On Thu, 16 Feb 2006 15:15:26 +0000, Mike Murphy evmurph.zetnet@co@uk
wrote:


What are the rest of you, who are travelling planning to do?

Hi Ian,
if this is your first eclipse then I would recommend that you don't
attempt any imaging of it. It all happens so fast that, without a
tremendous effort rehearsing and/or automating all the exposures and
changes that need to be made, you will spend so much time on your
equipment that you will feel that you have missed the main event.

Just take some eclipse shades for the partial phases, something to rig
a pin hole camera up with and a pair of binoculars for totality,
ideally on a tripod or monopod. I also recommend that you take a
compact 35mm camera for general shots of the event and the people (and
just in case you get to see shadow bands). If you can arrange it, it
is rather good to make a sound recording of the time from before
second contact to after third contact. Some use a video camera on a
tripod for this.

Although if someone had said this to me before last October's annular,
it would have felt like being asked to cut an arm off, it's generally
good advice. I recorded the whole October event from start to finish
(and outside of these boundaries too -
http://www.digitalsky.org.uk/2005-10...id/madrid.html).
Ultimately, I was left with very little emotional feeling because my
concentration was on recording it.

Personally, I didn't mind, but you have to be aware that obsessive
imaging will diminish the experience. If you want to take shots, aim
for a few key images and, if you can, practice beforehand. Actually go
through the motions around totality (you don't need to be pointing at
the Sun to do this) and decide exactly what you intend to do
beforehand. It's over in a flash so it's important not to get stressed
and, above all else, enjoy the event.
--
Pete
http://www.digitalsky.org.uk