Today we had a partial solar eclipse. It was partly cloudy, but luckily the clouds did not get in the way.

I decided to try two different ways of documenting the eclipse.

The first way was to set up a pinhole and project the sun onto a piece of white paper.

I found an old part that had different size holes on it so that I could experiment with different sizes.

I mounted the wheel in the lid of a cardboard box so that I could easily change the size of the pinhole.

Here is a projection of the sun before the eclipse started. I set everything up during lunch so it would be ready for viewing during my afternoon break.

Here is the sun projected on the paper during the eclipse. The image is inverted by the pinhole as the moon was actually obscuring the top of the sun.

I did try different size pinholes, but the one pictured above was by far the best choice.

Now for the second method. I decided to use a dark filter with my camera and take a direct picture of the sun.

In an old box of parts I found a variable filter. This was good as I could was able to try different positions to see what worked best.

Here was one of my first attempts. As soon as I saw the triple image, I knew what was wrong. I was taking the picture through the double pane window of my training room and I was picking up birefringence from the multiple reflective surfaces. I had to go outside to get a good picture.

The middle image above is actually quite interesting as you can see sunspots on the surface of the sun.

This picture was taken near the peak of the eclipse. The shadow of the moon was very defined as it moved across the disc of the sun.

Taking pictures of this eclipse brought back some good memories.

I remember in 6th grade when we all walked to our teacher’s house to watch a total solar eclipse. I don’t remember where they were broadcasting from, but it was something I will always remember.

I also remember one partial eclipse that we viewed at home when I was young. My Mom had curtains with a pattern of small holes and each of the holes projected little eclipses onto the kitchen floor.

Did you see the eclipse today?

Steven

For a look at the two lunar eclipses earlier this year you can visit the posts that I wrote about them:

The Blood Red Moon

The Blood Red Moon II