Still off on a tangent…we’ll get back to Alaska yet! Â {!-{>
There is a Total Solar Eclipse coming on the 21st of August, 2017. Â It can be seen across the whole center of the US, including Idaho…the area of totality (complete sun blockage by the Moon) does include five or six square miles of Montana, down in the wilderness in SW Montana. Â The last one visible in Montana was in 1979. Â I got to watch it from the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman. Â It is a spectacular event. Â Google it, and if you can go visit the area in the path of totality. Â Estimates are over 10% of the US population NOT living under that path are going to go see it! Â The next one visible in Montana is in 2044…
If you are going to watch it, and even if you don’t live under that path you can see much of the eclipse anyway, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT VIEW IT WITH THE NAKED EYE!!! Â IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO STARE AT THE SUN AND YOU CAN DAMAGE OR LOSE YOUR VISION PERMANENTLY IN DOING SO!!! Â ONCE THE SUN HAS BEEN COMPLETELY BLOCKED YOU CAN VIEW IT WITHOUT SPECIAL GLASSES OR PROTECTION, BUT YOU MUST USE PROTECTION AGAIN WHEN THE SUN STARTS TO COME OUT FROM BEHIND THE MOON!!!
DONOTDONOTDONOT look at the sun with any kind of telescope, telephoto lens or binoculars without a NASA certified solar filter!!! Â YOU CAN DAMAGE OR LOSE YOUR VISION PERMANENTLY IN DOING SO!!! Â Use the card projection method in the Links below!!!
It is a bit late to be getting solar eclipse glasses, but they were available at some fast food outlets (Wendy’s was one I think…) and places like Walmart and probably Walgreen’s and CVS. Â Welding glass can be used.
“Welders glass is another safe option for viewing the eclipse. According to NASA, the only safe ones for direct viewing of the sun are those with Shade 12 or higher. These are darker than the filters used for most types of welding. Check a welder’s helmet’s shade number before using it to view the sun.”~KMOC.com
Other techniques are listed here:
Viewing the Eclipse Without Wrecking Your Eyes
(1) Viewing the Eclipse Without Protective Glasses or Filters
(2) Cereal Box Pinhole Projector
(3) Viewing Without Damaging Your Eyes
(4) Using a Colander (Scroll down to Quick and Easy Viewing Techniques and hold a colander over a piece of white cardboard)
(6) Colander #2Â ***Â Colander #3
(7) Eclipse Safety from NASA!!!
 
This is how I made my own photography solar filter!
First, my Dailylife Sister sends me a nice “Lens Cup” in a box for Christmas several years ago!
 Then I got an 8″ x 8″ piece of Mylar Solar Filter.  I cut it to fit the end of the box above.
The other end of the box is just the cardboard folded together, and a lens will push right on up into the box, leaving a bit of a light seal while also self adjusting for the size of the lens!
This size box is important: it just fits over the end of my 400mm Canon L Telephoto. Â The lens hood makes it an even better light seal.
Another view.
Using Live View I can see the image on the back of the camera, and I can focus and adjust exposure here better than trying to do it in the view finder.
Early test photos look promising! Â This is at 400mm, a 100% crop. Â If you click on it a couple of times you can see each photo at full size.
This is with a 1.4x teleconverter, make it 560mm.
It is much bigger than the first one if you click on it a couple of times. Â here is is cropped to the same size canvas as the first photo.
Because it is a “press fit” solar filter housing, I tried it on my 70-300mm Canon L also.
Hopefully the smoke from the forest fires will clear out before next Monday and I can get some more practice in! Â Remember, Totality starts around 11:30 MDT and only lasts for a couple of minutes! Â The Eclipse starts a bit after 10am MDT and ends a bit before 1pm MDT. Â You can get a better look at this site: Â Shadowandsubstance.com
So good viewing and have fun, but remember to protect your eyes!
~Curtis in /\/\onTana (and Idaho in a week!)
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