Unfortunately, I had to ABANDON the Meade ETX.could NOT find the sun!? Turns out the mount-adapter was *loose*.. DUH!! I had 2nd laptop (2016 MacBook Air) to control the ETX for 2nd/3rd contact Baily's Beads ("burst mode")
NOTE:
The 400mm/4 & 800mm/8 bracket-sequences were done *manually* with remote shutter release cables.
Just 1 day before I left:
Testing with SEM (Solar Eclipse Maestro) on MacBook Pro (2014) initially was fine -- both Canon 5D2 (for 800mm & 400mm) were able to be detected/fired by SEM. All of a sudden, the cameras simply COULD NOT be detected!? Flat out GAVE UP..
manually taken bracket, due to SEM (Solar Eclipse Maestro) suddenly not recognizing Canon 5D2..on Takahashi EM100 mount
Currently on travel -- will do composite, when I get home
^^^ Takahashi FC100 f8 (800mm FL), main scope on EM100 mount. Meade ETX 90 piggyback (*abandoned* for eclipse), with Tamron 400mm/4 on counter-weight shaft
WA (Wide Angle) site #2, all-sky camera -- Canon 5D2 + Sigma 8mm/4. Intervalometer set to 4 sec intervals, started 2 min before 2nd contact
Unfortunately, sequence stopped before 2nd contact. Reason is still unknown..
Below is a pic, from before 2nd contact
^^^ Canon 5D + Sigma 8mm/4 w/intervalometer cable
^^^ red barn is part of Matt Payne farm
^^^ On left, down the hill is my 3 mounts (corona cameras) & other stuff
In distance (blue tent), is my French eclipse-chaser friend (Nicolas LeFaudeux). We had close collaboration, sharing backup site info & weather-forecasts. He ended up following me to southern Illinois (Matt Payne farm)
WA (Wide Angle) location 1, Canon 5D2 + 15mm/2.8 (full frame fisheye). Stopped down to f4, Aperture-Priority exposure @f4, -2/3 stop exposure compensation, ASA 400. Intervalometer set to 4 sec intervals, sequence started 2 min before 2nd contact. Unfortunately, sequence stopped during Totality. Reason still unknown..
On travel, only have time for a collage. Will do time-lapse movie when I get back home..
^^^ WA (Wide Angle) area #1, Panasonic GX85 + Rokinon 7.5mm on left, Canon 5D2 + 15mm/2.8 (full frame fisheye) on right
^^^ red-barn from farm (Matt Payne), note the (not real) toy ducks in foreground
^^^ Canon 5D2 + 15mm/2.8 (full frame fisheye) on left, Panasonic GX85 + Rokinon 7.5mm (full frame fisheye) on right
Found myself camped at Starbucks (4070 Lavista Rd, Tucker/GA), after late Wed night (10:30pm) run to Burlington Coat Factory (snagged some cool t-shirts for $6 - $10 each)
Did upload from MacBook Air of
GH4 + Rokinon 7.5mm
from the car at 6am (Starbucks opens at 5am).
Had to go inside, since battery of MacBook Air was down to 6%. Brought in ALL 3 laptops (MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Asus PC), & started hammering away.
The VideoPad edit for
GoPro 6 Ultrawide view
was no good, since VideoPad "free mode" was gone -- had to pay! Download CapCut video-editor, kludged up an edit for above. Uploaded it to Youtube:
Thus, completed the 2 uploads of WA (wide-angle) 4k videos. Previously, the
GH4 + 7.5mm Rokinon fisheye
was uploaded to Youtube..
Was looking for a 4tb USB hard-drive, found one at Decatur Best Buy (2525 N Decatur Rd, Decatur/GA). There was a Best Buy next to the Starbucks I was at -- 4135 Lavista Rd, Tucker/GA. Went there to pickup a JBL portable BT speaker -- JBL Flip 6 (discounted $29 to $99)
Headed to REI, to do return on bicycle rear panniers. Along the way, went to Sams Club to get rotisserie chicken ($5)
Then, during rush hour, headed to Decatur Best Buy (2525 N Decatur Rd, Decatur/GA). Turns out the 4tb hard-drive was NOT available! So, just went to the next door Starbucks to do some more eclipse work.
Closed early (8pm), so picked up & went to the Starbucks at Emory Univ.
They used "Emory Guest" WiFi, Was able to download GIMP, & got some
Intervalometer set to 4 sec intervals, started 2 min before 2nd contact
^^^ Canon 5D2 + Nikon-to-Canon adapter + (Nikon mount) Sigma 14mm/4, mounted via Bogen clamp. Note the Panasonic GH4 + Rokinon 7.5mm (full frame fisheye) in background. The fence barbed-wire is *sharp* like razor-blade!! I cut my right index finger, it bled like a spigot!
^^^ Note the horses (in neighbor's farm). In above video, you can see them "return to the roost" during Totality. Common animal behavior during eclipse, they think it's night, time to goto bed
2024 solar eclipse expedition *dedicated* to Freedom loving people in the world, esp Gaza/Palestine
Resilience & Courage of Gaza/Palestine..
"In a time of Need you'll know WHO YOUR REAL FRIENDS ARE"
^^^ THIS. Congrats to Ireland, S. Africa, Houthi rebels (Yemen) for stepping-up
"If you have a Belief, a REAL BELIEF, you should be WILLING TO DIE FOR IT"
-- Charles Strong, US Army (machine gunner)
[ "Bloods of Nam" (African American soldiers in Vietnam conflict) ]
Thank you
1) Rachel Corrie (MURDERED by IDF)
"I'm here for the children"
2) Aaron Bushnell (USAF employee who couldn't take the US Govt hypocrisy)
self-immolation as act of REBELLION
3) actress Susan Sarandon
4) actress Vanessa Redgrave
5) Argentina soccer super-star Diego Maradona
6) Muhammad Ali
& others for standing up for WHAT IS RIGHT
"My Dad gave me some advice which served me well during my Life. Son, there is NO RIGHT WAY to DO WRONG. Also, You have to be WHO YOU ARE..YOU CAN'T BE WHO YOU AREN'T"
-- James Williams, US Navy (river boats, Vietnam Conflict), Congressional Medal of Honor
[ "old school" Tough Love mold, graduated 2nd in her high-school class (Louisville/KY), Woodrow Wilson scholar at U of Illinois, Masters Degree Education. She & her husband were U of I grads, educated/englightened during turbulent 60's:
Down with the Establishment, Civil Rights movement (e.g. Black rights), Women's rights
naturally part of the anti-Vietnam movement. As any common-sense American would be.. ]
"I shall pass through the world but once
Any good, there that I can door any kindness that I can show
let me do it now
Let me not defer or neglect it
For I shall not pass this way again"
Appropro article on eclipse, the metaphor of eclipse (light turned into darkness, than transformed into light) with the tragedy of Humanity:
Cycle of War & Peace
Innocent people caught up between war-ing Governments (Money, Power, Greed)
Classic KARMA .. Israel = DONE
EVERY freedom loving people around the world
[ look at ALL the mass-protests!! ]
HATES Israel -- countries around-the-world will simply REFUSE to do business with them.
