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Photographing a solar eclipse?


ianpwilliams

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I read that there will be a solar eclipse on 20th March. I was planning on watching it through those glasses you can get, but I also wondered if I could take photos of it at various stages, using my Canon D1100 through my Skywatcher 130P-DS. Would this be possible? Presumably the camera sensor wouldn't become damaged? Would I use shortest exposure possible at 100ISO? Would there be any other considerations to think about?

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Am I right in saying that I would need an eyepiece filter, scope filter, and glasses? Maybe these:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/solar-filters/baader-solar-continuum-filter.html

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/solar-filters/astrozap-baader-solar-filter.html

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/solar-filters/baader-solar-eclipse-observing-glasses.html

Presumably the camera sensor would then be protected?

And I'm guessing I would need to keep the caps on the finderscope (I wouldn't need it anyway)?

I'll definitely be buying the glasses anyway.

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Oh ok, what is the function of the continuum then?

Also, can anyone give me any links to solar viewing and imaging guides? I'm guessing that there is more to it than just putting that filter on the scope, wearing the glasses, pointing the scope at the sun, focussing, and taking a photo (I'm assuming shortest sub length possible at 100ISO). Obviously safety is paramount.

I also wonder if any of the other camera settings such as white balance come into play when taking daytime solar shots? I seem to recall going through my camera settings and turning various things to off instead of auto, which I hear wouldn't have much effect for nighttime Astro shots, but maybe changing those settings might affect daytime shots?

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Head down to the Solar Observing and Solar Imaging sections of the forum.

I'm looking forward to having a stab with the filtered ST80 as a prime lens, but I doubt that I'm going to be in luck as the Sun will be so low in the eastern sky in the early morning.

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Here is an excellent tutorial for white light imaging from Bizbuilder(Roger) http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/153712-simple-white-light-solar-imaging/

That should run you through the basics of it pretty well, it is quite simple really. It's the same sort of photography that you would use for the eclipse so don't need to change much.

You wont need to wear the glasses with the telescope as long as the telescope has the correct filter on it but yes it really is as simple as putting the filter on the scope and connecting the camera with a T-ring.

Short subs and lowest ISO is the best way, if you get a chance to practice a day or three before then do so because it will give you time to work the best settings out via trial and error plus it will let you work on focus which can be tough.

I leave all the auto settings off with my camera when doing white light, I don't think it changes much as the RAW subs are easily processed.

The continuum is just a contrast boosting filter which should aid in, well the contrast. Maybe helping granulation and faculae stand out slightly more.

It's an entirely optional accessory and with most of the sun covered by the moon it's purpose might be defeated.

:)

edit: Ooh and be sure to either cover the finder scope or remove it so the Sun doesn't shine through that.

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Just make your own. This would do fine for photographing the Sun through your scope. Just make sure the size is right and have a little fun making your own, its not hard. This will give good views including Sun spots. However if you want to see and image things like flares then your need to start getting into quite expensive dedicated filters.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Baader-Planetarium-AstroSolar-Filter-Observation/dp/B002SYD2EM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1424863514&sr=8-4&keywords=solar+filters

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Thanks, although I think I'll go for the proper one, it's not that much more expensive after all, and safer than me possibly doing it wrong.

And thanks for the tutorial. Do you have to take flats/darks/bias as well? I'm sure that one of those removes camera sensor dead pixels which would surely stand out more?

As for the sun being low, I think I'll be OK. Just hope there's no cloud.

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Well regular shots will show the moon moving across the Sun. I plan to take them fairly regularly so that i can get first contact, the peak, and just as its about to leave the disk, and all the bits inbetween :)

But otherwise no, most shots will be the same over a 2 hour period, but you could stack them for more detail, but thats more research lol

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As others have pointed out, you need an OBJECTIVE filter of some kind (solar film cheap and very good solution) to image a solar eclipse. EP filters are out of the question (and Herschel wedges are out of the question on reflectors). Only during totality can the filter come off. You can then get this:

Eclipse 1999

During the eclipse, the sun will not typically change much in white light (except its slow, stately rotation)
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So I'm assuming the Astrozap Baader Solar Filter is an objective filter then, seeing as it's been said here that it's OK to use?

It will only be a 90% eclipse where I am, but even if it had have been total I'm sure I would have still opted to keep the filter on at all times. I'm also expecting to keep the glasses on too, just in case the filter suddenly failed for whatever reason.

I note that the guy on that thread talks about taking as many as 60 shots and then stacking them. Taking into account the fact that in daylight you can't polar align and therefore you can't track, wouldn't that make it tricky to take 60 shots? Surely that would require a lot of nudging, especially if leaving gaps in between shots?

Also, when photographing the sun in all its glory with no eclipses etc, does it change much in appearance? If I took, say, 3 photos over the course of a month, would the images be noticeably different?

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The Baader Solar Filter goes over the front of your scope.

If you roughly set up your tripod to point north you shouldn't need to tweak the Dec and RA very often during the session - set the RA tracking to solar if it's available.

"Taking 60 shots" - not sure which of the thread mentioned that's from, but sounds like frames from an avi movie, but you're doing single DSLR RAWs, which should be good enough on their own.

"Does the sun change much in appearance?"  - depends on your image scale. A full disk might show sunspots, which move across the sun's face over a period of days (well the sun rotates to be accurate).

Zoomed in, the sun is very dynamic, with proms etc coming and going in hours or minutes.

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I'm hoping that I can set up the scope so that it can take photos of the eclipse by itself using the remote timer, so that I can also sit down and relax and watch it.

I do hear that finding and focussing can be tricky though (I'll be using the live view of the camera). Does anyone have any tips for these parts?

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Use the shadow technique, assuming there is a decent shadow. Point the scope roughly towards the Sun, and it will cast a shadow, and your goal is to get the shadow as crisp as possible, then the Sun will be in your scope. Makes more sense when your doing it.

foccussing is like most other things, you can try to get the focus on the sunspots or edge of the disk.

Matt.

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