Total Eclipse Anyone?

[NorthSky]

That's a great and educative link Ray, thx a bunch.

 

[RayDunzl]

Here's a nice tool:

This link is set for Vancouver:

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/canada/vancouver

Pick another city if you like.

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/tampa

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/mexico/mexico-city

I was somewhat surprised by the results.

 

[NorthSky]

I was @ 91% → https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/canada/victoria

We live on a beautiful blue planet with a bunch of beautiful blu people. The universe with all the planets and the stars of all the galaxies, including all the black holes, plus all the constellations is an eternal search of mystery and discoveries...

Some day, we won't be here, the universe will expand its frontiers so wide that AI in balance to compensate will travel @ speeds unimaginable, instantly.
Quantum teleportation will become way faster than the speed of light, by a magnitude of extremely high numbers.
Classical music will take advantage... ♫

Ray (of light), have you watched a documentary recently? ...Regarding the cosmos, regarding the galaxy, regarding the protectors.
...Or a movie, on blue Ray? And if yes, was it in 3D or in 2D?

I love science, technology, cars, planets, people, animals, nature, AI, Tesla, audio, classical, cinema, communication, transportation, space, and beyond.
))))))

Off topic: I highly recommend this (or in 3D or in 2D, it don't matter much):

Good stuff ↑ down to earth (heartwarming and very realistic)

Also, for some ↓ laughs in 3D:

This one ↑ in 3D though, for best galaxy experience (IMHO)
Don't push that red button, it would be futile

* Bonus:

 

[fas42]

Bob, I noted over at WBF you were curious about 3D sympathies - must say for me it's a dead duck for a home experience - too uncomfortable, too aware of the gimmickiness of the presentation for it to be a winner. Though, the IMAX theatre variation was nicely done - that worked for me.

Cheers,

 

[amirm]

Lens Rental has post a few pictures of damaged equipment they received from folks who did not put a filter on their lens:

Ouch!

 

[NorthSky]

Bob, I noted over at WBF you were curious about 3D sympathies - must say for me it's a dead duck for a home experience - too uncomfortable, too aware of the gimmickiness of the presentation for it to be a winner. Though, the IMAX theatre variation was nicely done - that worked for me.

Cheers,

Role of the Mind ...

Hi Frank, how's the weather in Australia? Here it's been hot for what seems forever.

The technology today in the art of cinema with the camera lenses we have is amazing, truly. My opinion is not important; what is is the people's values...family, photos, friends, love, nature, Earth, peace and music/movies.
For me 4K UHD is totally awesome on some discs; picture and sound.
For me 3D 1080p is totally awesome on some discs; visuals (incomplete sound because Atmos is exclusive of 4K).

Like I said, my opinion doesn't count; it's all opinions together that make an average of the world we are living in; and by our actions derived from our collective beliefs. In some countries they have different values...we all know that. Spiritual values are stronger in poor countries, and material values are stronger in rich countries, in general, but not always related.

In Australia, Canada and USA 3D is not a viable proposition...financially. In the art form it's different, in my opinion. It depends of the eyes of the beholder, I think.
When we born on Earth we are instantly free or slaves. It depends where we born. Where I was born I was loved by my parents and I was privileged of that love. I consider myself very lucky from the circumstances. I went to Art school because since I was a baby I was attracted by beautiful visions and music. And, it also runs in my family and ancestry.

Why am I saying this? Because everything is important, even when my opinion doesn't count. If no one wouldn't have an opinion who would be running the world's countries and advance in evolving? The film directors and cinematographers? The poets and musicians/singers?

Technology is advancing rapidly, and with it human's assimilations...


Feel free to click on it ↑

P.S. I lost the second part of this post; I don't know what happened.
It was important, but it's no big deal. The main thing is to stay strong and grounded.

 

[NorthSky]

Bob, I noted over at WBF you were curious about 3D sympathies - must say for me it's a dead duck for a home experience - too uncomfortable, too aware of the gimmickiness of the presentation for it to be a winner. Though, the IMAX theatre variation was nicely done - that worked for me.

Cheers,

• https://www.space.com/37768-total-solar-eclipse-nasa-3d-simulation.html

I tried my 3D glasses for the solar eclipse on august 21st, but it didn't work.
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/marsha...-like-eclipse-glasses-heres-why/#1938ce5a6cc6

4K UHD is the way to go in 2017. 3D 1080p is only for the artists.

1) http://collider.com/james-gunn-the-b...erview/#images - from 12:45 he says

"Guardians was built to be in 3D and Guardians 2 is better than Guardians 1 in 3D, both because the cameras we were working with work really well with 3D and and the technology has improved quite a bit since Guardians 1. So it's really fun in 3D."

