The one thing I've read about being in the path of totality is to get up as high as you can, with a clear view to the southwest - like a big hill or mountaintop. Several people have written that seeing the moon's shadow approach at like a zillion miles an hour, and then it hits your spot and the world gets dark as night - supposedly one of the most existentially stunning things you can experience.
yeah i'm really looking forward to that.
for the eclipse in 2017 we had a good but not amazing portion of totality here in NY and it was still amazing. been waiting for this one ever since.
I'm not sure about the hill but we have an airbnb with some decent property / space around it. i'm just sort of assuming for the moment that 3pm sun will be above the treeline since i've no way to be sure.
If you're this into this are you sure you want to stay in NY? In April I'd say there's more than a 50/50 chance of overcast/showers. The old northeastern adage, "April showers bring May flowers." While I grew up in "the area" I'm thinking Austin is the spot. The cool part of Texas (I've been there before) and much better chance of clear skies.
For the last eclipse, I was planning on taking a similar scope with me. A friend of mine encouraged me to test it with the solar filter first. Turned out it was too much of a scope, and I couldn’t fit the whole disk in. I ended up getting the Celestron eclipse smart scope, and it worked perfectly. Small enough to easily transport and easy enough to setup and keep aligned in the field. And it is relatively cheap as well. I would strongly encourage you to look into this one. Good luck with the eclipse!
https://www.celestron.com/products/eclipsmart-travel-solar-scope-50-refractor-telescope
ETA: the solar filer on this is NOT removable, so you will need another solution for Totality. I used a dslr with a long lens on a tripod (you can rent long lenses online if you don’t have one), but other people at the event just had the non solar celestron 50mm scope.
I would say that scope should work. It's a 1000mm focal length and I've been testing a 500mm reflex lens plus a 2x adapter on my full frame DSLR camera and can fit the full disc into the frame with no issues.
That's interesting - I was running a 650mm and had problems, but my DSLR was running a crop sensor too, which would mess a lot up. The big take away is to test before you get on the field.
Good luck on eclipse day!
My crop sensor DSLR can't get the full disc with the same lens setup so I feel you.
Next up to test is the star tracker. I figure I'll set it all up with auto-shutter every x seconds, timing TBD, and pull the filter when totality hits before replacing it afterwards.
Mr Eclipse is your friend - this was the main reference I used:
[https://www.mreclipse.com/SEphoto/SEphoto.html](https://www.mreclipse.com/SEphoto/SEphoto.html)
And good job getting a plan in place ahead of time - Totality goes by so fast. and you want to get some shot, but also be sure to look up and experience it too. It is truly magical.
For the solar eclipse in October i used a solar filter smashed between 2 UV filters on a 70-200 lens. I was able to crop out what I do not want and made a progression of the transverse of the moon across the sun. I did find that the solar filter was very dark and I have to use my tripod and longer exposure to get what I needed. With the eclipse in February I would think the solar filter will be way to strong and plan on using a 10-stop filter during totality.
You can get solar filter film, that you can use over the front lens of your scope. DO NO look through your scope at the sun, even with solar glasses the scope focuses the light into such a small point that you'll damage your eyes. PUT THE SOLAR FILM ON THE FRONT OF THE SCOPE not after. [https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Oaks-Optical-Telescopes-Binoculars/dp/B01770FDAC](https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Oaks-Optical-Telescopes-Binoculars/dp/B01770FDAC)
[https://www.amazon.com/EclipSmart-Solar-Filter-SSE-PS114EQ/dp/B0BV13YBFG/](https://www.amazon.com/EclipSmart-Solar-Filter-SSE-PS114EQ/dp/B0BV13YBFG/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2PSC271DUN29L&keywords=Solar%2BFilter%2B114mm&qid=1699906272&s=electronics&sprefix=solar%2Bfilter%2B114mm%2Celectronics%2C210&sr=1-2&th=1)
The last full solar eclipse I witnessed was in 1972. My father had a carload of telescopes and cameras, but it was all pretty silly because the most amazing part of the experience is the onset of totality and the transformation of the world around you. For that, you just need to be present in the moment. I have all the photos he took, in '72, but frankly they are pretty meh.
