TOTALITY!!!!
-
starfinder
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:15 pm
- Location: River Valley / Tanglin Road
- Contact:
Hi all, thanks for your kind messages!
I've just gotten back to S'pore, and am going out for dinner.
Just have time to upload one photo.
Canon EOS 300D. Tamron 70-300mm lens at 300mm.
ISO 200. f/16. 1/10 seconds. Unfiltered.
I've just gotten back to S'pore, and am going out for dinner.
Just have time to upload one photo.
Canon EOS 300D. Tamron 70-300mm lens at 300mm.
ISO 200. f/16. 1/10 seconds. Unfiltered.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
"The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance." -
starfinder
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:15 pm
- Location: River Valley / Tanglin Road
- Contact:
Ok, back from dinner.
Here is one more photo, of much shorter exposure, which shows the prominences very clearly.
Canon EOS 300D. Tamron 70-300mm at 300mm. f/16. ISO 200. Shutter speed: 1/400 second.
(Note: this photo has been cropped more than the one above, but the originals are of the same size since both were taken at 300mm.)
The Sun was very colourful, and I could easily see the pinkish prominences through the binoculars. If I remember correctly, I think I also saw it with naked eyes.
About the 2 photos. Through the binoculars (10x42), I could see what both photos individually show, and even more. I've read this somewhere, that the eyes have a very large dynamic range that allows one to see much more than single photographs can capture. The actual sight with the naked eyes is of the pinkish prominences, as well as the Corona stretching about 3-5 solar diameters.
IMHO, the Sun during a total eclipse is so wonderously beautiful, it easily surpasses any DSO by leaps and heaps. Name any M, or NGC, or IC object, or other solar system object, and this is so much more spectacular. It is so bright and couldn't be more dramatically set.
In fact, that afternoon after the eclipse, I felt a bit saddened that one can only get to see this sight once every 2-3 years at best, weather and travel arrangements permitting, and for only a few brief minutes at best. If only total solar eclipses happen during every New Moon!
Thinking back, I wish I had spent more time and effort during totality to study the sight of the Sun through the binoculars. But the count-down for the last 5 minutes happened so fast, and totally lasted only 3 minutes with so much to do, that I was too excited to relax. Silly me, having so much experience doing planetary and DSO observations.
Here is one more photo, of much shorter exposure, which shows the prominences very clearly.
Canon EOS 300D. Tamron 70-300mm at 300mm. f/16. ISO 200. Shutter speed: 1/400 second.
(Note: this photo has been cropped more than the one above, but the originals are of the same size since both were taken at 300mm.)
The Sun was very colourful, and I could easily see the pinkish prominences through the binoculars. If I remember correctly, I think I also saw it with naked eyes.
About the 2 photos. Through the binoculars (10x42), I could see what both photos individually show, and even more. I've read this somewhere, that the eyes have a very large dynamic range that allows one to see much more than single photographs can capture. The actual sight with the naked eyes is of the pinkish prominences, as well as the Corona stretching about 3-5 solar diameters.
IMHO, the Sun during a total eclipse is so wonderously beautiful, it easily surpasses any DSO by leaps and heaps. Name any M, or NGC, or IC object, or other solar system object, and this is so much more spectacular. It is so bright and couldn't be more dramatically set.
In fact, that afternoon after the eclipse, I felt a bit saddened that one can only get to see this sight once every 2-3 years at best, weather and travel arrangements permitting, and for only a few brief minutes at best. If only total solar eclipses happen during every New Moon!
Thinking back, I wish I had spent more time and effort during totality to study the sight of the Sun through the binoculars. But the count-down for the last 5 minutes happened so fast, and totally lasted only 3 minutes with so much to do, that I was too excited to relax. Silly me, having so much experience doing planetary and DSO observations.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
-
starfinder
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:15 pm
- Location: River Valley / Tanglin Road
- Contact:
And here is a photo of the Sun just a split second before the onset of 100% totality.
I think i definitely over-exposed this shot. Still, it does show the diamond (a 50 carat one) and the corona at the same time.
I had a table of exposures from a NASA website and memorised the appropriate settings for each phase of the eclipse. But when totality came, I threw numbers to the wind and just snapped, using the LCD instant review to adjust accordingly.
That's what happens when your environment is suddenly plunged into darkness. I think the last 10 seconds before totality causes the most dramatic drop in the environment's brightness. Conversely for the first 10 seconds after totality.
Canon EOS 300D. Tamron 70-300mm at 300mm. f/16. ISO 200. Shutter speed: 1/40 second.
This image has not been cropped, only resized to fit the screen.
As for the diamond ring effect immediately after totality, I'm glad I did not try to photograph it, just visual observation. I seem to remember that more than the diamond ring at the onset of totality, since I was then trying to photograph it too and was concentrating on snapping at the right moment.
I think i definitely over-exposed this shot. Still, it does show the diamond (a 50 carat one) and the corona at the same time.
