Solar Eclipse Sunset

Today's photo shows the sky during the third contact and fourth contact of the solar eclipse. The corpuscular rays beaming into the water are so vibrant.

This photo was taken after totality, which is when the Moon blocks the Sun while we were north of the Cook Islands and west of French Polynesia in the South Pacific.

The clouds in yesterday's photo, taken before totality, and the clouds in today's photo, taken after totality show how exciting it was for our ship to maneuver and be able to find a hole in the sky for a clear view of the total eclipse.

As you scroll through the photos below to see the sharp and amazing solar eclipse photos, you have to marvel that the clouds parted for a short time to allow us to experience and photograph the solar eclipse.

The Sun was supposed to set into the Ocean while in a partial eclipse. What a photograph that would have been had the clouds not blocked the last stage of the eclipse.

Nonetheless, the entire experience was wonderful even though there is no possible way to absorb all that occurs during an eclipse. It means you have to go chase more eclipses as there truly is more to experience than what we could do as first time solar eclipse chasers.

And, that is a good way to end this solar eclipse series, we will plan for the next one and hope you join us too.

Solar Eclipse Shining on South Pacific

Today you can see the Sun's glow shining on the sea before the Moon eclipses it.

I watched the sky and the water when experiencing the solar eclipse of July 21, 2009 in the French Polynesia and Cook Islands area.

The sky was very different to watch. The shadows were also very unusual and very detailed. Twilight descended all around us as totality approached and occurred. Temperatures did drop.

The planet Mercury was supposed to be visible above the eclipsed Sun, but I did not see it. I was probably too focused on the Sun and Moon and my camera equipment.

Partial solar eclipses can be seen up to 3,000 miles away. We were in the middle of nowhere in the South Pacific chasing this total solar eclipse. Having a ship helped tremendously so that the ship could maneuver and get us a hole in the clouds to see the eclipse.

We also learned a lot more about the green flash, which we actually saw several times on this trip. It was amazing each time and a very interesting process to learn about.

Our sky is inspiring and quite a show when we understand even more of what to look for. We really enjoyed the astronomy lessons at night looking into the sky from the ship's sun deck identifying constellations in the Southern sky. The Southern sky was very different to look up at and find familiar constellations like the Southern Cross.

Enjoy all of the solar eclipse photos by scrolling down or selecting solar eclipse under labels. Tomorrow I will show the sunset that occurred during the fourth contact between the Sun and Moon as the solar eclipse ended. During third contact, the clouds took over most of the rest of the time. It made us appreciate the fact that we were able to obtain the wonderful photos you see below and to observe the eclipse during at least 60% of the duration of the solar eclipse. The solar eclipse lasted about two hours.

Partial Eclipse with Horn Effect

Today's photos show the moon rising away from the Sun. The clouds are also lapping around the solar eclipse.

The effect looks like a horn in the sky.

This is considered third contact when the moon is moving away from covering the Sun.

The different phases of the eclipse were very surprising to me. There was always something new to see in the sky. It is still hard to believe that a solar eclipse and totality would be so unique and have so many different photographic opportunities.

Can you imagine what people must have thought in olden times when they had the moon block the sun for six minutes? No wonder all of the superstitions and unusual traditions and sacrifices occurred.

I am almost done with my series on the solar eclipse and I hope you have enjoyed the photos and learned a little about astronomy and some tips on taking photos of the sky, with these changing light conditions and changing atmospheric conditions.

I highly encourage everyone to try to book one solar eclipse trip in their lifetimes as it is such a spectacular experience.

Diamond Ring Effect

Look at the rays on the diamond ring. Gorgeous. I love this photo of the solar eclipse that occurred on July 21, 2009 in the South Pacific.

You can see the clouds that provide dramatic back drop for the diamond ring effect of the sun and moon. The clouds were quite a challenge and can easily block the entire experience.

I did not yet have my solar filter placed back on my camera lens but did so shortly after this photo.

When photographing the solar eclipse, I used bracketing so I could capture the photos in various exposures with the click of the cable shutter release device. I was taking continuous shots.

I used manual focus to set my focus and did not rely on infinity. You do not want to use digital zoom as that does not give more details.

I took photos in raw and jpeg so I can try to work with them later and create a composite using software like Photomatrix or HDR. This is all new to me so I am going to continue to expand my knowledge and experience with cameras and software.

I thought I would have taken the entire series of photos at F-8 or F-11 but I had to adjust based on the fast moving ship and rockiness of the waves.

