Astrophotography: Eclipse 2017

I was at work one day when someone asked me what I was doing for the eclipse?   Here in North Carolina it would not be total, but it would be over 90%.  I started thinking about it and a sick feeling rose up in my stomach.  Oh no, I think I am on vacation that week and will miss it?   Well not a bad excuse to miss the eclipse, but I hadn't seen an eclipse since I was in grade school.   Vacation was taking me to Mexico and wondered if I could see it there too?

It turns out the eclipse would be visible in Mexico, but it was only going to be a partial eclipse.  I took my camera hoping to at least get a few shots of what I could.   August 21st came and this happened to be the day a tropical depression which later would become Hurricane Harvey was moving across the Yucatan peninsula.  That meant lots of clouds!!.  I managed to squeak a picture in at the very beginning and then again at the full coverage, but since I was shooting through clouds I never got a great picture.  It was still amazing and I think I will have to take a trip in 2024 for the next one.

 Look real close and you can even see some sunspots.

It's pretty cool to see this no matter how much of the sun gets covered.  However totality is just unbelievable.   Here are some of my favorite pictures of those who where able to see totality under clear skies.  I have looked at so many of these pcitures and they never get old.

Pictures shared from one of my favorite sites:  https://www.cloudynights.com/

Taking pictures of the sun and prepping for a solar eclipse

Everywhere you look in the headlines you see something about the solar eclipse coming to the US on August 21st.   If you are like me you want to try and capture an image of this spectacular event.  Let's all hope for clear skies!  If you have a DSLR camera here is an easy way to make your own solar filter so you can take a picture of the sun.   Let me preface this by saying you have to be extremely careful.  Never look directly at the sun and even when using filters and special glasses make sure they meet the correct specifications (ISO 12312-2).

Alright let's make a filter.   This variation of a solar filter cost me 20 bucks.    The first thing I ordered was the solar filter itself in just a 4 x 4 inch sheet.   You can find this on Amazon for about 10 dollars.  It will come protected and sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard.   Here is the one I ordered.  

Next I ordered two Amazon basics UV screw on filters.   I honestly don't see much use for a UV filter in photography as far as image quality goes.  However lots of people including myself use them to protect their lens.  They are 5 dollars each on Amazon.   You need to make sure you order the correct size uUVfilter.   The easiest easy to look at the back of your lens cap and you should see the size.   In my case I ordered a 58mm UV filter.  Here they are:

Now you have everything you need.   We just need to put everything together.  Take one of the UV filters and place it on the solar filter while it it is still protected by cardboard.   I drew a circle to mark the approximate size I need to cover my lens.  

Carefully cut the solar filter in a circle.   I had to then do a little trimming, but the objective is to get it to fit in one of your UV filters.   Once you have the solar filter cut and remove the cardboard protecting it you will see it has two sides.   It has a silver side and a black side.  The silver side is the side that should face the sun.   The black side will be facing your lens.   Be careful not to touch the filter.   Tweezers can help here, but be careful not to damage the solar filter.   

Once you get the right size it will fit in the UV filter.  Take the second UV filter and screw it onto the UV filter containing the solar filter.   

Now you have a solar filter ready to attach to your camera lens.  Just screw it on.   

Even with an eclipse you can take a picture of the sun.  Just be careful not to look with your own eyes at the sun.  I use live view and tilt the LCD screen so I only view the sun through the solar filter on the screen.  

Many people are just wrapping the solar filter around the lens and holding it with a rubber band.   You can also make a similar filter with cardboard.   These will all work but the method we just went through provides a sturdy filter that will last you for years to come.   The sun is a beautiful subject to photograph even when it is not in the news.