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Eclipse 2024

J

Jimmy Higgins

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So several years ago, we had 70 or so percent of an eclipse. And this year, not too long after, we got the totality! Cleveland was longer, near 4 minutes, but we got a good show... and in my yard. One thing I read and took to heart when looking up the photography angle of the eclipse was "HAVE A PLAN!" Because you literally run out of time before you start thinking. Got a few photos, took a minute's worth of video. Incredible site.

I had stalked the NWS website for a week. Clouds from B2 to B1 most of the forecast run-up. Then yesterday, it seemed to get worse then better. And then finally it appeared that the clouds would hold off, at least the low opaque ones. We had cirrus clouds which did cause a little suckage for photos, but overall, for NE Ohio, at least I-77 west, got a great sky.

I'm uncertain if the blur is cloud related or it just wasn't focused enough, or I was going through photos too quickly and not letting the tripod balance out again. Shooting 500 mm is a pain. I'm still cloud-9'ing it. The relief of being able to see it. We got an 8" Newtonian scope telescope before the Great Conjunction... and it was cloudy... for a month around that date and we never got to see it. But this was seen and it was great!

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FYI, regarding the middle shot, that isn't dust, those are sun spots. Kind of helped with trying to focus too.
 
We were in the path of totality, just south of Indianapolis.

I'm no photographer or anything, so I didn't bother with pictures. And up until the day before, the weather predictions were terrible for seeing it. By the time it got here though, the weather was perfect. High 70s, and nearly clear sunny skies. So I just sat in a lawn chair with a vino in my hand and a pair of blue blocker glasses at hand.
It was great!
Tom
 
TomC said:
We were in the path of totality, just south of Indianapolis.

I'm no photographer or anything, so I didn't bother with pictures. And up until the day before, the weather predictions were terrible for seeing it. By the time it got here though, the weather was perfect. High 70s, and nearly clear sunny skies. So I just sat in a lawn chair with a vino in my hand and a pair of blue blocker glasses at hand.
It was great!
Tom
Click to expand...
It is dangerous to do that as you'll get a crescent shape sunburn.
 
Here in Chicagoland, we got ~94% totality of eclipse. I didn't get around to messing with the special glasses, but did go walk about the neighborhood while it was happening. Watching the change in the light-spectrum and shadows was actually rather cool.
 
Did I mention that I had my chair positioned just down breeze from a lushly blooming lilac bush?
Tom
 
Jimmy Higgins said:
FYI, regarding the middle shot, that isn't dust, those are sun spots. Kind of helped with trying to focus too.
Click to expand...
This! For some reason my camera was having issues focusing so I took many shots and used the sunspots to check the focus.
 
IMG_6838.jpeg

Near Prim, Arkansas. 1/60 of a second. Overexposed. I was hoping to get a really good shot of the corona. Not thinking about the prominence. Hadn’t seen it at this point. I stopped and just stared at it. I really just enjoyed the show.
 
OK, this isn’t the eclipse. It’s what I did the night before the eclipse. After all, why not take advantage of the new moon while I’m out there? I arrived at my campsite in the afternoon, set up, and once dark started imaging. I got 5.5 hours of data in 5 minute subs. Had to get up every two hours though to check the rig.

This is M81 and M82 and several other galaxies. But I also captured the Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN), or the faint wisps of dust that meanders through the image. It is a strange, still not understood phenomenon. It is not part of the M81 group, as I had originally thought. It appears to reside just outside of our galaxy and can be seen in other areas of the sky as well. We appear to have a bit of dust just wandering around just outside of our galaxy. The one you see here was the first discovered but was not really seen until the early 2000’s. I guess it took digital cameras to reveal it instead of photographic plates.

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