Total Solar Eclipse 2017

A-L-E-X · 22 Aug 2017 11:48

HarbingerDawn wrote:
An'shur wrote:
Source of the post What camera and settings did you use?

Canon EOS 600D
EF-S 55-250mm lens

For the pictures you highlighted, settings were (in order):
1. 1/1000 s, f/5.6, ISO 100
2. 1/5 s, f/5.6, ISO 100
3. 1/400 s, f/5.6, ISO 100

Thanks, HD. What was the focal length used?

22 Aug 2017 13:06

A-L-E-X, yeah it was, saw the transit of Venus in 2012 and glad I didn't miss that. Already started making plans for 2024, finding areas, will keep track of that as the years pass.

A-L-E-X · 22 Aug 2017 15:20

DoctorOfSpace wrote:
A-L-E-X, yeah it was, saw the transit of Venus in 2012 and glad I didn't miss that. Already started making plans for 2024, finding areas, will keep track of that as the years pass.

Doc, I've been hearing lots of reports about people crying and being overwhelmed with emotions during totality. Did you see people around you doing that too? It reminds me of the Asimov classic Nightfall, a habited world in a multiple star system inside a globular cluster and how they reacted when their sky went dark (more extreme in their case because night fall came once every 500 years there and they had no idea what stars were let alone a globular cluster......) To this day that remains one of my all time favorites.

midtskogen · 22 Aug 2017 16:40

For those who saw a totality for the first time, the following quote from Fred Espenak is worth a reread and has become easier to relate to:

The Experience of Totality

"Some people see a partial eclipse and wonder why others talk so much about a total
eclipse. Seeing a partial eclipse and saying that you have seen an eclipse is like
standing outside an opera house and saying that you have seen the opera; in both
cases, you have missed the main event."

-Jay M. Pasachoff (1983)

First contact. A tiny nick appears on the westem side of the Sun: The eye detects no difference
in the amount of sunlight. Nothing but that nick portends anything out of the ordinary. But as
the nick becomes a gouge in the face of the Sun, a sense of anticipation begins. This will be no
ordinary day.

Still, things proceed leisurely for the ﬁrst half hour or so, until the Sun is more than half
covered. Now, gradually at ﬁrst, then faster and faster, extraordinary things begin to happen.
The sky is still bright, but the blue is a little duller. On the ground around you the light is
beginning to dim. Over the next 10 to 15 minutes, the landscape takes on a steely gray metallic
cast.

As the minutes pass, the pace quickens. With about a quarter hour left until totality, the
westem sky is now darker than the east, regardless of where the Sun is in the sky. The shadow of
the Moon is approaching. Even if you have never seen a total eclipse of the Sun before, you
know that something amazing is going to happen, is happening now -- and that it is beyond
normal human experience.

Less than ﬁfteen minutes until totality. The Sun, a narrowing descent, is still ﬁercely bright,
but the blueness of the sky has deepened into blue-gray or violet. The darkness of the sky begins
to close in around the Sun. The Sun does not ﬁll the heavens with brightness anymore.

Five minutes to totality. The darkness in the west is very noticeable and gathering strength,
a dark amorphous form rising upward and spreading out along the western horizon. It builds
like a massive storm, but in utter silence, with no rumble of distant thunder. And now the
darkness begins to float up above the horizon, revealing a yellow or orange twilight beneath. You
are already seeing through the Moon's narrow shadow to the resurgent sunlight beyond.

The acceleration of events intensiﬁes. The crescent Sun is now a blazing white sliver, like a
welders torch. The darkening sky continues to close in around the Sun, faster, engulﬁng it.

Minutes have become seconds. A ghostly round silhouette looms into view. It is the dark
limb of the Moon, ﬁamed by a white opalescent glow that creates a halo around the darkened
Sun. The corona, the most striking and unexpected of all the features of a total eclipse, is
emerging. At one edge of the Moon the brilliant solar descent remains. Together they appear as
a celestial diamond ring.

Suddenly, the ends of the bare sliver of the Sun break into individual points of intense white
light -- Baily’s beads -- the last rays of sunlight passing through the deepest lunar valleys. The
beads flicker, each lasting but an instant and vanishing as new ones form. And now there is just
one left. It glows for a moment, then fades as if it were sucked into an abyss.

