2024 Total Solar Eclipse

Erie PA – April 8, 2024

We went to Erie Pennsylvania to watch this eclipse because my great-grandparents’ farm was in the path of totality and my great-uncle still lives on that property (he was 96 at the time of the eclipse). My 100-year-old great-aunt (actually short of 100 by a month) was there as well along with some cousins. The farm was where my great-grandparents had a dairy farm and worked the land starting a century ago.

In the exact location, Cambridge Springs PA, these were the timings:

The duration of the eclipse was 2:28:57 with totality lasting 3 minutes and 14 seconds.

The darkening toward totality was gradual. The temperature dropped considerably as well. See the gallery below for more and the YouTube video at the bottom for even more.

Eclipse-2

Image 2 of 29

Getting the camera gear set up.

My equipment consisted of an iOptron SkyTracker Pro, both my Canon R6 and 7DmkII, a video camera, two tripods, and solar filters. We also had two cell phones, a drone, Canon 15 x 50 IS binoculars with solar filters, and another pair of binoculars for normal viewing. The SkyTracker was aligned roughly to the north by eye because the night before was cloudy.

The 7D had a wide-angle lens with solar filter and was set up with a 2-minute intervalometer with bracketed shots to do a timelapse of the entire eclipse facing SW over Uncle Nick’s pond. The R6 had a 400 mm lens with solar filter also running a 2-minute intervalometer with bracketed shots. These ran from before the first contact to after last contact (or fourth contact). The video camera was next to the same tripod and ran continuously just a little before to a little after totality. Same with the drone. During totality the solar filters were removed from the 7D and R6 and a cable release was used to snap pictures when we weren’t just taking in the view and looking at the eclipse with our eyes or binoculars.

I was hoping to be able to capture the shadow of the moon racing across the landscape, but at that scale maybe 10 miles and the clouds, the shadow was not well defined enough to see. There is not a sharply defined edge to the shadow, it is very diffuse due to the distance of the moon from the earth and the earth’s atmosphere. The 7D and video camera ran pretty much on their own unattended. The sun was too high above the horizon to get much landscape with the 7D and none at all with the video camera.

There are five stages to a total solar eclipse. These are:

1. First Contact – when the partial solar eclipse begins and the moon’s edge first takes a bite out of the sun.
2. Second Contact – a few minutes before totality. This stage ends with Bailey’s beads where the sun shines between craters and mountains on the moon. These flicker off one by one and is quickly followed by the Diamond Ring effect producing one stunning burst of light. It is during this stage that the temperature drops considerably and birds stop singing as darkness approaches.
3. Totality – when the moon completely covers the sun’s surface and the corona is visible.
4. Third Contact – Much like the Second Contact stage, but in reverse. Here the moon is in the process of uncovering the sun. The Diamond Ring and Bailey’s beads repeat in reverse order.
5. Fourth Contact – The end of the eclipse when the moon no longer covers any part of the sun’s surface.

The Canon binoculars with the solar filters were great for keeping track of the progress of the eclipse. The day’s plan was scripted out to the second. The R6 and 7D ran autonomously with the intervalometer taking pictures once per two minutes with the SkyTracker keeping the camera pointed at the sun. I did a good job rough aligning because very few adjustments were necessary. Just before totality I switched off the intervalometers and starting shooting with a cable release. First came the diamond ring and then Bailey’s beads, even with thin cloud cover. The corona wasn’t really visible because of the clouds. I was glad I again had the SkyTracker and it was aligned well as I could so I was able pay attention to and watch the eclipse with my eyes while I kept pressing the cable release to take bracketed pictures. Then came Bailey’s beads again on the other side and the diamond ring.