Eclipse mess up!

[michaelmorris]

The eclipse sequence was going so well!

I had the camera running off my 12 v leisure battery so I didn't need to change camera batteries.  I had the leisure battery plugged in to the mains.

To cut a long story short, the lead form the leisure battery died, the camera battery was almost dead and I couldn't find the spare.  After 20 minutes of charging around the house at 3:40 am, and then spending 6 or 7 minutes trying to re-acquire a very dark moon in a 500mm lens I ended up loosiung 20minutes in the middle of the sequence. AAAARGH!

[Jonk]

If you're making a video, fade out then back in to cover the gap... Might be a neat effect.

I didn't want to risk batteries tonight, everything is plugged in!

[drmillrace]

Aaaargh indeed! I haven't got a view from my observatory so have been trying from an upstairs window with a non dslr camera and 400mm lens. Got it all set up and acquired and then couldn't remember how to switch to manual focus on a camera I don't use for astro very much! Wasted 10 mins and only got a few frames as the moon was disapoearing behind the trees. Still a magnificent sight regardless. If only all our kit was as uncomplicated to use as our eyes!

Good luck for the rest of your sequence. 

[michaelmorris]

If you're making a video, fade out then back in to cover the gap... Might be a neat effect.

I didn't want to risk batteries tonight, everything is plugged in!

It was plugged in! It was the lead that broke.

[Tim99]

I had a good one happen during the eclipse too.  Just when the eclipse was about at the halfway point the clouds rolled in.  I could see that it was still clear off to the north and east so I quickly took the ED80 off the tripod and laid it on the seat.  I Threw the tripod in the back and took off for clear skies.  I reached a good spot to set up about 12 miles down the road.  Got everything set up and by then the moon was really dark.  I switched on the camera and could not get it adjusted to find that moon.  I fiddled with the exposure and scratched my head for quite a while. THEN, I realized that I had put the dust cap on the scope before I put it  in the car.  haha.  I was so excited to get some more pictures that a simple thing like forgetting to take off the dust cap threw me for a loop.   

[michael8554]

Went to Madrid (Annular Solar Eclipse) to practice for the Total Solar Eclipse in Libya

All went well.

Went to Libya, got to Totality, adjusted exposure, started shooting.....

No images...

About a minute in remembered the Solar Filter was still on....Doh!

Luckily 4 minutes of Totality, so not all was lost.

Michael