Partial solar eclipse 1/8/08

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Today's partial solar eclipse started at 10.30 CET, maximum obscuration of 27% was at 11.33 and the Moon finally cleared the Sun at 12.30.


My Vixen 90M [90mm f/11] refractor was fixed to my Fullerscopes MkIII. Note the tiny counterweight needed for this small instrument.

I can't easily use the original Vixen tube rings to attach the OTA to the saddle of the MKIII mounting because of the blind screw holes. So I used inexpensive opening rings instead. A full aperture DIY Baader Solarfilm filter was pushed over the Vixen's dewshield. The filter foil is mounted and taped onto a handy-sized, plastic bottle with the neck cut off. The body of the bottle slips snugly over the dewshield with no risk of it sliding off. I was careful to remove all ragged edges from the bottle to avoid damaging the foil. The complete filter sits in a clear plastic kitchen food container when not in use to preserve it from physical damage for as long as possible. It has served me well. Transits of both Venus and Mercury and a dawn solar eclipse have been enjoyed thanks to this inexpensive yet safe solar filter. It is a revelation to use such a filter visually after decades of using eyepiece projection.

Note the use of my stable and very heavy portable workbench in the background to keep my accessories safe and to hand. I tried a tall table once but it was too unstable when I was fumbling about in the dark trying not to lose my dark adaptation. I enjoy pitch black skies in winter thanks to a complete lack of street lights within several miles. The nearest lights are hidden behind a hill and some woods.

The images below were taken through a 26mm Meade Super Plossl 4000 eyepiece using a Canon Ixus 860IS compact digital camera simply hand held to the eyepiece. A dirt cheap 1.25" star diagonal was used for comfortable viewing and easy camera pointing.

Note the whiteness of the solar image using the Baader solar foil and Fringe Killer filter combination. The lack of chromatic aberration in these images is a remarkable result for such a small outlay. Almost anybody could afford a small refractor and take very similar images to those below. There is an advantage of great stability from the Fullerscopes mounting and its massive, all-welded, stainless steel tripod. Though a steel post in the ground would probably make a better base for one of these old mountings if a clear sky is possible from a fixed point.

I missed the first few minutes of the eclipse thanks to a rusted synchronous motor and worm. Subsequently I had to guide by hand throughout. Which was a shame because the old motor had previously offered very easy guiding during previous solar observations. The protection offered to my old mounting by a tarpaulin was obviously not enough to protect the slow motions from rust. I can see stainless steel worms and a new motor on the horizon.

The first two, slightly bluish, images shown were taken without the Baader Fringe Killer filter in place. All later images used this filter and were all just under 1 Meg in size. The camera was set to auto and zoomed to its widest angle. Image quality was set to Largest and Superfine to obtain the highest possible resolution. I tried more powerful eyepieces now and then but it was too difficult to keep the Sun in the centre of the field of view without the drive running.

The sky was clear throughout except for thin high cloud and vapour trails. It was so hot in the brilliant sunshine that I repeatedly went indoors to download the latest images to avoid overheating. I hope I haven't been sunburnt. The whole affair lasted so long I was very relaxed and even managed to enjoy morning coffee and toasted rolls beside the telescope just before the maximum. There lies the advantage of being able to observe from one's own back garden. The last eclipse demanded a trek to a local hill because the Sun was so low early in the morning.

The following images were selected from approximately 150 x 1 Meg originals to show the motion of the Moon across the Sun. These have been downsized in Windows "Resizer" to "Large".




Gone! 12.30 CET and 28-9Centigrade in the shade. Too hot for me!

By fast scrolling you may be able to make a simple moving image effect. Note the complete lack of sunspots. These would have shown clearly had any been present. We are at a solar minimum at the moment.
Left click for larger images. Back click to return to the text and standard sized images.

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