WOW!!! That's about the only thing that comes to mind after experiencing what just happened! First of all, since I know a lot of you will ask, let's get the gear out of the way. The two telescopes I used were and Orion EON 80mm and and Astro Physics 130 GTX. Cameras were Canon t2i's (both borrowed from friends). The 80mm scope was used to capture the timelapse, and the 130 got closer shots of totality and various other shots throughout the event. They were mounted on an Astro Physics Mach 1 GTO. This mount tracked the sun the entire time.
It's hard to describe what the day was like, but I'll try. The moon first made "contact" with the sun around 1:30 p.m. eastern time. I was stunned at how accurate the estimated times were! For the longest time there was no discernible change in light, even when the sun was over half covered. Of course, this is mostly due to the fact that our eyes had time to acclimate. The change that was most noticed was the temperature. It can get miserably hot and humid on late summer Tennessee days, and today was not different. However, about an hour into the eclipse, it was actually quite comfortable.
Totality started at 2:32, and let me tell you, things happened FAST!!!! I cannot overstate this. For about the first 30 seconds, I had forgotten to take off my solar filters. So I was getting pitch black shots. I briefly panicked, but thankfully remembered. I threw the filters off and started to bracket like mad. After about a minute, I realized that I should probably look up. Indescribable!!! A pitch black sphere with a brilliant white outline!! And planets. And stars. And a 360 degree sunset. And crickets, because of the whole nighttime thing.
And then it was over. The absolute fastest 2.5 minutes of my life!! It quickly warmed back up and the moon even seemed to move faster as it was leaving. I was worried about my images, because I was so rushed, but I'm thrilled with how it turned out!! In the timelapse at the end, look for the brilliant flares coming off the moon's surface.
If you ever have a change to witness a total solar eclipse, TAKE IT!!! It's one of the most awe-inspiring events you can experience. This is one of those days that I'm certain I will never forget.