Totality.

Where the Sun once stood, there is a black disk in the sky, outlined by the soft pearly white
glow of the corona, about the brightness of a full moon. Small but vibrant reddish features stand
at the eastern rim of the Moon's disk, contrasting vividly with the white of the corona and the
black where the Sun is hidden. These are the prominences, giant clouds of hot gas in the Sun's
lower atmosphere. They are always a surprise, each unique in shape and size, different yesterday
and tomorrow ﬁom what they are at this special moment.

You are standing in the shadow of the Moon.

It is dark enough to see Venus and Mercury and whichever of the brightest planets and stars
happen to be close to the Sun's position and above the horizon. But it is not the dark of night.
looking across the landscape at the horizon in all directions, you see beyond the shadow to
where the eclipse is not total, an eerie twilight of orange and yellow. This light from beyond the
darkness that envelops you warns that time is limited.

Now, at the midpoint in totality, the corona stands out most clearly, its shape and extent
never quite the same rom one eclipse to another. And only the eye can do the corona justice, its
special pattern of faint wisps and spikes on this day never seen before and never to be seen
again.

Yet around you at the horizon is a warning that totality is drawing to an end. The west is
brightening while in the east the darkness is deepening and descending toward the horizon.
Above you, prominences appear at the westem edge of the Moon. The edge brightens.

Suddenly totality is over. A point of sunlight appears. Quickly it is joined by several more
jewels, which merge into a sliver of the descent Sun once more. The dark shadow of the Moon
silently slips past you and rushes off toward the east.

It is then you ask, “When is the next one?”

22 Aug 2017 17:36

A-L-E-X, there were a lot of emotional reactions. I didn't think it was going to be as impressive as it was, when totality hit even I said "holy cra‎p", it was quite incredible.

midtskogen, that is what I have been trying to explain to people who saw the partial up here where I live.

YouTube · 22 Aug 2017 20:26

A-L-E-X wrote:
Source of the post What was the focal length used?

250mm, of course.

A-L-E-X wrote:
Source of the post I've been hearing lots of reports about people crying and being overwhelmed with emotions during totality.

I was a bit surprised by how little the totality affected me emotionally. It was cool and all, but... I don't know, I guess since I knew every little detail of what to expect (and it actually fell somewhat short of expectations) I wasn't overwhelmed by it. I certainly thought it was cool, though. The best part of totality for me was getting to photograph it. I'm thrilled with having been able to apply my hobby to such a wonderous event, and am very happy with the pictures I got.

Surprisingly, it was the late stages of partial eclipse that I enjoyed the most. The dim sunlight, like standing on an alien world, the shadows being sharper in one direction than another, the impression of the moon obscuring the sun if you happened to glance at it... it was an amazing experience.

I suspect that I would be much more emotionally moved by a strong auroral display. There's little that can prepare you for that.

22 Aug 2017 20:40

I just got home from the airport after seeing the eclipse. I think I can sum up totality in a simple phrase: It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

midtskogen · 22 Aug 2017 22:01

HarbingerDawn wrote:
Source of the post I suspect that I would be much more emotionally moved by a strong auroral display. There's little that can prepare you for that.

If I see a powerful aurora outburst, I do get excited about rapid movement, intensity and in particular if there is a corona, but not in a way much different than, say, watching particularly big waves crashing into cliffs. A total eclipse, however, is more a roller coaster ride for me. In particular during the 10 seconds before and after including the totality moment when things are happening so fast. And the shadow bands effect that we experienced in Svalbard were crazy, as if the ground was ripped apart beneath my feet (totally lacking in Oregon...). Watching the totality and the horizon around is more a "wow, that was beautiful" and less emotional. I think it also helps sucking in the whole experience without having to mind cameras helps. If the cameras steel your attention, it will certainly be less emotional.
One thing, though, is that aurora is nothing exotic for me, whereas a total eclipse certainly is.

midtskogen · 22 Aug 2017 22:09

I just checked my DSLR images. Again, getting the focus right for the 1000mm is hard, in particular with the 1.6 converter (effectively 2400mm given the sensor size). And the vibration of the mirror flipping adds fuzziness. But I think I got the exposure perfect for catching the inner corona, despite having set it manually and I did no bracketing, just one exposure setting for all shots. Below is the best totality shot. Given that I have an aging Nikon D70 camera, I'm satisfied, only regretting the focus which I never get perfect. If I can figure how to do it, I'll combine it with the videocamera image to get an HDR exposure.

