An early heads up for a solar eclipse

Just so you have no excuse for not knowing about it there is a partial solar eclipse on March 20th, starting at 08.25 in London with the greatest eclipse at 09.31.

You can calculate the timings for where you are here (currently on Edinburgh but you can change the location.

Don't risk your eyesight or your camera though! There are lots of websites out there offering advice on how to get a photo if you want to try, but you do need a special filter.

Thanks Gwyn, I missed the last total eclipse (1999) due to it being cloudy.

This is not quite as good but the best I am likely to see in my lifetime.

Brilliant! Looks like a fuller eclipse than last time too. And the sun relatively low in the sky at 9.30. Can't wait! Thanks Gwyn!

Cheers Gwyn.

Thanks Gwyn, looks like it could be fairly good round here (84% max) - won't have the magic of Totality but I doubt I'll get to experience that again

Darker shades (13 or 14) of welding glass make it safe to observe/photograph & are available on-line at reasonable prices.

Sadly it looks like it will rain on Friday here.
I am keeping my fingers crossed it is clear in the morning but it is not looking good.
That will teach me to fork out on solar filter foil to make my own filter and think I might be able to photograph it.

Currently BBC weather says there'll be a clear spell at around 9.00 on Friday morning but I'm not going to hold my breath. The sun peeping through hazy cloud would actually work well though.

It's 1999 all over again

Must admit 3 or 4 times I nearly purchased a solar eclipse filter but then went off to do something else ... maybe I saved some money for once.

Or maybe, knowing my luck it will be bright and sunny that precise moment and everyone will know who to thank.

I bought foil from Amazon. Came from Israel and only took a couple of days to get here, it cost about 14 pounds for an 8"x 8'sheet . I have made a filter using an old uv filter and a ring with the foil sandwiched in between.
I have enough foil left to make a filter from cardboard for the Bigma (since I don't have any filters big enough for it), but I am holding off until nearer the day.

We did see the 1999 one, though it was not as full an eclipse as the one of Friday will be from here. Oddly my mother-in-law, who was staying with us at the time, preferred to watch it on the telly inside rather than in real life outside, even though we had eclipse glasses and I had set up a pin-hole viewer. Ah well.

The cool thing I remember about the 1999 one was the shadows. We were in a wood near Edale and the little specks of light filtering through the leaves, and dancing on the woodland floor, were crescent shaped.

Some guides have said that a 10 stop ND should be good enough to get some good shots, using 100 iso, f/8 and fastest shutter speed as a starting point. Does this sound about right?

Some filters can fracture under the intense sunlight, so I'd be very, very careful.

No a 10ND is not safe for photographing the sun. You need a proper solar filter , or a home made one using filter foil.
Don't risk your the camera, or more importantly your eyesight!

I observed the total eclipse from Northern France back in '99. To be honest getting any great photos is rather difficult without specialist equipment. My advice would be to enjoy the fleeting spectacle and forget about the photography,

I shall give it a go if I can, but in the same way as photographing the aurora - camera on tripod all set up, remote in hand, me enjoying the show next to it. Wearing solar eclipse glasses of course.