Eclipse Chaser

tony navarro demo

2011-12-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

I'm at Tony's luxurious palace in Pasadena/Ca, discussing Internet blogging as medium for social change..

12/10/2011 Lunar Eclipse equipment

2011-12-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

4" f8 Takahahsi APO refractor + Losmand G11 mount + Canon 5D II + Tamron 2x tele-converter

front lawn of house, mad scramble @ 4:30am to assemble astrophoto gear (sitting around for 3 yrs unused)

end of Partial Phase, approaching Totality, 5:39 am PST [ 12/10/11 Lunar Eclipse ]

2011-12-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

5:39:38 am PST, Takahashi 4" f8 APO + Canon 5D II (ASA 400 .25 sec)

end of partial Phase, approaching Totality

approaching Totality under morning Twilight, 6:03:35 am PST [ 12/10/11 Lunar Eclipse ]

2011-12-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

6:03:35 am PST, Takahashi 4" f8 APO + Canon 5D II (ASA 6400 4 sec)

note blue sky-background, oncoming Morning Twilight, approaching Totality

approaching Totality, color gradation [ 12/10/11 Lunar Eclipse ]

2011-12-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

6:59:32 am PST, Takahashi 4" f8 APO + Canon 5D II (ASA 200 16 sec)

Note gradation in colors, in Umbral shadow region

approaching Totality, 6:02 am PST [ 12/10/11 Lunar Eclipse ]

2011-12-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

6:02 am PST, Takahashi 4" f8 APO + Canon 5D II (ASA 6400 4 sec)

approaching Totality, 6:00am PST [ 12/10/11 Lunar Eclipse ]

2011-12-10T08:39:00.000-08:00

6:00am PST, Takahashi 4" f8 APO + Canon 5D II (ASA 200 32 sec)

approaching Totality, 5:59am PST [ 12/10/11 Lunar Eclipse ]

2011-12-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

5:59am PST, 4" f8 Takahashi APO + Canon 5D II (ASA 400 16 sec)

approaching Totality, 5:49am PST [ 12/10/11 Lunar Eclipse ]

2011-12-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

5:49am PST, Takahashi 4" f8 + Canon 5D II (ASA 3200 2 sec)

approaching Totality [ 12/10/11 Lunar Eclipse ]

2011-12-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

taken 5:48 AM PST, Takahashi 4" f8 APO + Tamron 2x + Canon 5D II (ASA 6400 1 sec)

Totality: wide-angle/Sony HC3 [ 09 solar eclipse/China ]

2009-09-27T02:25:00.000-07:00

Totality: wide-angle/Sony HC3 [ 09 solar eclipse/China ]

Click to play

Flash 8 player:

Totality: wide-angle/Sony FX1 [ 09 Solar Eclipse/China ]

2009-09-27T02:24:00.002-07:00

Totality: wide-angle/Sony FX1 [ 09 Solar Eclipse/China ]

Click to play

Flash 8 player:

Totality: wide-angle video (HD) [ 8/1/08 China eclipse ]

2009-09-27T02:24:00.001-07:00

Totality: wide-angle video (HD) [ 8/1/08 China eclipse ]

Click ABOVE for Video [ .mp4 for QuickTime Player ]

Totality: fisheye video [ 8/1/08 China eclipse ]

2009-09-27T02:21:00.000-07:00

Totality: fisheye video [ 8/1/08 China eclipse ]

Click ABOVE for Video [ .mp4 for QuickTime Player ]

Beijing to Hami summary [ 7/24 - 7/27 ]

2008-07-28T17:06:00.001-07:00

Click ABOVE for Video [ .mp4 for QuickTime Player ]

lunar eclipse 2/20/08 [ Pasadena/CA ]

2008-02-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

Weather in morning was cloudy, rained the night before. Online satellite imagery (www.noaa.gov) showed lots of clouds, but there was a break in the tail end of the fast moving front. Weather forecast anticipated some clearing for tonights lunar eclipse.

I wasn't optimistic for long-distance travel for an optimal shot, i.e. Mt. Wilson (45 min drive). A horizon shot of the eclipsed moon against the snow-capped San Gabriel Mtns would have been great.

I wokeup at 6:52pm, totality phase scheduled from 7:00pm - 7:50pm! Scrambled to setup equipment in front of house. Fast moving clouds, I could see the eclipsed moon visually. Photography would not be optimal, possible clear shots in breaks thru clouds.