I had a table of exposures from a NASA website and memorised the appropriate settings for each phase of the eclipse. But when totality came, I threw numbers to the wind and just snapped, using the LCD instant review to adjust accordingly.
That's what happens when your environment is suddenly plunged into darkness. I think the last 10 seconds before totality causes the most dramatic drop in the environment's brightness. Conversely for the first 10 seconds after totality.
Canon EOS 300D. Tamron 70-300mm at 300mm. f/16. ISO 200. Shutter speed: 1/40 second.
This image has not been cropped, only resized to fit the screen.
As for the diamond ring effect immediately after totality, I'm glad I did not try to photograph it, just visual observation. I seem to remember that more than the diamond ring at the onset of totality, since I was then trying to photograph it too and was concentrating on snapping at the right moment.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
-
starfinder
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:15 pm
- Location: River Valley / Tanglin Road
- Contact:
And here is a photo of the Sun during totality, of much longer duration than the ones above.
This shows much more of the extent of the Corona.
Canon EOS 350D. Tamron 70-300mm at 300mm. f/16. ISO 200. Shutter speed: 2.5 seconds.
Still, I think the Corona through naked eyes was perhaps wider and certainly better defined than this over exposed photo.
As for the brightness of the Corona, I read somewhere that during totality, it is about the brightness of the Full Moon. That came as a surprise to me, because I had thought it would be quite dim and faint visually. Having seen it now, I can say it is indeed as bright as the lit Moon, though perhaps not the Full Moon's intensity. Hard to say, but it is certainly bright and obvious.
As for colour, the Corona and the Diamond bit of the Sun are both white all right, not yellow. So I wonder why the Sun is said to be yellow, especially as portrayed in all the posters and books.
This shows much more of the extent of the Corona.
Canon EOS 350D. Tamron 70-300mm at 300mm. f/16. ISO 200. Shutter speed: 2.5 seconds.
Still, I think the Corona through naked eyes was perhaps wider and certainly better defined than this over exposed photo.
As for the brightness of the Corona, I read somewhere that during totality, it is about the brightness of the Full Moon. That came as a surprise to me, because I had thought it would be quite dim and faint visually. Having seen it now, I can say it is indeed as bright as the lit Moon, though perhaps not the Full Moon's intensity. Hard to say, but it is certainly bright and obvious.
As for colour, the Corona and the Diamond bit of the Sun are both white all right, not yellow. So I wonder why the Sun is said to be yellow, especially as portrayed in all the posters and books.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
-
starfinder
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:15 pm
- Location: River Valley / Tanglin Road
- Contact:
Thanks!
Ok, here is a composite of two photos, both wide angle shots showing the distant totally eclipsed Sun.
Exposure times: 2 seconds and 0.6 second.
Unfortunately, none of my wide angle shots taken with the EOS350D turned out very well.
Because the Sun was 55 degrees above the horizon, I had to use the kit 18-55mm lens at the 18mm setting and use portrait orientation.
I therefore had to hand hold the camrea and prop it on top of the tripod. This resulted in blurred photos. I did not have the presence of mind to open up the aperture from f/16 to say f/3.5, and pump up the ISO setting from ISO 200 to ISO 800.
Sigh.... Too little time to think. Also, did not plan this part properly.
The composite photo shows the approximate brightness of the sky and horizon quite close to what I remember it to have been.
Remember, this was taken at around 1.55pm! Minutes before, it was bright as day.
The reason it is a composite photo is that the main background photo's Sun was completely blurred out, and the other photo with the less blurred Sun had a background which was too dark to show the true brightness of the sky.
As for the relative brightness of the Sun, this composite photo's eclipsed Sun is perhaps a bit too bright.
I hope I have not confused anyone with what I am trying to say above.
Ok, here is a composite of two photos, both wide angle shots showing the distant totally eclipsed Sun.
Exposure times: 2 seconds and 0.6 second.
Unfortunately, none of my wide angle shots taken with the EOS350D turned out very well.
Because the Sun was 55 degrees above the horizon, I had to use the kit 18-55mm lens at the 18mm setting and use portrait orientation.
I therefore had to hand hold the camrea and prop it on top of the tripod. This resulted in blurred photos. I did not have the presence of mind to open up the aperture from f/16 to say f/3.5, and pump up the ISO setting from ISO 200 to ISO 800.
Sigh.... Too little time to think. Also, did not plan this part properly.
The composite photo shows the approximate brightness of the sky and horizon quite close to what I remember it to have been.
Remember, this was taken at around 1.55pm! Minutes before, it was bright as day.
The reason it is a composite photo is that the main background photo's Sun was completely blurred out, and the other photo with the less blurred Sun had a background which was too dark to show the true brightness of the sky.
As for the relative brightness of the Sun, this composite photo's eclipsed Sun is perhaps a bit too bright.
I hope I have not confused anyone with what I am trying to say above.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.