April 8, 2024 – In the path of Totality

 Click on any image for a larger view

Waiting...

I didn’t know it at the time, this posting started right around August 1^st, 2017, three weeks before the 2017 total eclipse over the United States.  It ended May 6, 2024, you are reading it now.

Before the 2017 total eclipse, the last time the contiguous United States experienced a total eclipse was June 8,
1918, I wasn’t around to see it.

As the 2017 eclipse approached, I got caught up in the excitement of seeing it.  I heard many say ‘You have to be in totality, or it’s not worth seeing’.  I was working at the time, but thought if I didn’t have a project needing my attention I would drive the 700 miles from New Mexico to Wyoming to see it.  That didn’t happen.  As I was setting up equipment for a project in Socorro I pulled out my solar glasses to view the 69% sun obscuration.  Nice, but not very impressive.

Afterwards, I remember seeing many images and videos of a totality experience and became hooked.  I need to do this.  News clips showed peoples experiences.  Some of the commentators casually mentioned the next US centered total eclipse would be in 2024.  A lot happened in between, I met my future partner, both of us retired, and we relocated to Texas.

Round 3 practice image

Two years ago I started thinking about the 2024 eclipse.  A Google search listed several sites with the projected date, time, and path.  Buried in the overall eclipse path the sliver of totality is revealed.  Bingo.  Our home is actually in the path of totality.  Three minutes and 37 seconds of  it.  We can’t miss, or can we?  Nicida is somewhat excited at the prospect, but not as excited as me.  I read many articles on it, lenses, filters, exposures, f/stops, ISO’s, planning for it, practicing for it.  In my reading I note that solar filters are all but impossible to get as the event approaches.  Don’t wait for the last month or two – they will be gone.  A year before the event I order solar filters.  Be sure your order includes the cool cardboard solar approved glasses to view the sun safely!

Sharper shadows during eclipse

Camera, long lens, tripod, solar glasses and notes in hand, I head out on to our patio to see what I need to do to make this work.  I end up practicing this routine on five separate occasions.  I find out from the first round focus is not easy.  I am using my 400 mm zoom lens, I am able to focus on sun spots but the long exposure, 1/30 second seems to blur the spots.  I also have to resurrect the old school photography routine of draping a dark cloth over me and the camera so I can see the sun on my adjustable screen.  My results are ok, but I need to do better.

Round two.  I break out my remote shutter release to remove camera shake when pressing the shutter button.  Adjusting the ISO to increase the shutter speed eliminates camera movement.  The tripod needs to be shortened a bit, too much wind shakes the camera.  Results – better.

Rounds three and four.  Perfecting my technique.  Remembering to tape the zoom and focus rings helps the images.  Results – much better.

Round five.  With new notes in hand, my results are consistently good.  I am ready for April 8.

The week prior to the eclipse we experience clear, cloudless skies.  Weather forecasts for the 8^th are for heavy clouds and possible rain.  Weather predictions for Texas up through Ohio are much the same.  No driving to a better location.  A dozen or so of us from the Photography Club are planning to meet at a designated spot to see what happens.

On the morning of the 8^th a thick, slow moving blanket of clouds covers the sky.  As morning progresses we get glimpses of sunlight through small holes between the clouds.  No blue sky, but there is hope.

As our 1130 AM rendezvous time approaches, the thick clouds are noticeably shrinking, replaced by thin, translucent ones.  We all meet at our designated spot, setting up our equipment, calling out when the sun appears providing an opportunity to aim our cameras.  I like some of my images I shoot during this period, seeing some sun obscuration through the clouds.  Our group has cameras with big lenses, little lenses, I Phones, and just solar glasses.  Comfortable chairs are desired and needed with totality happening at a steep angle of  68° from horizontal.

Locally, the eclipse begins at 12:18, the moon slowly creeping across the face of the sun.  Totality appears at 1:35, lasting three minutes, 37 seconds.  The sun is whole again at 2:58.

One of our group,
 journaling our
experience 

In all my practicing for this event, I never had clouds.  This is a new challenge to work through.  Using my 400 mm lens gives me a relatively tight view of the sun, nice for images, but that tight view means the sun passes out of my field of view in less than five minutes.  It is easy to track the sun, when you can see it.  Even if it disappears for only a couple minutes it is easy to realign your camera.  Initially, I easily track, realign, and shoot images, then repeat the process.  20 minutes from totality a thick bank of clouds shows up causing the sun to disappear for 10 + minutes.  The sun plays peek-a-boo through the clouds showing itself only a few seconds at a time, making camera alignment a headache. 

The main rule of eclipse viewing is ‘Do Not Look At The Sun Without Your Glasses.’  This applies more so to cameras with telephoto lenses and/or telescopes.  I have seen images of the insides of cameras that were pointed at the sun without proper protection.  It was a charred, melted mess.  I noticed it took about five minutes to do this, but I have better things to do with my money than go out to replace my camera because I don’t have proper protection.  The only reason I bring this up is because given the absence of sun I cannot find it to align to it.  We are less than 10 minutes from totality.  Off in the distance I can see a break in the clouds.  I want to be ready before then.  I make the decision; I will remove the filter so I can see the bright spot in the sky, even through the clouds, realign, then reinstall the filter, in all the filter is off the camera maybe 10 seconds…..  My plan works.  The thin sliver of the sun is back in my field of view.  A few more images.  Focus looks good.  I am ready.

As the moon takes larger and large bites from the sun everything around us is changing.  The sky gets darker, birds are roosting, evening insects start chirping, whirring, and humming.  Shadow edges become sharp.  Suddenly the automatic parking lot lights come to life.  A few minutes before totality, clouds open, making way for us to view totality.  It could not have been planned any better.

A hush comes over our small group taking in the magic of the experience.  Glasses come off.  The sun is gone, instead we see a small black circle surrounded by streamers of light jetting out from that black circle, the corona.  We are informed totality lasts for 3:37.  To me, at most it feels like the 37 seconds – I don’t know where the other three minutes went.

'Diamond Ring'

As sudden as the sun disappeared behind the moon, it reappears on the opposite side.  Solar glasses and filters back on.  The sun keeps growing as time passes.  I stay for a while observing, conversing with my fellow eclipse viewers, and photographing the sun’s reappearance, but the zenith has passed. 

This is an amazing event.  I can see why people become umbraphiles - shadow lovers.  I don’t know if Nicida and I will become true umbraphiles.  We are looking to see when and where eclipses will occur over the next several years, maybe we will be there.

It is worth the effort to experience.

Thank you for stopping by,

Mark