One of the most important items I invested in just before the trip was a Manfrotto tripod with a ball head. The tripod helped immensely to keep my camera still. It was easy to use, very functional, but it is also very pricey. I hope to have it for life.

Another tip is to make sure you remove the UV lens filter from your camera before taking photos of a solar eclipse. Also, you generally do not want to use a sun shade on your camera as that can cause reflection.

You also need to be prepared to change your ISO as conditions change. It would be good to shoot an eclipse at ISO 200, but I mostly used ISO 400 because of the ship's movement. Also, the temperature cools during an eclipse so you have to monitor your focus and other settings.

The key is also to shoot photos at many different shutters speeds, going from 4000 down to one second then cycle back to 2000 or 2500 and go again. In comparison, if you were shooting the Moon, you might be using F8 and 125 for the shutter speed.

I hope you are enjoying this solar eclipse series. It was a very challenging experience to photograph but so rewarding with photos like the one today. I did keep stopping to just look in admiration at the eclipse, the Moon's shadow across the ocean, the shadows around us, which were very strange indeed, and to listen to all of the comments from the people around me wearing their strange 3-D looking glasses to view the eclipse.

It was a hoot to see and hear people during the eclipse. The eclipse from first contact to fourth contact lasted about two hours.

Diamond Ring with Ruby Accents

Experiencing totality was amazing. As totality ends, the moon begins to rise above the sun during the eclipse and you stand ready to see what happens next. You look for Baily's Beads and then the Diamond Ring Effect.

Baily's Beads occurs just before and after totality for about 10 seconds. Baily's Beads are the rays of sunlight shining through the mountains and valleys on the Moon, which can create the effect of looking like a necklace. These must be observed through a solar filter.

The Diamond Ring effect is slowly developing in today's photos. You can also see the ruby accents in the chromosphere around the bead of light beaming and forming the diamond in the ring. Tomorrow's photo is a fabulous diamond ring and left me in awe.

Now some of you may be wondering if I had any knowledge of astronomy before this solar eclipse tour. The answer is I did not. I knew basics about astronomy from school but never learned or understood the details of a solar eclipse until this trip.

We planned to go on this trip for two years. The trip was created by Travel Quest International and Wilderness Travel. They arranged lectures throughout the cruise in the South Pacific. We also had star gazing in the Southern Hemisphere at night with the astronomers.

There will be another solar eclipse in the South Pacific on July 10, 2010 so you too can sign up and see this special event while also enjoying beautiful French Polynesia. The eclipse will be closer to Tahiti and Moorea and Bora Bora so you will not have to travel as far out to sea to observe it. Travel Quest also has a tour to Easter Island in Chile to experience the July 10, 2010 eclipse from land.

The lectures were given by top notch speakers including Alex Filippenko (astronomy), Rick Feinberg (astronomy), Owen Gingerich (astronomy), John Hay (environmental and marine sciences), Ethan Daniels (marine biology), and speakers from the Jean Michel Cousteau Ocean Futures Society.

Topics included Solar Eclipses, Photography Do's and Dont's, Dark Energy, Black Holes, Supernovas, Astronomy Basics and History, Climate Change, Reef Fishes, Sharks, Biomigration, and more. It definitely was like being back in school and we could have up to four lectures in a day. At least we were in school on a gorgeous ship called the Paul Gauguin in the South Seas north of Pukapuka island and west of French Polynesia and north of Cook Islands.

There were a lot of solar eclipse chasers and teachers, professors and scientists on the trip, but there was plenty of room for first time solar eclipse novices like me to go and enjoy the experience and learn so much about our remarkable universe.

Corona with Prominence

This photo of the corona was taken using a faster shutter speed on my Nikon D90 camera. You can barely see the orange prominence at about the 2:00 position. The second photo shows the red prominence even better.

The faster shutter speed lets in less light so instead of white light, as in yesterday's photo, today's photos show more of a yellowish band of the sun's rays.

You can use this same technique when taking photos of a sunset. If you set your camera for a darker setting (i.e., a faster shutter speed or a higher f-stop), you can get more color in the sunset and more definitions in the clouds on a bright day.

To enjoy a solar eclipse like this one, which occurred on July 21, 2009 in the South Pacific, the Moon has to barely cover the Sun to allow for the solar atmosphere (the corona) to be seen. To see the corona, the Moon and the Sun have to appear to be the same size in the sky.

If the Moon were smaller, it would not cover the Sun's entire disk. If the Moon were bigger, it would block out the corona. Everything has to be just right to see the corona like the one in today's photo.

