It may not have been a total eclipse but the annular eclipse was still wonderful to experience.
Sequence of images of the eclipse from C1 through C4, including the annularity or “Ring of Fire.” The images are not evenly spaced in time but instead concentrate on the few moments before, during, and after the annularity of the eclipse. Beginning of the eclipse at lower left; the end at upper right.We were close to the center line in the small town of Fillmore, Utah. Before the sun even rose that morning we drove the few blocks from our hotel to Fillmore City Park and set up gear and chairs on the grassy field along with many others. Then it was time to wait and chat with all the other people.
I shot the eclipse with three cameras. My main rig was a Nikon D750 with the Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E lens set to 500mm. The camera and lens was attached to an iOptron SkyTracker so that the camera would follow the Sun without my having to make adjustments. A Kendrick Astro Solar Filter covered the front of the lens. I shot a sequence with 5-minute intervals until a few minutes before and after annularity; during this most interesting part of the eclipse I shot using 3-second intervals.
The secondary setup was with a Sony RX10 set to 35mm focal length and 1-minute sequences from beginning to near the end. The battery failed late in the session and after replacing it the focus was slightly off (operator error!).
And the third camera was an Apple iPhone SE3 which I used to shoot scenes around us in the park.
This is a burst of images at 3-second intervals just before and after C2 (second contact)–the start of annularity or the “Ring of Fire.” Note the irregularity of the shadow which is a result of mountains and valleys on the surface of the Moon.Sequence of images at 1-minute intervals of the eclipse. [Sony RX10]There were some ooh’s and aah’s as the eclipse started (C1–first contact). But when C2 occurred (second contact) there was cheering and applause. The end of annularity (C3–third contact) brought another round of cheering and applause. There was little crowd response at C4 (fourth contact–end of eclipse) since most folks had already left. The only folks still there were those dedicated to capturing a sequence of the entirety of the eclipse.
Crescent-shaped light and shadow during the partial phase of the eclipse.Panorama of City Park in Fillmore, Utah, during maximum annularity.Photo of my main rig with the telephoto lens and camera mounted on the iOptron SkyTracker.
Crowds and traffic had lessened considerably by the time we left and we drove back to Flagstaff with a stop for an early dinner in Kanab, Utah.
Path of the Annular Eclipse across Utah.
But, wait! There’s more.
The day before the eclipse we were able to see a spectacular halo as were were driving through Utah. At various times we saw the 22° halo (the most common halo), supralateral arc, parhelia (also known as “sun dogs”), parhelic arc, upper tangent arc, and circumzenithal arc.
Panorama showing the multiple halos and arcs visible in the sky [Sony RX10; 3 vertical panos stitched]Panorama showing the multiple halos and arcs visible in the sky [Apple iPhone SE3; 3 vertical panos stitched]Almost as impressive as the eclipse!
This comet was discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura. It was briefly visible in the morning twilight but became increasingly difficult as it got closer to the sun and was lost in the glare. It will very briefly be the evening sky this week but, again, the glare of the Sun may make it difficult to see.
Here are a few images taken in the pre-dawn hours on 08 September. In the foreground is Wukoki Pueblo in Wupatki National Monument.
Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura at 0449 MST 08 September 2023.A tight crop of the previous image.Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura at 0454 MST 08 September 2023. This is just a few minutes later than the previous image but the sky is already getting very bright.
Nikon D750, 85mm, f/2.8, ISO 3200, 10×3 seconds and stacked using Starry Landscape Stacker to reduce noise.
Clear skies and light winds presented an opportunity to photograph the Milky Way with reflections in smooth water. Upper Lake Mary had the best orientation to look down the lake. In addition, accessing this lake is very easy with a parking lot just a short distance from where the image was taken. Finally, another factor is this past winter had a lot of snowmelt that filled the lake to capacity for the first time in several years.
Milky Way with reflections in Upper Lake Mary.
It’s interesting that the star colors are more saturated in the reflections compared to the sky.
The glow on the right is the light dome from Phoenix.
Aurora borealis on 23 April 2023 as seen from northern Arizona.
The aurora borealis that occurred Sunday night (23 April 2023) was an impressive event. The storm parameters* were all indicative of a major event so it was worth the effort to drive to a nearby dark (or at least reasonably dark) location and try to get some aurora photos.
Aurora borealis on 23 April 2023 as seen from northern Arizona.
I assumed that the aurora, if visible from northern Arizona, would be low on the northern horizon so I wanted a location without city lights to my north. The best location would have been the South Rim of Grand Canyon looking over the North Rim but clouds were plentiful in that region. So I headed south from Flagstaff and ended up on Anderson Mesa which has many good viewing locations.
Aurora borealis on 23 April 2023 as seen from northern Arizona.
Upon arrival I looked to the north but saw nothing with the unaided eye. A quick photo test, however, revealed that the aurora was in progress and visible through the clouds that were to the north. I took photos from about 2045 until 2330. The aurora was at its best from 2100 to 2145. It was much weaker and very faint after that time although still visible. At its peak, the auroral colors extended upwards 30–40 degrees in the sky!
Aurora borealis on 23 April 2023 as seen from northern Arizona.
I tried to see the aurora with the unaided eye but was never able to see it. I think that was because there was some light pollution from Flagstaff (yeah, it’s a Dark Sky city but it puts out more stray light with each passing year) and lights reflecting off the low clouds that were present to the north.
Time-lapse of aurora from 2053–2228 MST 23 April 2023.
But the camera had no difficulty capturing the subtle colors. I was shooting with a Nikon D750 and a Tamron 17–35mm wide angle lens set at 17mm, aperture was f/2.8, exposure was 15 seconds, and ISO 3200. I was using an intervalometer set to take a photo every minute. The camera was also set to do LENR (long exposure noise reduction) so that the actual time the camera was active was 30 seconds out of each minute. This gave me a chance to quickly review images after each shot was taken and that was useful. On the other hand, taking exposures without LENR and shooting, for example, every 15 seconds would have resulted in a much smoother time lapse. Good stuff to know for the next time we get an aurora event this far south!
The new Moon occurred a few days ago and just 23 hours later there was a thin (0.9% illuminated) crescent Moon visible in the evening twilight sky. I’ve been practicing with a recently acquired telephoto lens and this was another opportunity to have some fun with the lens.
A thin crescent Moon visible in the evening twilight sky.The crescent Moon sinks lower in the sky.
![Sequence of images of the entire eclipse from C1 through C4, including the annularity or "Ring of Fire." The images are not evenly spaced in time but instead concentrate on the few moments before, during, and after the annularity of the eclipse. Beginning of the eclipse is at lower left; the end is at upper right. [Nikon D750]](https://www.dblanchard.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20231014_seq04.jpg)
![This is a burst of images at 3-second intervals just before and after C2 (second contact)--the start of annularity or the "Ring of Fire." Note the irregularity of the shadow which is a result of mountains and valleys on the surface of the Moon. [Nikon D750]](https://www.dblanchard.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20231014_Beads.jpg)
![Sequence of images at 1-minute intervals of the eclipse. [Sony RX10]](https://www.dblanchard.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20231014_0846_1003_1m.jpg)
![Panorama showing the multiple halos and arcs visible in the sky [Sony RX10; 3 vertical panos stitched]](https://www.dblanchard.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20231013_pano.jpg)
![Panorama showing the multiple halos and arcs visible in the sky [Apple iPhone SE3; 3 vertical panos stitched]](https://www.dblanchard.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20231013_ap_pano.jpg)
