NASA has published a new video on YouTube packed with simple advice for those who want to photograph the partial and total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.
“It’s a perfect opportunity to capture unforgettable images,” writes Mara Johnson-Groh at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, in a blog post. That’s not strictly true. In fact, the best advice to anyone about to witness their first total solar eclipse is easy—don’t do it. Time spent fiddling with cameras during the few minutes of totality is time not spent experiencing the view of the solar corona.
However, NASA knows that this kind of advice is roundly ignored, so offers these tips for photographing the eclipse—if you must:
1. Safety First
- Looking directly at the sun is dangerous to your eyes and your camera.
- Use a special solar filter to protect your camera and solar viewing glasses to protect your eyes.
- Remove the filter at totality to see the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
2. Any Camera Is A Good Camera
- The photographer matters more than the camera.
- Use a tripod for stability and a delayed shutter release timer to avoid blurry images.
- Focus on the human experience of watching the eclipse.
3. Look Up, Down, All Around
- Look around to capture the eerie lighting and shadows during the eclipse.
- Capture wide-angle photos to document your eclipse experience.
4. Practice
- Know the capabilities of your camera before eclipse day.
- Experiment with adjustable exposures and manual focus for crisp shots.
- Test camera settings on the un-eclipsed sun beforehand.
5. Share
- Share your eclipse experience with friends and family.
- Tag @NASA to connect your photos on social media and share them with NASA.
There are some good tips here, but if you want to go a little deeper, read my How To Take A Photograph Of The Solar Eclipse From Anywhere In North America, which delves deeper into how to photograph the partial phases of April’s solar eclipse safely and effectively using a smartphone, camera and more.
Path Of Totality
The 115 miles wide path of totality will cross parts of five states in Mexico (Sinaloa, Durango, Nayarit, Chihuahua and Coahuila), 15 U.S. states (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine) and six Canadian Provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland).
The unlucky cities close to the path of totality—including St Louis, Cincinnati and Columbus—will see a 99% partial solar eclipse. Cities further from the path will see a much lower maximum obscuration, with the likes of Boston (92%), New York (90%), Washington D.C. (87%), Denver (65%), Miami (46%) and Los Angeles (48%) all seeing much slighter partial solar eclipses.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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