Total Solar Eclipse: 2008 August 1

Images

All images were taken with a Borg 101ED, 0.85x reducer/field-flattener and Canon 40D DSLR. The automatic camera control system is described here.

Note the use of the water-filled counterweight on the Vixen Super-Polaris equatorial mount. It is available at a very modest cost from Safield.

Report
The eclipse site at Weizixia was some distance from our hotel in the town of Hami, and although the eclipse was not until late afternoon, we set off before 10.00am! We were barely out of the town and just on the southern limit when we hit a traffic jam at the first police checkpoint. After that, the journey took us through the Tien-Shan mountains with some spectacular scenery. Up on the Barkol grasslands we encountered another police checkpoint, but after a cursory look at the telescopes and equipment, we were sent on our way. We arrived at the eclipse site in very good time: a couple of hours before 1^st contact.

The site was semi-desert, dry and open, at a moderate-altitude with a backdrop of snow-covered mountains - a superb location! The mountains were responsible for somewhat more cloud than Jay Andersen had predicted: with just a minute or two until 2^nd contact the Sun was obscured. Luckily the cloud cleared just in time and didn't return until some time after 3^rd contact. No shadow bands were observed either prior to or just after totality.

Thermochrons
The Thermochrons were deployed as usual and recorded the drop in temperature as the eclipse progressed. Graph to follow.

Nick Quinn & Linda Croft

Baily's Beads at 2^nd Contact

Chromosphere at 2^nd Contact

Chromosphere and Inner Corona

Earthshine

Mid-eclipse 1/60^th Second

Mid-eclipse 1/15^th Second

Mid-eclipse 4 Seconds

Diamond Ring at 3^rd Contact