The lens was a 1000mm F/11 reflex. No teleconverter, but a 1.5 crop factor.

midtskogen · 22 Aug 2017 22:16

And a couple of shots from Madras on the 20th. Images taken from video recordings (but the 4K camera has better resolution than my DSRL).

23 Aug 2017 03:45

Am finally home. (Spent the day after the eclipse in Hood River, then drove the rest of the way back to Bellingham). Here are a few quick photos to share from the trip, and a more detailed reflection of the experience.

The Day Before:

► Show Spoiler

Dawn of Eclipse Day:

► Show Spoiler

The Main Event:

► Show Spoiler

It was the most incredible thing I have ever witnessed, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.

I think watching from within a large crowd was also more enjoyable than if I had been alone or with a small group. There was a strong sense of camaraderie and shared experience.

First contact came right on schedule and those with solar telescopes noticed almost instantly. The rest of us with eclipse glasses could see it within about a minute, a tiny gouge in the side of the Sun. But after this initial recognition that the eclipse was underway, things proceeded leisurely and the crowd watched with calm anticipation. It was even a bit boring. It takes over an hour for the Moon to fully cover the Sun, and for the first half hour nothing really interesting happened. Every now and then we simply checked the Sun and observed that the gouge was a little bit bigger.

Then at around 50% coverage or so, I started noticing the sunlight losing its warmth. It had been heating up quickly all morning, but now the temperature stopped rising. By 80% it was comfortably cool on what should have been a hot August day. The color of the sky had also changed -- no longer the bright blue of daylight but a darker shade like indigo. As the Sun's crescent grew thinner, so did our shadows. My friend and I played with them, noting the unusual sharpness in some directions but not others. I could also curl up my fingers to let only a point of sunlight through, projecting a vivid crescent onto the ground.

Finally, with less than 5 minutes left before totality, everything became weird. Everywhere, the light and colors just looked wrong. Like some alien kind of twilight, yet with the Sun still shining brightly overhead. Through the solar filters it was just a sliver. I could not believe how such a tiny fragment of Sun could be so bright. I began preparing the camera to photograph the coming diamond ring, and was able to see a ghostly band of corona all the way around the Moon on the display. The blazing sliver on the edge was shrinking rapidly.

The mood of the crowd also changed suddenly at this point. It was increasingly clear that something incredible was about to happen. Then the mountain to our west vanished. The Moon's shadow had eaten it, and was sweeping towards us. It was huge... ominous... almost terrifying. It looked like something that didn't belong in this world. A darkness with no obvious cause. Perhaps a demon out of fiction. It ate the landscape. It ate the sky. It ate the Sun. The Sun shrank in its grip and became a tiny jewel. Diamond Ring. I quickly snapped a few photos. Then the jewel winked out.

"Oh My God!!!"

Where the Sun had been just moments ago, there was now the most insane apparition that ever graced the heavens. A perfect black void, ringed with a white ethereal wreath, throwing brilliant streamers out into an ashen sky. In every direction, a band of fiery sunset glowed on the horizon, enclosing us in this otherworldly space.

I had seen so many photos, so many videos, and yet I was utterly unprepared for what it was like to actually see that sky.

Understanding the astronomy didn't matter. I knew intellectually that it was simply the Moon blocking out the Sun, but it did not matter. What I saw defied all prior experience. I instantly understood the hyperbole of descriptions of eclipses from others. Like standing on an alien planet. Like staring into the Eye of God. Like beholding the end of the world.

It was beautiful.

And all too soon it was over. I wasn't keeping accurate time, and the second diamond ring caught me by surprise. I had been looking at the colors in the sky and around the horizon, and at the mountain brightening in the west, thinking I still had about a minute to go, when suddenly the crowd exclaimed again, the world became bright, and I looked up to see the Sun reappearing, the Moon's shadow racing away to the east. My two minutes and four seconds inside of totality went by like it was nothing.

