This Sunday, May 20th, there will be an annular solar eclipse, visible from parts of Asia and the western United States. I wrote a detailed post about the eclipse last month, which includes some great links to maps, but I forgot to list some tools to help you scout out a location to photograph this rare event. So, if you’re a procrastinator like me and still haven’t planned out your shot, here are some helpful tools:
#1 – Photographer’s Ephemeris
The Photographer’s Ephemeris is an essential tool for any landscape photographer, because it helps show you where the Sun and moon will rise or set, and overlays that on top of a Google map. If you’d like to try and photograph the eclipse as part of a landscape, then this software can help show you where the Sun and moon will be in relation to a particular landscape feature (such as a mountain or lake). There’s a free desktop version, and an inexpensive iPhone/iPad/Android version as well.
#2 – Stellarium
Stellarium is a free tool for visualizing the positions of stars and planets for a specific time and location. So, you can use this software to see what the eclipse will look like at a specific time and see how high in the sky the Sun/moon will be.
#3 – Weather Underground
In order to photograph the eclipse, you’ll need some clear skies, so it’s important to rely on some good weather forecasts. I’ve been using Weather Underground for a few years now, and they seem to be pretty reliable. They also have a great tool that shows cloud cover on top of a Google map.
What did I miss?
Is there another tool that you’ve been using to help prepare for the annular eclipse this weekend? If so, please tell us about it by leaving a comment below! Thanks 🙂
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About the Author: Steve Berardi is a naturalist, photographer, software engineer, and founder of PhotoNaturalist. You can usually find him hiking in the beautiful mountains and deserts of southern California.
Don’t overlook the Nasa app: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2012May20Agoogle.html
Several of us have discovered that Stellarium and the Nasa App disagree significantly about where the centerline of the eclipse is. Stellarium shows the moon exactly centered in the sun from Reno, NV while the Nasa App has it 35km to the North East of Reno. CalSky.com also disagrees with Stellarium.
Don’t forget special eclipse sunglasses. (about $2.00)
Enjoy the eclipse. We don’t get one Down Under until November. This will give me plenty of time to find out how everybody else captures it.
It peaks here in San Diego around 6:35 this evening. I might not be able to see it since the sun will still be in the sky at that time. Wait! That’s the whole purpose! Nevermind. 🙂
How does Photographer’s Ephemeris compare to LightTac which is half the cost? Looks like LightTrac pretty much does the same thing.
It was WONDERFUL! We watched as the clouds continued gathering throughout the day here in No. California. My trustee camera and 75-300 mm was outfitted with welders glass and electrical tape. Originally the plan was to head to the mouth of the Klamath River where we’d be in direct alignment. Thanks to the fog we drove instead to Lyon’s Ranch in Redwood National Park and hiked up to the hills to get just a little closer.
Here’s the first image – dark clouds and I seriously wondered if I should just enjoy some cheese and wine (this image was taken with my Android)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/humbirdhum/7242157314/in/photostream
Once the eclipse began, I began shooting – these turned out much better than the conditions warranted. That green glass just filtered all that stuff out! ISO 100/Shutter 1/1000, F 11 on a tripod.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/humbirdhum/7242162592/in/photostream/
But the most spectacular moment was AFTER the eclipse. At 6:35 the evening light is typically a little tired – but the hills were awash in the most glorious glow.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/humbirdhum/7242168470/in/photostream/
Quite an event to witness ~ Thanks for your reminder and tips!
Great post! I missed that day. I am going to check your and others’ eclipse photographs.