How to Watch and Photograph a Solar Eclipse
A total solar eclipse is one of nature's grandest spectacles, and one that is worth going out of your way to see. Watching and photographing solar eclipses present some unique challenges, however, both logistically and practically. You must travel to the correct location to observe one in its full majesty, and because of the Sun's extreme brightness even when it is mostly concealed by the Moon, eye safety is a vital consideration.
Americans are fortunate in that the U.S. will see two solar eclipses in the coming months: an annular (aka "ring of fire") eclipse on Saturday, and then a total solar eclipse—the last to cross the American mainland until 2045—on April 14, 2024.To help you prepare, I will discuss the particulars of these upcoming events, including where to go to see them, and then offer some general information on solar eclipses and what to expect during them, what equipment you might want to bring, and how to safely enjoy viewing and photographing them.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon, in its orbit around the Earth, passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow on the Earth. Solar eclipses don't happen every month, however, because the Moon's orbit is inclined by more than 5 degrees to the ecliptic (the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun). When the new Moon passes near the Sun and is lost in the solar glare, it will usually pass either north or south of the Sun from our vantage point.
It is only when a new Moon occurs during the Moon's crossing of the plane of the ecliptic—either from south to north, the so-called ascending node, or from north to south, the descending node—that a solar eclipse can occur. These periods come about every six months. Thus, we have the annular solar eclipse in
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