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2017 eclipse


2014 partial eclipse


2004 Venus transit


2003 eclipse

Celestial Events

Although avid amateurs contribute incredible images to the two astronomy magazines to which I subscribe, I long ago decided that astrophotography was a hobby beyond my patience and budget. But I do have solar filters for my camera and telescope, so when a big event like an eclipse or transit rolls around, I take a stab at it. Some of these are dedicated pages (2003 and 2017 eclipses, 2004 Venus transit) while others are single images mixed in with other content (2012 Venus transit, 2016 Mercury transit). The 2004 Massachusetts page has a number of sun, moon and stars images. Future and past celestial events, and my probable viewing location for future events:

Future

  • Solar eclipse: Apr. 8, 2024, Kerrville, TX.
  • Transit of Mercury: Nov. 12, 2032, not visible in the Western Hemisphere. Best place to watch may be Madagascar. Next one visible in US is 2049.
  • Transit of Venus: Dec. 10, 2117, US west coast.

2023

  • Local images, Winter 2023-24: Trail camera in the Montana woods. [Photos] [Narrative]
  • Annular solar eclipse: Annular solar eclipse from Rio Rancho, NM, Oct. 14, 2023. Orange color images were shot with film filter on camera lens, neutral color images shot with glass filter on telescope. [Photos] [Narrative]

2020

2019

  • Transit of Mercury: Transit of Mercury, Mercury crossing the Sun, November 2019. [Photos] [Narrative]

2017

  • Solar Eclipse: Solar Eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017 as seen from Jay Em, Wyoming. [Photos] [Narrative]
  • Top 10 (+) scenic images from South Dakota: I'm not really a scenic photographer, but here are some scenes (and some "other") from around South Dakota 2007-17 and beyond. [Photos] [Narrative]

2016

  • Black Hills and the Transit of Mercury: Various images collected in May 2016, including trailcam and other wildlife in the Black Hills and one from the Transit of Mercury on May 9. [Photos] [Narrative]

2014

  • Trailcam update and partial eclipse: Trail cam check, partial solar eclipse in October 2014, and a few bugs and flowers at Denver Arboretum. [Photos] [Narrative]

2012

  • Around New York City: New York City Buildings, Monuments and Museums, Spring 2012. [Photos] [Narrative]

2004

  • Massachusetts: Around Massachusetts circa 1998-2007, wildlife, scenery, astrophotography. [Photos]
  • June 8, 2004 Venus Transit: Unlike the May 30, 2003 Annular Eclipse which I had to go to Iceland to view, I was able to see at least a part of the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun from my back yard. There were some clouds when I got up, but by the time my equipment was in place at 6:10 a.m. it was clear enough to see the black dot of Venus crawling across the face of the sun. In Europe they were able to see the full event, but from my location on the East Coast I saw about the last hour of it. Photos of the full sun were taken with a Canon 1D, 300mm f4 lens, stacked 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, ISO 200, exposure between 1/80 @ f11 and 1/100 @f16. There must have been a slight haze in the air because this was slower shutter speed than my tests the previous weekend. The closeup was taken with a digiscope consisting of a Meade ETX 125 telescope, a 20mm eyepiece, and a Canon S330 2-megapixel camera. I'm not sure of my calculations, but I think the view below is 135x. [Photos] [Narrative]

2003


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