2) Cinematographer Henry Braham on camera/mounting choice: http://filmmakermagazine.com/102645-.../#.Wakbnq2ZNcA

"I took the camera in its prototype form and tested it against everything else that was a possibility for the movie, from the Alexa 65 to the Alexa XT to the Alexa Mini to the Red Dragon. [Guardians director] James Gunn immediately understood the significance of how the physicality of the [Red Vista Vision] camera could set him free in the way he could make the film. It enabled us to mount the camera in a way that was quite revolutionary. If you think about the traditional ways of mounting the camera, you can be on a dolly or a crane and both of those things have their own physicality to them. Then there’s Steadicam. I used to operate Steadicam and I think it’s a fabulous tool, but that too has a very specific voice to it. And then of course you can handhold the camera, which is great in certain situations but for both IMAX and particularly 3D you want to use handheld sparingly because over long periods of time it can be disturbing.

We ended up using a miniature stabilized head that I’d been working with in England called the Stabileye, which effectively gives you a handheld dolly. It has a really interesting feel to it because there’s a spontaneity to the way the camera moves that is different and that felt appropriate for this movie. You can be in amongst the actors and move in a way that is very difficult to do with any of the traditional methods of moving a camera. Nearly 85 percent of the movie was shot on the Stabileye and with a single camera. For a movie of this complexity to be shot as a single-camera movie is almost unheard of really."
___

It's like as if something went wrong. But anyway...maybe I was in the technology thread, and this is the eclipse thread.
Frank, I understand; 3D is not viable in today's complications with time and money. For that we need mass appeal and acceptation, but it just don't happen.
As for WBF, the 3D clientele is exceptionally rare, I agree. It's ok though; what's best in life is not necessarily/automatically espoused by the people's majority.
That's why CD won over tapes, over vinyl.

I went to see my doctor last week for an eye exam; she said that the sun is deadly during a solar eclipse, and that 3D glasses are obsolete.
She watched the eclipse in 4K UHD with real protective glasses, certified by the NASA. She's a good doctor, always prescribing safe doctrines.

 

[Chromatischism]

Quick shot of the total eclipse:

View attachment 8257

Canon 5d Mark IV, 600 mm lens, F4, 1/6o sec, iSO 800

Nice shot. Didn't know you were into photography as well.

 

[Chromatischism]

So I am very late to this thread but of course, I just joined the forum this year

This eclipse was my first for both viewing and photography. A little trip down memory lane...

Long story short, we were clouded over and about to be really disappointed as the eclipse was approaching. Still, I had everything rehearsed so my camera was firing no matter what happened. Yet, my automated sequence that I tested several times failed (of course) just as we were nearing totality. It seemed all of my preparation, including the DIY filters I made for my lens, was going to be a loss. About 1 minute into totality a hole in the clouds passed just in front of the sun and moon, revealing it in all its glory. I unhooked the camera from the laptop PC and took manual control of the camera on the tripod, frantically taking as many shots as I could, varying the shutter speed to capture different details of the corona.

I spent quite a bit of time merging everything in Photoshop to end up with this: (attached)

The blue star was Regulus, or what we thought was a double star system, and recently discovered is actually two double-star systems orbiting each other!

It turns out that the sequence I had programmed with Backyard Nikon failed because I was taking manual snaps of the early stages of the eclipse which interfered with the communication. I did so with alternating filter types and used them in my final composite which I had printed on aluminum: (attached)

I've also included a few pictures of my filter making process, using solar film and Amazon UV filters. Note, I only inserted the solar film and screwed on the ring to hold it in place. I did not sandwich it between 2 pieces of glass. More glass = more reflections and a reduction in dynamic range.

I hope to have much better gear and preparation for the next one in 2024.

 

[Bugal1998]

I'm also very late to this thread... unfortunately I wasn't aware of ASR back in 2017.

@Chromatischism, excellent photos! The Ha emissions of the solar prominences were captured very nicely (I didn't expect to see them so easily with the naked eye during totality), and your photos are some of only a few I've seen that come close to capturing the appearance of the magnetic field lines in the corona as it appears to the eye.

My wife and I drove from SE Pennsylvania to Kansas City, MO (family is spread between the east and west coast so we picked up my parents in Indiana and we all met in Kansas City). Kansas City was forecast to have a thunderstorm during totality, so we headed west into Wyoming to avoid cloud and haze (we were worried getting to TN could be an issue with traffic). SE Idaho was calling for pristine conditions so we drove through the night, stopping at 3 am to setup the telescope under dark Wyoming skies south of Yellowstone for some amazing astronomy. Then onward to the backside of the Grand Tetons where we positioned ourselves within 100' of the centerline of totality somewhere off Route 33 near Fox Creek, ID. I didn't have a solar scope at the time so we used an 8" telescope and 20x binocular with white light solar filters for viewing. I figured there would be photos online better than I could manage (Chromatischism proved me right!), so I chose to live in the moment.

@RayDunzl, I have screen captures of the same Google traffic map saved on my phone! We had to get my brother-in-law back to Kansas City for his flight to San Francisco... but based on the traffic we weren't optimistic we could make it, so we drove him back to San Francisco before driving home to the Philadelphia area.