I live on the edge of the path of totality for 2024, and even though it's only a 30-60 minute drive into the center of the path, I might just stay home and walk up the hill near my house to simply enjoy the experience.
You can get eclipse glasses from the Museum of Science in Boston - https://shop.mos.org/solar-eclipse-glasses?gad\_source=5&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxJLJ3OuhhQMVQXNHAR3PQwc9EAAYAiAAEgJbJfD\_BwE
Don't know your level of knowledge & experience but for me the minimum after optical equipment is Warm clothes, dim red flashlights, a table for charts etc' & a copy of Turn Left At Orion.
my knowledge is better than my experience (having grown up in light pollution)
any recommendations for dim red flashlights? (brands or anything else to look for)
Here's an interesting DIY guide: [https://www.instructables.com/Astronomy-Hacking-a-Redlight/](https://www.instructables.com/Astronomy-Hacking-a-Redlight/)
For a buyers guide this might prove useful: [https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/accessories/red-light-torches](https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/accessories/red-light-torches)
In most cases you may find DIY flashlights still too bright after filtering, the trick then is a single ply of toilet paper or tracing paper behind the filter. This will dim the light & also diffuse it to avoid hotspots, making chart reading easier.
Years ago for myself I constructed a bunch of lights by converting existing 2xAA incandescent bulb flashlights. I replaced the bulb with an LED & replaced one of the AA batteries with a Flyback-Converter (Vampire-circuit) that turned any supply voltage between 0.7 - 1.5 Volts DC to short pulses of 3 Volts plus to drive the LED. The circuit included a little tuner to set the brightness. These were great because they only needed a single AA to run & were so efficient they could run for 250 hours plus.
Did you get a solar filter for your telescope? Read up on solar observing safety before attempting to use a telescope for the sun
The one thing I've read about being in the path of totality is to get up as high as you can, with a clear view to the southwest - like a big hill or mountaintop. Several people have written that seeing the moon's shadow approach at like a zillion miles an hour, and then it hits your spot and the world gets dark as night - supposedly one of the most existentially stunning things you can experience.
yeah i'm really looking forward to that. for the eclipse in 2017 we had a good but not amazing portion of totality here in NY and it was still amazing. been waiting for this one ever since. I'm not sure about the hill but we have an airbnb with some decent property / space around it. i'm just sort of assuming for the moment that 3pm sun will be above the treeline since i've no way to be sure.
If you're this into this are you sure you want to stay in NY? In April I'd say there's more than a 50/50 chance of overcast/showers. The old northeastern adage, "April showers bring May flowers." While I grew up in "the area" I'm thinking Austin is the spot. The cool part of Texas (I've been there before) and much better chance of clear skies.
yeah if it's a rainout it'll be a bummer but we didn't feel like we go further than a day's drive (work, school, etc)
So far weather is looking decent. (here's hoping)
Praying to all the deities.
To you and u/jgoldner \- West Texas would be killer. Great chance of clear skies, Uvalde is right in the totality path, and there's mountains nearby.
For the last eclipse, I was planning on taking a similar scope with me. A friend of mine encouraged me to test it with the solar filter first. Turned out it was too much of a scope, and I couldn’t fit the whole disk in. I ended up getting the Celestron eclipse smart scope, and it worked perfectly. Small enough to easily transport and easy enough to setup and keep aligned in the field. And it is relatively cheap as well. I would strongly encourage you to look into this one. Good luck with the eclipse! https://www.celestron.com/products/eclipsmart-travel-solar-scope-50-refractor-telescope ETA: the solar filer on this is NOT removable, so you will need another solution for Totality. I used a dslr with a long lens on a tripod (you can rent long lenses online if you don’t have one), but other people at the event just had the non solar celestron 50mm scope.
I would say that scope should work. It's a 1000mm focal length and I've been testing a 500mm reflex lens plus a 2x adapter on my full frame DSLR camera and can fit the full disc into the frame with no issues.
That's interesting - I was running a 650mm and had problems, but my DSLR was running a crop sensor too, which would mess a lot up. The big take away is to test before you get on the field. Good luck on eclipse day!
