Solar eclipse

[kurja]

Apparently it was a total eclipse, but the brightness of the court was the same as always at this time of the day, I wonder if I will ever in Poland such eclipse that was dark as night, just pitch dark.

I remember as a best friend and my cousin watched the eclipse of Sun in 1999, my father was a construction worker colleague so that each of us got our welding glass, so that we could watch the eclipse without fear that we damage our vision,

But even then, the sun shield wasn't fully covered by Moon

As for the last eclipse, unfortunately, I could not watch it because I was at work

A solar eclipse takes about an hour from start to maximum, so the change in light is very gradual; difficult to notice, but it's there. The day becoming dark during an eclipse effect really only happens during totality when the sun is completely blocked. Here's a video that shows the change in light level during ~85% eclipse quite nicely:

- - - Updated - - -

So many cool images by you guys. =)

That's a good question. My camera settings for the direct eclipse photographing was:

F-stop: f/27

Exposure time: 1/4000. sec.

ISO: 100

So in my case the camera received as minimal with light as technically possible without resorting to any solar filtering... in fact I didn't even have any filters at all. Was afraid if I tried experimenting with any longer exposures multiple times in a row it'd risk damaging the sensor. The region was mostly covered by heavy clouding, but there was some moderately clouded patches that allowed me to photograph the event.

Probably will a picture of the then just recently peeking Sun give an idea about the scenario:

What kind of camera did you use? If the lens is pointed at the sun it doesn't really even matter if you're taking a picture or not, the lens is focusing sun's light into the camera all the time anyway, and if it's not a mirror/ovf camera or you're using live view on one, the light is being continuously focused on the sensor through the lens' maximum F-stop. And if it is a mirror camera, the light is focused to the focusing screen in the optical viewfinder assembly. Usually, this does not cause problems unless a long focal length lens is pointed at the sun; think of taking a landscape photo with a wide angle lens, if taking such a picture with the sun in the frame fried the camera we'd all have cooked cameras Small sensor cameras usually have very small physical apertures in their lenses, like a couple millimeters wide. With a bigger lens or telescope the physical aperture can be a hundred times larger in diameter and then the whole ordeal becomes a different story.

If you're at all interested in observing & photographing the sun, eclipsed or not, I highly recommend purchasing a sheet of filter film such as baader astrosolar - an A4 size piece costs like 15€ and is enough to make half a dozen camera lens filters, a couple pairs of goggles and still have some left over. Beats welding glasses or any silly diy filters like soot-stained glass in both safety and optical quality anytime and really isn't expensive.

Edited March 22, 2015 by kurja

[Space Viking]

Here's a video that shows the change in light level during ~85% eclipse quite nicely:

-vid-

Wow, really cool!

What kind of camera did you use? If the lens is pointed at the sun it doesn't really even matter if you're taking a picture or not, the lens is focusing sun's light into the camera all the time anyway, and if it's not a mirror/ovf camera or you're using live view on one, the light is being continuously focused on the sensor through the lens' maximum F-stop. And if it is a mirror camera, the light is focused to the focusing screen in the optical viewfinder assembly. Usually, this does not cause problems unless a long focal length lens is pointed at the sun; think of taking a landscape photo with a wide angle lens, if taking such a picture with the sun in the frame fried the camera we'd all have cooked cameras Small sensor cameras usually have very small physical apertures in their lenses, like a couple millimeters wide. With a bigger lens or telescope the physical aperture can be a hundred times larger in diameter and then the whole ordeal becomes a different story.

I did use a Pentax K200D, so it's using a mirror. I did consider in a retrospect if the sensor would fry while using the original objective with a max focal length of 55 mm, It would have happened long ago already. Thanks for the info.

If you're at all interested in observing & photographing the sun, eclipsed or not, I highly recommend purchasing a sheet of filter film such as baader astrosolar - an A4 size piece costs like 15€ and is enough to make half a dozen camera lens filters, a couple pairs of goggles and still have some left over. Beats welding glasses or any silly diy filters like soot-stained glass in both safety and optical quality anytime and really isn't expensive.

Well, I'm not really interested in the sun in general, I'm rather more into what lies in the darkness. But that's a really great advice everyone should know! Next time when there will be some solar action, I'll sure be ready.

[Aghanim]

If I attach a webcam to a telescope and aim it to the sun, would it burn the sensor? Can that setup see sunspots?

[kurja]

Yes you would burn the webcam unless you use a solar filter in front of the telescope. Solar filters should never be used in the eyepiece, always in front of the ota.

Sunspots can definitely be seen like that, see above posts- the more promiment spots are already seen on an aps camera with 200mm lens.

[Pawelk198604]

A solar eclipse takes about an hour from start to maximum, so the change in light is very gradual; difficult to notice, but it's there. The day becoming dark during an eclipse effect really only happens during totality when the sun is completely blocked. Here's a video that shows the change in light level during ~85% eclipse quite nicely:

- - - Updated - - -

What kind of camera did you use? If the lens is pointed at the sun it doesn't really even matter if you're taking a picture or not, the lens is focusing sun's light into the camera all the time anyway, and if it's not a mirror/ovf camera or you're using live view on one, the light is being continuously focused on the sensor through the lens' maximum F-stop. And if it is a mirror camera, the light is focused to the focusing screen in the optical viewfinder assembly. Usually, this does not cause problems unless a long focal length lens is pointed at the sun; think of taking a landscape photo with a wide angle lens, if taking such a picture with the sun in the frame fried the camera we'd all have cooked cameras Small sensor cameras usually have very small physical apertures in their lenses, like a couple millimeters wide. With a bigger lens or telescope the physical aperture can be a hundred times larger in diameter and then the whole ordeal becomes a different story.

If you're at all interested in observing & photographing the sun, eclipsed or not, I highly recommend purchasing a sheet of filter film such as baader astrosolar - an A4 size piece costs like 15€ and is enough to make half a dozen camera lens filters, a couple pairs of goggles and still have some left over. Beats welding glasses or any silly diy filters like soot-stained glass in both safety and optical quality anytime and really isn't expensive.

Thanks for video, this was 85% so i wonder does there was ever 99 % or even 100% eclipse :-)

[kurja]

Thanks for video, this was 85% so i wonder does there was ever 99 % or even 100% eclipse :-)

What? You're wondering if there ever was a 100% eclipse? I hope I misunderstand your post.

[andrewas]

No total eclipses in Poland for the next few decades, but there will be one eventually. Average time between total eclipses in a given place is ~400 years, so you'll probably have to travel to see one.

[NovaSilisko]

[kurja]

There are some really big sunspots going on right now, visible with naked eye without any magnification (do look through a solar filter though). Even small binoculars resolve a ginormous cluster of them. I noticed them by chance, have you guys been watching them?

[lajoswinkler]

Yes, the cluster is interesting, but this would be better in a new thread.

[PakledHostage]

I realise that this thread is a bit long in the tooth but I didn't want to start a new one on the same topic.

I found this NASA website detailing the path of totality for the August 21st 2017 total eclipse in the US:

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html

Obviously excitement is building already, a year in advance. I had trouble finding a hotel room when I tried to book one earlier this evening. Almost everything is booked up already in the town where I am hoping to view it from...