is five days old and 22 percent illuminated. The low angle lighting along the terminator brings out landform details not seen during the full phase.
Note the bright sunlit central peak in Theophilus crater at the edge of Mare Nectaris, a 2 km high feature rising from the flat crater floor.
as captured from Muley Point, Utah during the morning of 14 October. One can clearly see the advantage of being on the centerline for these rare and amazing events.
Multiple exposures of the eclipse event from sunrise to early afternoon on Saturday. Exposures were combined using StarStaX software, and even though several shots are missing from the sequence, I’m very pleased with the results.
The annular solar eclipse as captured by my filtered 400 mm telephoto lens, compiled in a composite shot with Adobe PhotoShop.
UPDATE: Both weekly newspapers in Moab are running these images. A photographic double-header!
near the centerline was claimed at Muley Point on Tuesday by this determined correspondent, expecting other friends to join the camp later in the week. And indeed they did, and the astronomical show that followed on Saturday was grand.
Panorama from Muley Point, Utah at the southern end of Cedar Mesa, overlooking the San Juan River canyon and Monument Valley and Navajo Mountain, Arizona. (Click on image to enlarge.)
Our extraordinary perch at the edge of the escarpment. But watch that last step!
Happy eclipse viewers Saturday morning!
At work managing two cameras and a telescope during the several hour-long event under absolutely perfect weather conditions.
Optical projections of the partial eclipse phase on the ground, naturally filtered through the needles on a small pinyon pine tree.
The so-called “Ring of Fire” at near maximum annularity as seen on the back of my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a 400 mm telephoto lens with solar filter.
Monument Valley as dusk approaches as viewed from our eclipse camp.
There is nothing better than the warmth of a small fire and the company of good friends when camping in canyon country.
The Milky Way galaxy rising over the Navajo Indian Reservation from eclipse camp, the night before the big show.
than five minutes late to the upcoming annular solar eclipse. I’m bugging out tomorrow for my remote and primitive eclipse camp on the centerline, high above Goosenecks State Park and the San Juan River in southeastern Utah, with commanding views to the south into Monument Valley in Arizona. Weather forecast models are somewhat conflicted about the weekend ahead, but I remain optimistic.
The annular eclipse as modeled by Photographer’s Ephemeris showing the conditions at my campsite.
Times listed here are Mountain Daylight Time, and only for my campsite location specifically.
General information: Eclipse America 2023
IMPORTANT: Appropriate eye protection must be used by everyone viewing all phases of this event regardless of location.
above Adobe Mesa this evening.
of cameras and telescopes as I continue to prepare for next month’s annular solar eclipse, experimenting with various manual exposure settings on two cameras and configuring a small refractor telescope for direct viewing. I’ll also create a time-lapse video of the event with a GoPro as well.
All of these instruments are outfitted with appropriate solar filters for direct viewing and/or photography of the Sun. IMPORTANT: Everyone will need appropriate eye protection for all phases of the eclipse, regardless of their location.
Today’s Sun captured by my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a Canon 400 mm telephoto lens and solar filter.
Image of today’s Sun from the orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory for comparison.
More information about the 14 October 2023 eclipse: Eclipse America 2023.
at 17.9 degrees away from the Sun, meaning it’s the best time to view the innermost planet before sunrise, while the Sun is still below the eastern horizon. Here is the tiny planet early this morning, rising above Adobe Mesa, with Venus shining more brightly overhead.
Heads up, the autumnal equinox is tomorrow. Bummer, I prefer longer days.
using a new solar filter, all in preparation for the annular solar eclipse in one month’s time. I’m very excited.
My image captured early this afternoon with a 400 mm telephoto lens with solar filter (ND 100000).
For comparison, here’s the daily image from spaceweather.com with sunspot numbers, acquired by the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
More about the quickly approaching 14 October 2023 annular solar eclipse: Eclipse America 2023. IMPORTANT: Proper eye protection must be used to observe all phases of this event.
under extremely dark skies during the new moon the Milky Way is nothing less than sensational.
My camp along Mexican Mountain Road in the northern San Rafael Swell. I estimated that the core of the Milky Way would rise between Window Blind Peak (left) and Assembly Hall Peak (right). That’s the San Rafael River near the center of the image.
Silhouetted selfie with the Milky Way. All alone. Sublime.
next to Bald Mountain, high in the western Uinta Mountains of Utah. This new moon is the last opportunity to enjoy the galactic center this season, as it will not rise above the horizon in the northern hemisphere until next spring.
Silhouette of Bald Mountain (11,943 foot (3,640 meters)) on the right.
A frosty sunrise at Mirror Lake (10,050 ft (3,060 m)) the following morning.
will traverse the southwestern United States in about two months time. I’m getting prepared for this rare and interesting astronomical event, the center line for which is a short distance south of Moab, Utah. I’ll be camping there with all my telescopic and photographic gear.
More information here: Eclipse America 2023.
Terrific zoomable map: Interactive Google Map showing center line.
IMPORTANT: All observers regardless of location will require appropriate eye protection to view this event!
make a jewel-like pair of bright evening stars, as seen through the canopy of the ponderosa pine forest in snowy eastern Washington.
with Jupiter and Venus setting in the west.
The view south, toward Spanish Valley, with Orion hovering at top center.
by the vulgar outdoor lighting at the Red Cliffs Lodge located 14 miles northeast of Moab, Utah. The owners/operators are apparently completely oblivious to the beauty and majesty of the night sky.
Guests staying at that lodge will miss spectacular night skies such as this seen from my desert retreat this evening.
dimly illuminated by the new Moon, with Orion hovering above Castle Valley.
descends upon Castle Valley, Utah, now a third of the way through winter.
One frame of a “nightlapse” shot on my GoPro Hero 9 Black shortly after sundown. Thirty second exposure at ISO 1600.
marks the first full lunar orb of the new year, as well as one of the smallest, the Wolf Moon.
for the first full moonrise of the new year, the so-called Wolf’s Moon, still several days away. Still time to practice my howl.
of a shadow cast at the winter solstice sunrise, instantly corresponding to an etched line on a rock art panel on Potash Road near Moab, Utah. As impressive as it was to witness in person, it’s considerably more dramatic in this time-compressed video clip shot on my GoPro:
The brief clip (above) is about a one minute-long edited time-lapse of the moment of sunrise on the petroglyph panel on the morning of 21 December 2022.
along Potash Road at sunrise this morning, celebrating a clear dawn for witnessing a most impressive solar alignment between a shadow line and ancient rock art.
Predawn on the frazil ice-covered Colorado River.
Our inspirational leader, Rory Tyler. Link to his presentation on The Potash Panels - Frontiers in Rock Art Analysis.
Panel showing spirit bear paw petroglyph (half in shadow on the left) with the winter solstice shadow aligning perfectly with scribed lines on the sandstone.
Wider view of the panel, with the vertical rib of rock serving as the gnomon shown illuminated on the left.
Annotated non-sunlit image of the panel showing highlighted dotted line A that follows a scribed line on the petroglyph of the spirit bear claw that corresponds to the shadow cast during the winter solstice. Color differences seen here are due to variations in the desert varnish. There was undeniably an ancient astronomer at work here hundreds to a thousand years ago to have etched this precise line. Cool beans.
Screengrab from a GoPro time-lapse of the shadow line popping into place at the moment of solstice sunrise. Like I said, cool beans.