Diamond Rings and Totality 2 - 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
This composition captures the second contact diamond ring, the solar corona during totality, and the third contact diamond ring during the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.
The diamond ring effect is seen just before and after the total phase of the eclipse (aka totality). The crescent Sun is then a short, brilliant segment along one edge of the Moon (i.e., the diamond) seen as a dark silhouette and surrounded by the solar corona (i.e., the ring).
The diamond ring images where produced with a Vixen ED100SF refractor and a Nikon D810 DSLR.
The image of the corona was produced with an Astro-Physics 105EDT refractor and a Nikon D800 DSLR. It is a composite of 57 separate exposures (1/2000 to 2 seconds) combined and processed using Photoshop CC 2017 and Photomatix Pro 6.
The Moon appears darker than the sky because of the huge contrast between the Moon's disk and the very bright inner corona adjacent to the Moon. I've tried to preserve this visual impression in this image. A custom Curves layer was used to approximated the color to the dark blue sky.
The image above is available as a Custom Print.
Additional eclipse photos can be seen at: 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery.
For more information on this event, see: EclipseWise 2017 Total Solar Eclipse.
Technical Details
- Title: Diamond Rings and Totality 2 - 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
- Date/Time: 2017 Aug 21 at 17:44 UTC
- Eclipse Circumstances: Altitude = 54°, Azimuth = 143°, HA = -1.41
- Location: Casper College, Casper, WY
- Mount: Losmandy G-11 German Equatorial Mount
- Telescope 1: Vixen ED100SF Refractor (100mm, f/9, fl=900 mm)
- Camera 1: Nikon D810
- Exposure 1: 1/1000 sec, f/9, ISO 200
- Telescope 2: Astro-Physics 105EDT Refractor (105mm, f/5.9, fl=616mm)
- Camera 2: Nikon D800
- Exposure 2: 1/2000 to 2 seconds, f/5.9, ISO 200
- File Name: TSE2017-seq03-1Bw.jpg
- Processing (Adobe Camera Raw): Exposure Adjustment, Clarity, Sharpening, Noise Reduction
- Processing (Adobe Photoshop CC2017): Curves, Layers
- Rights: Copyright 2017 by Fred Espenak. All Rights Reserved. See: Image Licensing.
