole eclipse:
...

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Very nice.

Thanks Theo

My Faire Spouse and I returned late Friday after about a ten day trek. She has family in Indiana so that was part of the itinerary. We viewed the eclipse from Cave-In-Rocks State Park, along the Ohio River in southeastern Illinois. There were a fair number of people there, but it wasn't overwhelming -- a sort of low key party actually. There was some haze and occasional wispy clouds, with some heavier cloud cover off and on. We came alarmingly close to missing totality to a cloud, but it moved just in time. The last two orders I got from B&H each came with a free package of five eclipse glasses tossed in (and I had already bought some) so we were able to make some new friends handing a few out. The location was not centered on the maximum line, but still good for more than two minutes. For film I used 400 Tmax in my Canon A-1 with a recently ePrey-acquired FD 100-300 f/5.6 and a Canon 2X teleconverter -- and it worked! (I also used my EOS 40D and a low end EF 75-300.) It's amazing when I think about it; that FD zoom lens cost me about $90 and the 2x converter was about $30. I also picked up two right angle attachments for less than $30 each to avoid kinking my aging neck! Amazingly, the viewers work on the FD *AND* the EOS machines (Canon must have slipped up!) They are pretty fiddly but hell, I only needed to see the sun.

I learned a few things I might improve or do differently, assuming I'm still on the green side of the dirt -- and able to travel -- in 2024. Like a heavier, stiffer tripod and a geared 3-axis head -- two items already on my wish list for other reasons -- would be useful as the sun is constantly moving along.

All in all I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I just developed the film yesterday and currently only have a couple of neg scans presentable, but here ya go ...





I also took a series at approx 10 minute intervals before and after using Daystar cardboard filters to see the PacMan effects. A few intervals got lost with clouds.

The trip also covered Argus Day, using my C-3, on "Argust 17th" and we got in some nice walks, visited a conservatory in Columbus, etc., etc. A good trip.

DWThomas said:

...We viewed the eclipse from Cave-In-Rocks State Park, along the Ohio River in southeastern Illinois.
...

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Carbondale, Illinois, is slightly northeast of the center point for BOTH this eclipse (2017) and the next one in 2024. Check out the intersection shown on these maps:

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/overlap.htm

However, in 2024 there will be over 4 minutes of totality! Only question is what the weather may be like on April 8th.

Theo Sulphate said:

Carbondale, Illinois, is slightly northeast of the center point for BOTH this eclipse (2017) and the next one in 2024. Check out the intersection shown on these maps:

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/overlap.htm

However, in 2024 there will be over 4 minutes of totality! Only question is what the weather may be like on April 8th.

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Thanks, yes, just SW of Carbondale is a little crossroads village of Makanda that made a big deal of this and the next eclipse, Someone I talked to where I was told me Makanda had T shirts made with 2017 on one sleeve and 2024 on the other! Nothing like advance marketing. As to April weather, well, it should be way cooler than August -- just maybe many clouds. There are sites, I think NASA related, that show "probability" of cloud cover -- but as we all know, that is a mathematical concept and maybe not applicable for our particular four minutes in a given location. I believe the 2024 path starts up around Montreal, so there may be a section of path that would be a shorter drive from the Philly 'burbs. If I'm still functioning in mid-2023 I'll dig into it more.