To all those that have any interest but didn't see totality... (99.9% doesn't count!), I would encourage you to make the effort if possible in 2024 (or the next opportunity wherever you live). The difference between 99.9% totality and 100% totality is like having tickets to the super bowl, driving to the stadium, and then staying in your car and listening to the game on an AM radio. No exaggeration. The idea of the sun being blocked by the moon makes intellectual sense and is easily understood, but the actual experience so defies our everyday expectation that I don't believe the human mind knows how to process the event when it happens, and it induces awe (or terror in the ancients ).

Of course, everyone's experience is different... I sought relative isolation for the eclipse as I didn't want nature's spectacle trampled by hordes of cheering crowds. There were only 15 or so people in the remote location we chose, including the random locals that saw the gear setup and concluded it was a good spot. My mother who was 'just along for the ride' was spontaneously brought to tears at totality and said, "I had no idea... I had no idea" when it was over. The small group who experienced the eclipse with us was fairly restrained; there were gasps of awe, I saw a complete stranger drop to their knees and weep, while others in my family were quiet... for hours afterward. I've personally never felt so aware of our location in the solar system and its dimensionality, and yet felt so painfully insignificant in the universe.

Looking forward to 2024...

 

[RayDunzl]

April 8, 2024

 

[Chromatischism]

it induces awe (or terror in the ancients ).

Indeed. An artistic take on a shot when the clouds weren't cooperating during the "diamond ring" phase:

 

[amirm]

To all those that have any interest but didn't see totality... (99.9% doesn't count!), I would encourage you to make the effort if possible in 2024 (or the next opportunity wherever you live). The difference between 99.9% totality and 100% totality is like having tickets to the super bowl, driving to the stadium, and then staying in your car and listening to the game on an AM radio. No exaggeration. The idea of the sun being blocked by the moon makes intellectual sense and is easily understood, but the actual experience so defies our everyday expectation that I don't believe the human mind knows how to process the event when it happens, and it induces awe (or terror in the ancients ).

This is so true. It was almost a spiritual experience. The temps dropped, and day almost turned into night. Even now I shiver thinking about it. The mind can't imagine everything changing around you in such a unique way.

 

[Trouble Maker]

I do wish I had taken the time to go see the full eclipse. The edge is just about going over where I live in 2024, so I will make sure to at least head a little north west to see it.
I will probably see where a good friend who is a photog and especially likes doing astrophotography is going and join him. Totality is going over where he lives, so I'm sure he already has an epic spot picked out.

One of his shots from the last one.

https://norberto-nunes.pixels.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NorbertoNunesPhotography/

 

[Martin]

We were at Fontana Village Resort in the Great Smoky Mountains close to the centerline of the last eclipse. We had a clear day and 2 minutes 25 seconds of totality. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. Truly awesome. I bought solar filters for my binoculars. Plan to find a spot near the centerline for the next one also.

Martin

 

[Bugal1998]

@Chromatischism Between the clouds and your stylistic interpretation you truly captured the ‘angry god’ motif . Nice!

@Trouble Maker Wow, your friend is talented... excellent eclipse photo and some truly beautiful work on his website, particularly his blending of the terrestrial and astronomical. Experiencing totality at least once in your life is worth the effort, and if his photos are any indication, I have no doubt the location will be epic.

@Martin Here‘s to good health and good weather in 2024!

 

[JSmith]

Live now from the West Coast of Australia, about 15 mins from totality;

JSmith

 

[Speedskater]

The one in April 2024 will go right over our house. But Lake Erie weather might impact visibility.

 

[Trouble Maker]

The one in April 2024 will go right over our house. But Lake Erie weather might impact visibility.

I was just talking to my photog friend (see my post above) about traveling for the 2023 annular or 2024 total.

We talked a bit about going to the Utah area for the 2023 annular. It's kind of a shame Canyonlands is right on the edge of the 'full' annular. Needles was one of our favorite places and I really want to go to the Maze at some point. A week long trip to the Maze during an eclipse sounds pretty amazing. It is going over some other really great places out there. Zion is going to be bonkers with how many people will be there, even though it's not in the 100% area. Capitol Reef will be in that area, and just about smack dab in the middle so the eclipse will last 4+ minutes there.

Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023: Path Map and Times

Interactive map showing where the annular solar eclipse of October 14, 2023 is visible—with local times and average cloud cover for any location.

www.timeanddate.com

He's in Indiana and is talking about traveling south for the 2024 specifically due to the weather likelihood in our neck of the woods.

Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024: Path Map and Times

Interactive map showing where the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 is visible—with local times and average cloud cover for any location.

www.timeanddate.com

But looking at that map again it also goes over Main, through New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Probably some great places up there to experience the total eclipse too.

 

[Martin]

We were at Fontana Village Resort in the Great Smoky Mountains close to the centerline of the last eclipse. We had a clear day and 2 minutes 25 seconds of totality. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. Truly awesome. I bought solar filters for my binoculars. Plan to find a spot near the centerline for the next one also.

Martin

Already booked a hotel in Niagara Falls for the April 8, 2024 eclipse:

I've never been to Niagara Falls and thought it would be a cool place to watch the eclipse. I'm hoping for one of the 38% non-cloudy days.

Martin