Total Solar Eclipse 2008 - Russia

You Greek guys? - No, I trust ye.
But I have seen first hand some really funny things in '99
and heard what some people did on other eclipse trips,
right at the 'crucial' moment.

I just expect to hear all the Greeks shouting
'Feeeettttaaaa!'
in the darkness.

I just expect to hear all the Greeks shouting
'Feeeettttaaaa!'
in the darkness.

Don't expect so
We will be away near the Ob sea, far away from
astrophotographers' tribe, their laptops, cables and cameras,
close to nature to enjoy the totality of 143sec!

You may hear "Feta" later when Christina takes the panoramic shot
of our amazing group!

heard what some people did on other eclipse trips,
right at the 'crucial' moment.

Well, in Turkey, while in the middle of my imaging run, one person asked in mid totality if he could have a peek, I politely told him to get lost.
Partial phases, no probs but not totality.
Don't get me wrong, I'd like to help him, but I didn't lug 40kgs worth of gear across the world for that. He didn't even bring a pair of binoculars, his problem, not mine.

Barberskum wrote:

heard what some people did on other eclipse trips,
right at the 'crucial' moment.

One idea which fortunately got stamped on before it happened was the idea floated by a town council in Cornwall to have a fireworks display during the totality!

I took my ETX70 to Turkey and many people including a good few locals got a look through it - I was busy snapping away with my camera and APO Zoom lens.

This time I'll be looking at a dent in the Sun - if we're not busy I'll set up a scope outside work and show a few passers by.

Personally,
I would really like to be in a nice picturesque place also.
(the Ob sea looks great)
I do want to take some photos but only 'wide angle' ones to
capture the 'thrill and awe' of an event like this.
(if that is possible, but at least its a challenge and thats what I like)

I have seen a million of the same 'corona' kind.
I like the quirky shots the best.
Each to their own I guess.
Here is a few examples:

I like the mood of this shot, very eery,
The church in the foreground suggests the foreboding some cultures
look upon eclipses with
www.mthurricane.com/Stock_Eclipse_2.jpg

An interesting phenomena called a 'shadow cone' seen in this picture:
apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0301/shadowcone2_staiger.jpg

Not a sunrise you see every day!
www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/Gallery/Eclipsed_Sunset.jpg

''Yippeeee! The sun is gone!!''
(one of my very favourite eclipse shots!)
www.32finearts.com/originals/Peter01.jpg

Right place right time:
gallery.photo.net/photo/1529545-lg.jpg

Although it would be nice to get a good single shot,
I'm not gonna be fussing over equipment during the event.
In 99 I watched it in total with just my peepers and it was awesome.
(I did take a few peeks through my binos at the Corona and prominences
which were spectacular that year)
www.thekooksoasis.com/gallery/albums/Ima...lar-Eclipse-1999.jpg


So, we really need to be thinking about viewing locations!

Frank, here's a "different" shot, showing the shadow cone from Ceduna in Dec 2002. I was going to just watch the eclipse, but I had an SLR (film then) around my neck so grabbed a couple of shots during the 32secs of totality...

www.eaas.co.uk/astro_photos/Sun/200212_eclipse_evans.jpg