AstrophotographyApril 12, 2024Springboro, OH

Solar Eclipse — Part I

On April 8th, 2024, a total solar eclipse was visible throughout a large swath of the United States. I was lucky enough to travel only a short distance to end up directly in the shadow cast by the moon — heading just south of Dayton to Clear Creek Park in Springboro for a front-row seat to totality.

I've decided to break the eclipse posts into two parts: one to discuss setup and filters, and one to cover the photos captured during totality.

Sun with sunspots photographed through solar filter — Sun with visible sunspots — shot through a homemade solar filter on a 300mm lens

This image was captured through a solar filter on a 300mm lens on a Sony Alpha 7 III. It is incredible to be able to capture sunspots with consumer gear.

Partial solar eclipse — moon beginning to cover the sun — Partial phase — the moon beginning its transit

Partial solar eclipse — moon covering most of the sun — Deep partial phase approaching totality

There was a serious risk of burning out the camera sensor — but the homemade filter worked perfectly. I was able to document the progress as the moon slowly covered the sun through the partial phases leading up to totality.