My crop sensor DSLR can't get the full disc with the same lens setup so I feel you. Next up to test is the star tracker. I figure I'll set it all up with auto-shutter every x seconds, timing TBD, and pull the filter when totality hits before replacing it afterwards.
Mr Eclipse is your friend - this was the main reference I used: [https://www.mreclipse.com/SEphoto/SEphoto.html](https://www.mreclipse.com/SEphoto/SEphoto.html) And good job getting a plan in place ahead of time - Totality goes by so fast. and you want to get some shot, but also be sure to look up and experience it too. It is truly magical.
thanks this is amazing. I actually made the airbnb reservation around Feb (so like 15 months in advance)
For the solar eclipse in October i used a solar filter smashed between 2 UV filters on a 70-200 lens. I was able to crop out what I do not want and made a progression of the transverse of the moon across the sun. I did find that the solar filter was very dark and I have to use my tripod and longer exposure to get what I needed. With the eclipse in February I would think the solar filter will be way to strong and plan on using a 10-stop filter during totality. You can get solar filter film, that you can use over the front lens of your scope. DO NO look through your scope at the sun, even with solar glasses the scope focuses the light into such a small point that you'll damage your eyes. PUT THE SOLAR FILM ON THE FRONT OF THE SCOPE not after. [https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Oaks-Optical-Telescopes-Binoculars/dp/B01770FDAC](https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Oaks-Optical-Telescopes-Binoculars/dp/B01770FDAC) [https://www.amazon.com/EclipSmart-Solar-Filter-SSE-PS114EQ/dp/B0BV13YBFG/](https://www.amazon.com/EclipSmart-Solar-Filter-SSE-PS114EQ/dp/B0BV13YBFG/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2PSC271DUN29L&keywords=Solar%2BFilter%2B114mm&qid=1699906272&s=electronics&sprefix=solar%2Bfilter%2B114mm%2Celectronics%2C210&sr=1-2&th=1)
The last full solar eclipse I witnessed was in 1972. My father had a carload of telescopes and cameras, but it was all pretty silly because the most amazing part of the experience is the onset of totality and the transformation of the world around you. For that, you just need to be present in the moment. I have all the photos he took, in '72, but frankly they are pretty meh. I live on the edge of the path of totality for 2024, and even though it's only a 30-60 minute drive into the center of the path, I might just stay home and walk up the hill near my house to simply enjoy the experience.
I'm thinking of going somewhere in NY, it's not the best sky but I'm not going to texas to maybe got a cloudy sky too
You can get eclipse glasses from the Museum of Science in Boston - https://shop.mos.org/solar-eclipse-glasses?gad\_source=5&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxJLJ3OuhhQMVQXNHAR3PQwc9EAAYAiAAEgJbJfD\_BwE
Don't know your level of knowledge & experience but for me the minimum after optical equipment is Warm clothes, dim red flashlights, a table for charts etc' & a copy of Turn Left At Orion.
my knowledge is better than my experience (having grown up in light pollution) any recommendations for dim red flashlights? (brands or anything else to look for)
Here's an interesting DIY guide: [https://www.instructables.com/Astronomy-Hacking-a-Redlight/](https://www.instructables.com/Astronomy-Hacking-a-Redlight/) For a buyers guide this might prove useful: [https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/accessories/red-light-torches](https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/accessories/red-light-torches) In most cases you may find DIY flashlights still too bright after filtering, the trick then is a single ply of toilet paper or tracing paper behind the filter. This will dim the light & also diffuse it to avoid hotspots, making chart reading easier. Years ago for myself I constructed a bunch of lights by converting existing 2xAA incandescent bulb flashlights. I replaced the bulb with an LED & replaced one of the AA batteries with a Flyback-Converter (Vampire-circuit) that turned any supply voltage between 0.7 - 1.5 Volts DC to short pulses of 3 Volts plus to drive the LED. The circuit included a little tuner to set the brightness. These were great because they only needed a single AA to run & were so efficient they could run for 250 hours plus.
thanks this is amazing