I was fortunate to be in a cloud free area in Northern Georgia, during totality for the Aug 21st total solar eclipse. Clouds were all around the area, spoiling the view at some popular locations like Rabun Gap and Brasstown Bald (the highest peak in GA.)
I'd experienced one total eclipse before, on a cruise ship at sea. The experience on land, from a mountaintop, was much more dramatic and awesome than I had expected. As totality approached the brightness of daylight itself became much dimmer and somber. During totality I could see for miles off to the west, where the horizon, clouds, and mountaintops were bathed in light like a too-rapid sunset, with just a thin sliver of yellowish light along the horizon.
At my viewing location, a cloak of darkness enveloped the small group I was in. The only light came from solar-LED driveway markers that came on, and a few lamps inside my friend's mountaintop cabin. The solar corona flared outward from behind the moon, bright against the black disk of the moon, yet too dim to cast a shadow.
I managed to get some photos of the partially eclipsed sun before and after totality, which showed some nice sunspots on the sun's surface. I also got some photos of the inner and outer corona. There are a couple nice prominences visible in the shot of the inner corona.
Here's a photo from near the end of the eclipse. With the moon almost gone.
Here's a view of the inner corona.
This last view showing the full corona is how it looked to my eyes.
I used a Nikon full-frame camera on a newtonian reflector telescope, 760 mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/640th sec exposure. During the partial phase I used a solar filter mounted on the front of the telescope.
Solar Eclipse Photos, Aug 2017 Eclipse
Re: Solar Eclipse Photos, Aug 2017 Eclipse
