This photographer took multiple images of the Sun during the total solar eclipse August 1, 2008, and then combined it with a silhouette of several observers. The result was terrific, and it has appeared in Astronomy magazine several times since. // Ben Cooper
I’ll make this blog short and sweet. We will be dedicating 10 pages in our December issue to the best images of the August 21 total solar eclipse.
As photo editor here, I’ll be choosing which ones make the cut. If you’d like me to consider your pix, here are some guidelines.
1. Get them to me as soon as possible after the eclipse. The early bird catches my eye (or something like that).
2. Include all details about the image. (OK, you can leave off the date if you want to.) But camera, lens or telescope, f/ratio, exposure times, ISO … the works. Also make sure you specify your location and the time of each image you submit.
3. Send the highest-resolution version you have. My inbox here is colossal. If you can send an image, it will not bounce.
4. Please make the subject line of your email “August 21 eclipse” or something similar. I file and keep every image that comes to me. Always have. What I don’t need are subject lines like, “A great image for you,” or “A shot for Astronomy magazine.”
5. I’m sure I’ll get plenty of shots of the corona. I need some wide-field ones as well. I hope some of you can capture Venus with the eclipsed Sun. Others might send the Sun above some ultra-cool landscape. Use your imagination.
6. Also think about sending images that are not the Sun. So, people wearing eclipse shades, folks setting up or using binoculars, telescopes, or cameras, eclipse-related activities at your site or in a nearby community, and more. If it shows something cool going on (and if it’s in focus), I might just select it.
7. Send your images to mbakich@Astronomy.com.
I wish every one of you clear skies!