Eclipse photography

The simplest method of celestial photography is to shoot directly with the camera! For the sun, many cameras can take big pictures at the telephoto end, so in the non-total eclipse stage, we only need to cover the filter in front of the camera lens to take pictures easily. If you use the ink basin method or telescope projection method to observe the solar eclipse, just take pictures of what you see. As for the total solar eclipse stage, just use the camera to shoot at the sun.

Many creative photography can also be achieved by direct shooting with a camera. The most classic is to shoot a string of Sugar-Coated Berry during the total solar eclipse. The picture below shows the annular eclipse over Madrid, Spain on June 3, 2005.

The sun in the photo shows the whole process of solar eclipse from left to right. This is achieved by a camera that can be exposed multiple times. Cameras that can achieve multiple exposures are generally film SLR, and some high-end digital SLR also have this function. Take the movie SLR as an example. Multiple exposure means that after a photo is taken, it is not rolled up first, but also exposed again with the same negative, so as to obtain some special shooting effects.

Specific to this photo of the eclipse, the photographer first selected the shooting location, and then stepped on the spot in advance to see the approximate position of the sun at the beginning and end of the eclipse and determine how to take a view. Because the sun has a Sunday apparent motion, the whole process of total solar eclipse and annular solar eclipse lasts for a long time, and the position of the sun will be very different at the beginning and end of the eclipse. When taking pictures, make sure that the sun is on the left side of the picture at the beginning of the eclipse, and on the right side of the picture at the end of the eclipse. The whole process of the eclipse can be on the picture, and try not to be blocked by buildings.

On the day of the eclipse, the photographer will take photos in the way determined when stepping on the spot. At the beginning of the eclipse, add a filter in front of the camera to take the first image of the sun. Then after a period of time (for example, 10 minutes), repeat exposure on the same negative, take another sun image, and so on. Because of the use of filters, the brightness of the ground scene is too dark compared with the sun, and it is impossible to shoot at all. When a total solar eclipse or annular solar eclipse occurs, take off the filter and shoot the sun directly, then you can shoot the ground scenery at the same time. In the next final contact process, use the filter again and take photos one by one until the end. In this way, a series of images of the whole process of solar eclipse were finally made into negatives. It is impossible to shoot such a series of images with ordinary digital cameras, but it is possible to synthesize multiple photos later.

As the direct focus method is the most commonly used method to shoot the solar eclipse, this paper takes this method as an example to specifically talk about what we should shoot and how to shoot at different stages of the solar eclipse.

Partial eclipse stage

2. When eating, the main shooting target is Bailey Pearl. Bailey bead is a visual phenomenon that the edge of the moon wheel is uneven and the dazzling sunlight passes through the depression. Shooting Bailey beads means the beginning of the total eclipse phase, so take off the filter in advance. If you have accurate forecast time and station time, it is appropriate to remove the filter from 15 seconds to 1 minute before the eclipse, because there is only a little sun left at this time, and short-term direct light will not damage your camera. If you don't have the exact time, then when you see through the viewfinder that there is only a faint point left in the sun, take off the filter!

The process of Bailey Beads is short and full of changes, so it is best to use the ordinary continuous shooting function of the camera at this time (high-speed continuous shooting is unnecessary, Bailey Beads don't change so fast, and this mode will soon fill the camera memory). As for the adjustment of exposure parameters, it may be hectic to adjust the camera parameters at this time because the time interval between removing the filter and Bailey bead is less than one minute, so I suggest you adjust the camera parameters first, and then remove the filter.

By the way, when shooting Bailey pearls, you can already shoot chromosphere and prominence at the same time.

3. There are three main shooting targets in the total solar eclipse stage, one is the prominence, the other is the inner corona and the third is the outer corona. Among them, the inner corona is as bright as the full moon, the outer corona is nearly 100 times darker, and the prominence is brighter than the inner corona. In addition, the influence of clouds and fog in the sky and the height of the sun on the light intensity should be considered.

Because the outer corona may extend far beyond the diameter of a sun, in order to capture the whole corona as much as possible, we should try our best to ensure that the sun is in the center of the picture and adjust the angle of the camera in time so that the long axis of the corona is located on the diagonal of the picture. Another interesting project during the total solar eclipse was to photograph the earth on the moon. Looking at the earth from the dark side of the moon during the total lunar eclipse is like a full moon, which is very bright. So the dark side of the moon will actually be illuminated by the earth, but the brightness is so much worse than the corona that we can't see it with the naked eye. However, if we greatly extend the exposure time, we can capture the details of the dark side of the moon. According to the experience, ISO 1600, 1/3 seconds exposure can take the whole picture of the earth under f/8 equipment, and you can set the exposure parameters flexibly according to your own specific conditions.

Photo tip:

1. Determine the time when the edge of the moon contacts the sun twice (i.e. the first eclipse and the last contact) during the partial solar eclipse.

2. Observation at the edge of the moon. When the moon crosses the surface of the sun, its edge is not complete because of the peaks on the surface of the moon, but there are some tiny and irregular bumps or depressions. When observing, you can pay special attention to the edge of the moon and record it by drawing.

3. During the total solar eclipse, determine the time of four times of contact between the moon's edge and the sun's edge (that is, the first loss, the eclipse, the luminescence and the last contact). The moment of eating is based on the time when Pirelli beads disappear, and the moment when Pirelli beads reappear is based on light.

4. Corona observation. Corona is the outer atmosphere of the sun, the temperature is as high as several million degrees Celsius, and the density is even more empty than the vacuum created by human beings, which can be said to be a visible vacuum. The corona can only be observed during a total solar eclipse. The shape, size and structure of the corona seen during each total solar eclipse are different. In the active period of sunspot activity, the corona is disc-shaped; During the decline of sunspot activity, the shape of the corona is irregular, and light can be seen along the equatorial region of the sun, and it is fan-shaped near the poles. When observing, it can be recorded by drawing method.

5. Meteorological change observation. During the total solar eclipse, the sun suddenly disappeared, the temperature dropped rapidly, and the pressure and wind direction changed. These changes can be recorded by instruments.

During the total solar eclipse, you can use these precious tens of seconds to search for comets and inner planets (Venus and Mercury).

Shoot the whole process of the total solar eclipse with a camera, and take one at regular intervals to record the whole process of the total solar eclipse; It is also necessary to make close-ups of beads, prominences and corona. Taking a photo of the total solar eclipse will be an unforgettable and permanent memory.