In this high resolution view of totality during the November 2012 solar eclipse, as the moon moves across the sun, you can see the diamond ring, bailey's beads, prominences, the solar chromosphere (the thin red surface layer of the sun) and the inner solar corona.
Equipment: Takahashi FS-102 refractor telescope with 1.6x extender (F=1300mm, f13) with Canon 5D Mark II on an EQ6 equatorial mount. 73 exposures of 1/1600 sec at ISO100.
I was using Eclipse Orchestrator to control the camera, and had planned a sequence of varying exposures during the two minutes of totality to capture the range of brightness of the solar corona. But due to a silly change I made to the drive mode on the camera (after the successful 1am test on location during the night before), the software commands to update the camera settings via USB got out-of-sync with the shutter being fired by the serial Bulb cable. So instead of a complex HDR image showing the solar corona, I got a continuous sequence which I made into this video. I used Timewarp/Frame Mixing in Adobe After Effects to synthetically generate 10 video frames between each of the original images.
I've said elsewhere, but this is phenomenal. I don't know whether all the pulsating effects are the interpolation frames or just atmospheric turbulence, but the way the Moon moves across the chromosphere is spectacular.
I've said elsewhere, but this is phenomenal. I don't know whether all the pulsating effects are the interpolation frames or just atmospheric turbulence, but the way the Moon moves across the chromosphere is spectacular.
Phil, please post this to SEML!
The pulsating effect at second and third contact is largely due to turbulent seeing, but the interpolation changes the nature of it. I guess you can imagine that 1/10 frames is real so the seeing changes are smoothed out. At the contacts, this is playing back at about 2x real speed so pretty close to the way 'bad seeing' looks I guess.
At several points through the middle of totality you can see the moon makes a big shift due to a much larger exposure gap (up to 9 secs) which has been smoothed out by the frame interpolation. Much faster than real speed through those bits.
I so screwed up this part! Great results here - prob the best I've seen for the second and third contact. At these focal lengths, I think this is a good result - the corona probably would have extended way outside your field of view anyway. Nailed the exposure too, as this did get affected by the sun's low position in the sky. I had to bump up to ISO200 from ISO100 to compensate. Well done
Phil,
We are so lucky to have someone with your skills posting these stunning images.
It is just like being there with you.
Very well done - again!
Terry
This video well illustrates the seeing effects I was watching whilst imaging at Palm Cove. The moon's darkened limb was wobbling around all over the place and that is exactly what this image shows. Despite not getting what you had wanted this is still an invaluable piece of imaging.
Phil,
We are so lucky to have someone with your skills posting these stunning images.
It is just like being there with you.
Very well done - again!
Terry
Thanks again to you Terry! The spot we ended up observing from was a few hundred metres from one you scouted a couple of years earlier.. without stopping for that we might have missed this one. And your imaging presentations were quite an inspiration as well!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Haese
This video well illustrates the seeing effects I was watching whilst imaging at Palm Cove. The moon's darkened limb was wobbling around all over the place and that is exactly what this image shows. Despite not getting what you had wanted this is still an invaluable piece of imaging.
Thanks Paul. I definitely prefer this to what I was planning to get - sometimes accidents work out for the best! The seeing effect is pretty crazy. Next time somebody needs to do this in real time video!
Hi Phil - These came out amazingly detailed. Would it be all right if I used a couple Baily's beads images and the multi-sequence shot in TOTALITY!, my free online web eclipse magazine? Giving you photo credit of course! Thanks. - Larry Stevens
Great work Phil.
You would have been close to me for the eclipse. I was at Maitland Downs.
I managed to record totality through a Meg. 80 and my DMK51. Not as good as yours though! My web site is coming along soon so I can put some of this stuff on there. Here is one shot.
