PS. Our hotel is very near the lake and I have been told this is the best location in relation to cloud formation (ie. lack thereof). :wink: :wink:

lads,
I don't even know what side of the road they drive on, and we hired a car for the trip, I'd better look it up.

:shock:

Uhh,
Dave.
Did I mention I'm probably gonna be staying on the roof of the hotel
like Anto?

Uhh,
do you not remember me asking if I should hire a car and the 2 of you agreeing?? I don't know if Hertz will allow me to cancel it now...
How do you expect to get between the hotel and airport and what if its cloudy in the area.?

How do you expect to get between the hotel and airport?

Bus #88 ... plus the equivalent of 2 euro!

How do you expect to get between the hotel and airport and what if its cloudy in the area.?

2 EURO!
Thats a rob.
I was thinking of walking anyway.
It's forecast to be a nice sunny day after all!



Dave,
I was only joking.
(e.g because you said you dont know which side of the road to drive on)

As for the Tom Tom Maps.
Do they have a support email
or a customer service number so you can ask?

I didnt think of emailing them, I'll go find an email address.

The roof translates to electrical power (for laptops), tables, chairs, clear and unobstructed views, no visitors ("can I take a peek?") etc etc ....

I think the astrophotographers sometimes get a bit of a raw deal,
just coz you dont want people pawing at your gear and distracting you
(you take off into the distance - God I know that feeling!)
doesn't mean your all like this...

blog.visualjournalist.net/wp-content/upl...07/09/riot-front.jpg

Just stay away from me until I get my shot,
then I'll be all like this:
i94.photobucket.com/albums/l105/ballsack82/NOFX.jpg

ahh Fat Mike,
you just gotta love this guy!

So,
to reiterate,
come near me when I have a look of concentration on my face
near during or shortly after totality...
you may suffer.

I'm not really sure if modern medicine is yet able to fully treat this injury:

farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2656806620_656e577187.jpg?v=0

:wink:

Frank you don't think really that we've paid 1800euro
to come near you "near, during or shortly after totality"?

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.

:wink:

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

Don't expect so 8-)
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

It is interesting to see what different things people go for at these eclipses.
I'd come to a different conclusion that corona and prominences are different from one eclipse to the next. I'll never forget the high power prominence views through the scope during totality, the colour and detail was incredible. !
I'd bring the 12" SCT if I could for higher resolution again !!

I'm bringing a camcorder on auto this time to try and catch the atmosphere, I'd actually much prefer to be on the roof on the hotel, the less travelling the better as far as I'm concerned.
If I wanted scenic pictures of trees and lakes, I'd go to lough Derg, much cheaper. (tounge in cheek) :wink:

If I wanted scenic pictures of trees and lakes, I'd go to lough Derg

Your wish is granted

www.flickr.com/photos/92397104@N00/sets/72157600870234501/

Best of luck to everyone going to Novo and other locations in the path of totality for 2008 August 1. 8-)

John

Your wish is granted

Oh dear J.C.
More clouds.
Muahhhaaaa!

I'd come to a different conclusion that corona and prominences are different from one eclipse to the next.

Agreed.
The must all be different, who thought otherwise?

I'll never forget the high power prominence views through the scope during totality, the colour and detail was incredible. !

Thats one this I'd love to see.
Oh well,
Next time hopefully I'll have the 18'' UC with me!
:wink:

I'd actually much prefer to be on the roof on the hotel, the less travelling the better as far as I'm concerned.

I can see the upside,
(no frantic Dave driving at 150KPH down a country lane
simeltanousely looking down at his Tom Tom and up at the
breaks in the clouds shouting...
''Ahhh Feck! I don't believe it! Clooouuddss!!!'')

but I'd love to get the mob mentality feeling
as it all happens. That feeling is priceless.

on the roof on the hotel,

Well, if there is a good view all around you should see the shadow
coming a bit better.

Hey!
I am happy today. I did my homework on eclipse photography.
My final setup is:

Nikon D70s
Baader Astro-Solar Filter
Sigma HSM-EX 70-200 APO f/2.8 Telephoto Lens
Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 2X Converter
Velbon Multifunction Pod MTP-1
Skylux Mount
Manfroto 475B Tripod

plus SLR Nikon F-601 for slides
with
Sigma 28mm f/1.8 Aspherical
Nikor 35-70mm f/3.3-4.5mm

Here is a test image of the Sun in white light today:



Some photos of my equipment:
farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/2664365481_88dbd3ce41_o.jpg
farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2665190450_6b95beba26_o.jpg
farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2665190770_a717cc18aa_o.jpg
farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2665190266_cbb18e820f_o.jpg

Looks like we'll have very similar equipment:
I'll have a Canon 400d, Canon 100-400 L IS USM lens, a Seagull right angle viewer, some Baader astrosolar film and a skylux mount on a manfrotto 190cl tripod.

Looking good Vagelis.!
I'll be using a setup similar to what I used in 2006
Celestron 4" F5 refractor + skylux (thanks Gerry ! ) + meade 2" flip mirror + canon 300D
Camcorder
Olympus OM1 + autowinder
TBH, the camcorder and olympus are a distant second and third to the celestron setup, the olympus is for totality only and the camcorder will be on auto.
Plan B incase we're travelling very close to totality in a car is a set of meade 7x50s binoculars

Lets hope for good weather. !

Gents,

My equipment setup will be much more aggressive so as to leave no room for any sort of error or surprise. More specifically, I will have:

AP Mach1GTO GEM (check-in luggage #1)
Losmandy G11 tripod and pier (check-in luggage #2)
Takahashi FSQ 106/f5 (carry-on #1)
Canon EOS 300d + 350d + cables/batteries/counterweight (carry-on #2)
Laptop for automated exposure sequencing while I am supervising (to be included somewhere with the above)
Laptop #2 for backup purposes (to be included somewhere with the above)

I would also like to travel "light" just for the sake of convenience BUT this is an event where there is NO room for error. Better to be overly aggressive and safe rather than the opposite.

Last time I checked Aeroflot allowed two pieces of check-in luggage plus one carry-on. I will be over this limit by at least one carry-on and I hope to solicit one of the friends who will be flying on the same flights to help me out in this regard. Surely not all of them will be at the limit in relation to both check-in and carry-on pieces.

What would ye reccomend as a solar filter for the
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM?

I'm thinking about taking the
350D
75-300 lens
18-55
&
12-24mm

Frank,

Use the Baader ND5 material ... it is excellent.

In fact, I received about ten days ago a fresh A4 piece for the Tak FSQ and there will certainly be some leftover and I would not be surprised if it is more than sufficient to address your needs.

If you do not have any such mylar material, let me know and I will inform you at some point next week what and how much I have left over after constructing the filter for my FSQ.

Hey! I am happy today. I did my homework on eclipse photography.

Vaggeli,

Are you sure my friend?????

Imaging the complete disk in white light is a no-brainer ... ex. ISO 100 and 1/500 sec. and any tripod will do!

However, what happens during totality and the MUCH longer exposures? Will the mount allow, for example, up to 4 sec exposures so that you can capture the full extent of the corona while shooting with a focal length of 400mm? :wink:

Anthony,
You believe skylux mount is inadequate for this? I really don't know...
What would you sugest for imaging the corona?
Renting a russian mount perhaps?