Sunday, May 20, 2012

Solar Eclipse: May 20, 2012

3:14 pm, Before it started

I was blessed to be able to view the solar eclipse this afternoon. I was pretty anxious, because it was cloudy here, with intermittent rain. It cleared up enough that there was a glowing ball in the sky to find!

3:24 pm

I purchased a special solar filter for my telephoto lens, as well as some eclipse viewing glasses.

3:37 pm

I unfortunately had to work, but I set my tripod up in my boss' office, pointed at the sun, and came along every few minutes to take another shot and realign the camera to the sun.

3:46 pm

It was cloudy enough at first that I really couldn't focus the lens well at all (manually) so I was a bit bummed, but it eventually cleared up a tad so I could get a clearer image.

4:03 pm

As I said, I had to compensate for the movement of the earth, and pretty soon, the sun's location was out of view from the window. So, what do I do? Well, put the tripod and camera on the roof of course! Boy that sounds extreme. Easy access from a window meant a good spot that the camera would be free from theft, but also have a better view.

4:20 pm

It was only a partial eclipse for us in Alaska, not a full one, so the sun was never completely covered. Others in different locations in Alaska reported a darkening during the eclipse, but our cloud cover didn't show me much difference for the duration.

4:35 pm

It was fun to watch it with my boss and coworker, as I had extra glasses to share. It definitely wasn't noticeable unless you were looking for it.

4:47 pm

I'm so glad I was able to experience a solar eclipse!

5:04 pm

After my shift ended, I packed up my gear and raced home.

5:20 pm

I handed C a pair of the glasses and we stood watching the end of the eclipse together.

5:33 pm

5:46 pm

5:55 pm

6:00 pm The end!

It was wonderful! I can't wait to see another!

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