Later that evening, I felt physically and emotionally spent. And my friend and I made a final observation -- the weirdest thing about the whole experience was that nature went back to its usual business with no indication whatsoever of what had just transpired. Of course it would. But it made the memory of totality feel as if it was from a dream, or that we had stepped into some alternate reality for a couple of minutes. Totality was so strange that it seemed absurd that it could have happened at all given how normal the rest of the day was.

I would not say this experience turned me into full blown eclipse chaser -- I'm not willing to spend the money or cope with the risks and anxieties of travelling anywhere in the world to see every single one. But I'll tell you this -- if it is even remotely possible to travel to one sometime in your life, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

YouTube · 23 Aug 2017 04:29

midtskogen wrote:
Source of the post And the vibration of the mirror flipping adds fuzziness.

Does your camera not have a mirror lockup feature? If it does, I recommend combining that with a 2 second timer - when you press the shutter, the mirror flips open, and the timer starts. 2 seconds is enough to allow almost all of the vibration to dampen. Then the shutter opens to take the exposure.

Watsisname, midtskogen, beautiful sunset pictures!

23 Aug 2017 05:32

Just loaded in the video from the GoPro. As expected the video quality isn't too good (very grainy) during totality, and I'd set it at ISO1600. But besides the grain it did a good job capturing the changing light and shadow movement. I'll see what to do for the video but for now here's a screenshot just as the Sun vanished.

Really impressed with your photos, HarbingerDawn and DoctorOfSpace! Captured great detail.

23 Aug 2017 06:54

Watsisname, great pictures and story. Your comment about it seeming like a dream and being emotionally spent sums up exactly how I felt about it.

midtskogen · 23 Aug 2017 07:09

HarbingerDawn wrote:
Does your camera not have a mirror lockup feature? If it does, I recommend combining that with a 2 second timer - when you press the shutter, the mirror flips open, and the timer starts. 2 seconds is enough to allow almost all of the vibration to dampen. Then the shutter opens to take the exposure.

It doesn't. The D70 was the first DSRL in my opinion matching film quality at a reasonable price. The lack of mirror lockup was indeed what I was most reluctant about when I purchased it (but my analogue camera didn't have it either and I had the same problem then). I used a 2 second timer.
I did one mistake this time. During totality I removed the filter and took a few shots and left the camera. Then, well after totality I realised, "‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎, I forgot to point the camera (with a 1000mm lens) away from the sun". I don't have tracking, so I guess there was a limited amount of heating that could happen before the sun went out of the frame.
My setup was (everything on tripods):
* 1 DSLR with a 1000 mm lens (also a 1.6x teleconverter which I removed a few minutes before totality)
* A 4K camcorder zoomed out and pointing towards the sun.
* A GoPro camera pointed towards the sun.
* My phone pointed towards the west
I had two filters from Thousand Oaks Optical (2+ and 3+) that fit my 1000mm. I used the 2+ to get short exposures minising shake.
About 5 minutes before totality I started recording with GoPro (4K, 15 fps), my phone (1080p30) and the camcorder (4K, 25 fps). I took two shots with the DSLR during totality. One was ruined by the lack of mirror lockup. Towards the end of totality, I went to the camcorder, zoomed in, recorded the diamond ring and zoomed out. That was on a lousy tripod, and it shows... I couldn't bring everything. I'm used to only bringing carry-on when I go to the Bay Area, and this time I had brought a 20 kg suitcase full of gear.
The video from the phone was a bit disappointing. It does show the shadow edge move down the mountain and it shows the hue changes, but there's nothing really spectacular. I haven't had time to check what's in the GoPro camera yet. Perhaps I have time tonight, or tomorrow before my flight home. Perhaps I can do some work on the photos and videos on my flight. Need to do something to be busy on the 11h leg.
Speaking of legs. I got had a cramp in my leg for several hours when leaving Oregon (small car). It's still very painful in the back of my right leg. I can't stretch it properly and I limp just as bad as when I got out of the car in San Jose. Not looking forward to be stuck in a seat again.

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