The Sun is 390 times the diameter of the Moon. The Sun is also 390 times farther away from the Earth.

During an eclipse, when the Sun and Moon are aligned during totality, they appear to be the same size in our sky. It is lucky when this phenomena happens.

In this Saros 136 2009 eclipse, the Moon was relatively closer to the Earth in the Moon's orbit, and the Sun was relatively farther from the Earth due to the Earth's orbit. This made the 2009 eclipse one in which the Moon's size was greater relative to the Sun in comparison to other eclipses. The net result is an eclipse that has a thinner and more spectacular corona.

Now, go pick up a six pack of Corona beer, add lime, and toast the corona you are seeing in today's photo. I always wondered where the name of that beer came from.

Look tomorrow for more of the solar eclipse series and the fabulous Diamond Ring Effect.

Corona with Polar Brushes

This photo shows totality, where the Moon has covered the Sun. You can see the polar brushes delicately framing the corona.

The solar eclipse was brilliant and mesmerizing. Totality during the solar eclipse lasted about 3.5 minutes.

A total solar eclipse happens about once every 18 months. Each eclipse is visible only from a narrow area covering less than 1% of the Earth's surface.

Solar eclipse chasers often travel to remote locations to have the opportunity to see the solar eclipse.

The July 21, 2009 eclipse that I experienced is known as the Saros series because of its long durations of totality. Each eclipse in the Saros series occurs 6,585.3 days (over 18 years) after the last Saros series eclipse. The 2009 eclipse is technically called Saros 136.

The photo of the partial eclipse I showed yesterday requires a solar filter to be placed on your camera lens to take photos. Once totality occurs, you have to remember to remove your solar filter and take photos and watch totality with the naked eye. You put the solar filter back on once the moon starts rising up and the bright sunlight bursts out.

It helps to use a cabled shutter release button to reduce vibration or movement of the camera. Even pushing the button manually on your camera can cause blurriness. I do not like wireless shutter release devices, which require batteries.

The next phases of a solar eclipse to watch for are Bailey's Beads and the Diamond Ring Effect. I was very lucky to capture a beautiful diamond ring photo, which I will post in two days as part of this solar eclipse series.

Solar Eclipse Prelude

This century's best total eclipse occurred on July 21, 2009.

This photo shows the moon rising to cover the sun to create night and is a partial eclipse. Night is this month's city daily photo theme.

I was very fortunate to obtain a very sharp photo right after first contact between the moon and sun. It almost looks like a spotlight.

We planned this solar eclipse trip over two years ago. The eclipse occurred over China and the South Pacific.

We opted to be on a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean west of French Polynesia and north of the Cook Islands. The ship provided the important element of maneuverability, as there was a 50% chance of clouds that day. A ship allows you the chance to move to find a hole in the sky to watch the eclipse. We were at sea for five days to get to and from the location for the eclipse.

As it turned out, we did have clouds block the view and we all worried we would miss the eclipse, like so many people in China who had rain and clouds block the view. But, as first contact occurred, the ship moved to find a hole in the sky and we therefore were able to photograph and experience a once in a lifetime event.

We learned terms and concepts such as first contact, planet and shadow bands, Baily's beads, shadow cone, diamond-ring effect, corona, prominences, polar brushes, corona streamers, and chromospheric color changes.

Also, we had to use homemade solar filters to photograph part of the eclipse using Baader AstroSolar Safety Film at $45 for one 8.5 x 11 inch sheet. Dave of Costa Rica Daily Photo was in charge of making the actual filters to go over the camera lenses, which ended up working beautifully as you can see from today's photo.

I took this photo with my Nikon D90 camera using the solar filter Dave created and I manually focused the lens on the sun for sharpness instead of relying on infinity. I took photos at an aperture of 5.6 or 8, ISO at 400 because of the moving and rocking ship, and I would take photos at different shutter speeds throughout the event. I used a 70 to 300 mm Nikon telephoto zoom lens, but set just below 300 for maximum sharpness.

Over the next week, I will share a photo a day of the spectacular solar eclipse. I will share some of the astronomy terms and information that we learned, photos of the various phases of the eclipse, and photo tips. We learned a lot on this trip and it was our first solar eclipse since we made pinholes in cardboard to look at an eclipse many years ago when we were in elementary school.

The solar eclipse creating "night" took about two hours from start to finish and totality lasted over 3.5 minutes for us at our location. In some places it lasted up to 6 minutes. This is the longest period of totality for a solar eclipse until 2132.

Please check out City Daily Photo bloggers interpretations of the "Night" theme. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants