84% Annular Eclipse - What fun!

What fun to (indirectly!) watch the solar eclipse today. The image was not nearly as stunning as the photos I've seen of the full annular eclipse, such as the sunrise in China. Nevertheless, it was great fun. We went to Shoreline Park, in Mountain View, California where we set up a tripod with binoculars projecting onto white cardboard:

Around 6:20pm - To see the image better, we created a shadow on the cardboard by holding the binocular case above and behind the tripod.

Our friend, John, held the cardboard - and in this case, a visor to add  a shadow. You can see the binoculars taped to the tripod. what you may not notice is that the binoculars are BACKWARDS (a recommendation from a passing stranger; worked nicely!)

Around 6:30pm we had the maximum eclipse for our region, purported to be 84% according to the Exploratorium Museum.

Want to learn what an annular eclipse is all about? Check out the article published by the Exploratorium, one of my favorite science museums on the planet (well worth a visit next time you're in San Francisco!)

Supermoon - Wow!

Speaking of night photography, it seems that everyone with a camera was out tonight to see the "supermoon" (described nicely by NASA). The nice thing about the timing from a lighting perspective is that the moon was rising as the sun was setting, so for a few minutes the contrast was not too extreme.

What a sight...

Supermoon rises over Moffet Field (as seen from Shoreline Park, Mountain View, CA, USA)

 

The finale for me was the scene over Shoreline Park's lake, facing west - a clear view of Venus and its neighbors:

Look carefully and you can see 5 stars beginning to emerge:

• Elnath (closest to Venus)
• Ahena (near the left margin, above Venus)
• Betelegeuse (along the left margin, below Venus)
• Bellatrix (below Betelgeuse)
• Adlebaran (almost directly below Venus, barely seen in the fading sunset)

Screen capture from one of my favorite apps, "Starmap" by Frederic Descamps

Night Photography - Always an Adventure

Above the rising moon (hidden by the tree), Saturn (center), Spica (to the right), and the beacon trail of a passing airplane (f8 8sec ISO400 70mm)

I've always been intrigued by night photography, and with a digital camera (and tripod), the experimenting is great fun (vs. hugely frustrating, as in the days of film). The meter is nearly useless but the possibilities are endless. You don't have to go anywhere exotic - you just need some great weather.

The view from my suburban driveway, despite the sodium vapor streetlights, is still quite interesting. Last night, I could see three planets - Saturn (rising), Mars (high in the sky), and Venus (setting), all between 9:30-10pm.

Looking West - Venus with Elnath just a few degrees higher (f5.6 10sec ISO400 126mm)

Tech Tips:

• Use a STIFF tripod - don't extend the legs or any tubes to full length
• Use a remote shutter release, or to save money, just use the self-timer (my camera has a choice of a 2s or 10s delay)
• Lock the mirror up before shooting, if your camera has that feature. My camera lets you view through the viewfinder (like a film camera), or you can lock the mirror up and view through the preview screen on the back. This latter mode is nice because you can zoom in digitally to see if things are in focus.

If you enjoy night photography and have any additional tips or successful shots, I'd love to hear (and see) them!