With some more time back at the regular computer, I have had the ability to merge some of the eclipse images together to make a solid HDR image of totality. This is what I call quite the Photoshop workout. This is a merge of 12 images ranging from innermost corona out to the outermost corona that did not wipe out the moon’s dark disk. Some 20 hours went into this. The star to the lower left is Regulus in Leo.
HDR of the 21 August 2017 solar eclipse.
The eclipse was a perfect success! Clear skies prevailed throughout totality, with forest fire smoke and clouds coming in after it was all done. The temperature dropped from 88 to 68F, stunning! The corona was larger than those I had seen before. We had prominences and more. MANY images to deal with and not fast internet, so please be patient while I get these things edited and out there. It might take a while… a week or more. In the meantime, here are a couple of unedited shots.
Casper was most generous: we had an excellent space from which to observe: green grassy fields on to the hill to the east of town. The parking lot lights and grass watering sprinkler systems had been disabled for the day. The medical center even provided a lunch at the end!
Totality: This is the mid-corona using a longer exposure to show the fainter regions.
Totality: The inner corona. Note the fain, pink solar prominences on the right limb.
Partial stage as the eclipse begins. There are a few sunspot groups to see there.
The diamond ring as the eclipse reaches totality.
The town of Casper, WY is now hopping along. A lot more people are here today. We started out with a visit to the Geology Museum on the southwest side of things. They have an excellent display on geologic time along with representative minerals and fossils from each period/era. They also have their very own T.rex skeleton, a nice surprise. It is being slowly picked out of the encasing rock….
So, there was a lot of good paleontology to enjoy there for sure!
Back into town, the place is swinging. Lots of people wandering about with geeky T-shirts… yes, these are eclipse watchers for sure. The town has closed off the central area for shops to show off their goods, for people to mill about, to have a quick bight to eat/drink, and relax in the summer sun, a hot summer sun, pushing to 90F. The skies today: crystal clear. Absolutely lovely.
All, I am safely here at Casper, Wyoming, right on the line for the eclipse. We DID have rooms in the local motel (YAY!) and have been rambling through town a little to get oriented. The town is divided in a couple of neat ways: the Platt River runs through as does a major train route frequented by the BNSF RR and others. The town has a basic grid layout with a couple of highways to help with faster circumnavigation. It is clear, sunny and hot, and the weather is supposed to stay that way through the eclipse. Restaurants and businesses are all out in full force with eclipse gear: shirts, hats, pins, logos, stickers, drinks. One can not make way through town without seeing some reference or another. Yesterday as we drove into town, there was little in the way of traffic, so I surmise that there will be a LOT of traffic today and tomorrow. In short: ALL is GO for eclipse 2017 here.
ExeterAstro 