12 August 2026 84% partial solar eclipse.

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  Wednesday 12th The partial eclipse lasted from 7-9pm. With maximum obscuration of 84% at 20.04 CET. 

 I knew well in advance that it was going to be difficult to see past the local obstructions. There are huge garden trees, a windbreak wood and assorted trees in the paddock to the south and west of my rural home. Local solar altitude would be 6º to the WNW. 

 By sheer chance it had been mostly sunny all day but with plates of cloud crossing at intervals. I was hoping to take a few snaps with my mobile phone camera. Tracking the sun would have required a 100m long mains, extension lead snaking along the gravel drive to the south. 

 I had no such extension lead and no desire to spend so much money on three x 40m leads! Even if I had the power. I was in no position to carry my heavy Celestron Advanced stainless steel tripod very far. Nor its AM5N mounting. I get breathless just walking the near 100m length of the drive to the junction! Having reached 79 with clogging of the heart arteries. Despite the hundreds of thousands of miles of cycling and the excellent care of the hospital heart departments. Four stents and a balloon expansion so far. I take eight tablets every morning to keep my blood pressure low.

 So I really needed a mobile, lightweight set-up. I dismantled my modified Lunt 60 to the 102mm TechnoSky APO, H-alpha telescope. I refitted the 2.5" Feather Touch focuser and found my longest photographic dovetail plate. 

 The Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod would be fitted with a photographic gimbal mounting. Making a set-up I could carry in stages along the drive. To use the access gates as peepholes in the neighbour's overgrown, 2m high, Spirea hedge. That's me perched at the first gap in the hedge. Captured by one of my security cameras. Which are great fun in themselves. 

 The 1.25" Lunt Herschel Wedge would be my safety device for solar observing. I elected to fit the TS binoviewer with 26mm Meade 4000 26mm eyepieces. Though I needed the lowest power TS GPC to reach focus.

  A 1.25" Solar Continuum filter provided the garish apple green filtration. Which is a handicap for colour photography but makes viewing so much more comfortable and sharper. Though it is not intended as a solar safety device. I was immediately able to see 6 small groups of spots. Without the filter I struggled to focus. Even on the largest pair of sun spots near the limb. Suddenly the umbra and penumbra snapped into sharp focus. 

More to follow: 

 

 

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