3 cameras were setup:

1) 5" f8 APO (Astrophysics) on G11 mount
Canon 20D @prime-focus

2) tripod w/Sony Digital8 video-camera

3) tripod w/Canon 350D

5" f8 shots:

7:38pm, totality [ 5" f8 APO, 1" ASA 1600 ]

7:39pm, totality [ 5" f8 APO, 2" ASA 1600 ]

7:44pm, totality [ 5" f8 APO, 2" ASA 1600 ]

7:44pm [ 5" f8 APO, 1" ASA 1600 ]

8:02pm [ 5" f8 APO, 1" ASA 1600 ]

8:03pm [ 5" f8 APO, 1" ASA 1600 ]

8:15pm [ 5" f8 APO, 1/6s ASA 1600 ]

8:25pm [ 5" f8 APO, 1/6s ASA 1600 ]

8:28pm [ 5" f8 APO, 1/6s ASA 1600 ]

Canon 350D shots (wide-angle):

Equipment:

Video:

totality, 24mm lens [ lunar eclipse 8/28/07 ]

2007-08-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

[ click for original image ]

24mm lens, SW horizon @3:03am PDT (start of totality)

Note the light-glow from Los Angeles

totality, 15mm fisheye lens [ lunar eclipse 8/28/07 ]

2007-08-29T16:57:00.001-07:00

[ click on image for original ]

eclipsed moon @3:59am PDT & the Northern Cross (constellation Cygnus)

Note the Summer Traingle of Altair/Vega/Deneb. The Northern Cross is setting in the NW horizon. NGC7000 is the famous North American nebula (near Deneb). The dark lane of the Milky Way is clearly visible.

totality, 50mm lens (horizon shot) [ lunar eclipse 8/28/07 ]

2007-08-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

30 sec
[ click for original image ]
1 min
[ click for original image ]
2 min
[ click for original image ]

50mm lens (horizon shot), end of totallity (~4:10 am)

totality, 100mm lens [ lunar eclipse 8/28/07 ]

2007-08-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

6 sec
[ click for original image ]
15 sec
[ click for original image ]
30 sec
[ click for original image ]
1 min
[ click for original image ]
2 min
[ click for original image ]

100mm lens

totality, 50mm lens [ lunar eclipse 8/28/07 ]

2007-08-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

2 sec
[ click for original image ]
4 sec
[ click for original image ]
9 sec
[ click for original image ]
15 sec
[ click for original image ]
30 sec
[ click for original image ]
1 min
[ click for original image ]
2 min
[ click for original image ]

50mm lens, totallity (4:00 am)

post-eclipse, setting moon [ lunar eclipse 8/28/07 ]

2007-08-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

100mm lens:
[ click for original image ]
200mm lens:
[ click for original image ]

post-eclipse, full moon setting in western horizon

observation site

2007-08-28T06:48:00.001-07:00

[ click for original image ]

Mount #1:
narrow-angle

Mount #2:
video & wide-angle

beautiful morning ends the eclipse

leaving totality 4:25am PDT

2007-08-28T04:46:00.001-07:00

totality 3:21am PDT

2007-08-28T03:23:00.001-07:00

partial phase 2:41am PDT

2007-08-28T02:45:00.000-07:00

partial phase 2:21am PDT

2007-08-28T02:33:00.000-07:00

partial phase 2:11am PDT

2007-08-28T02:16:00.001-07:00

partial phase 2:01am PDT

2007-08-28T02:04:00.000-07:00

partial phase 1:51am PDT

2007-08-28T01:51:00.000-07:00

Totality, HD fisheye video [ 2006 3/29 Salloum, Egypt ]

2006-04-11T00:22:00.000-07:00

Click To Play

wide-angle HD video (fisheye lens) of pre-Totality, 2nd contact, Totality, 3rd contact

Flash 8 version:

2006-04-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

Incredibly, the 747-400 "Dusseldorf" has a WiFi hotspot available. So, I'm blogging as we are flying over Greenland. The above pictures are nearly live.

overnight @Frankfurt, blogging with Internet zorks

2006-04-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

I caught some eats (inspired by C. Johnson/USC theoretical physicist), to "fuel up" in order to combat my flu. Then, I found a power-outlet & paid $18 Euro for a 24 hr WiFi T-Mobile connection. I then wandered over to the upper level to find a more comfortable blogging place, & ran into 2 Internet guys doing the same. We laughed about how the "watering hole" attracts PC users: power-outlets! I paid another $18 for 24 hr T-Mobile connection, & they checked out the QTVR eclipse pano (stitched by Robert Fisher), see above. At around 11:30pm I noticed my charge indicator went away..all of our laptops were NOT charging. Apparently, the power outlet was switched off. We quickly re-packed, & went searching for another power-outlet..we found one near the security checkpoint. We sprawled out, & spent there until 4am. Uh Oh, no T-Mobile signal for me! But, Laurie/Estonia found a Vodafone signal & it was 30 min free. Except, no uploads allowed. So, some fancy network setup by Laurie (using reverse Ethernet cable to mine) allowed uploading. We also discussed my RealTimeWebcasting project, & how Technology is difficult to get embraced by general community (see T-shirt logo). We messed around, until we couldn't STAND IT ANYMORE..4am like. We caught some food at the 24 hr store, & parted ways. I later ran into Laurie..on his way to Japan. This guy is a Linux wizard, he works for a security company in Japan. Wade is a Web specialist from Colorado, in process of relocating to England. We had some interesting discussions on history, culture, ethnicity, etc.

I never thought my overnight stay in Frankfurt would be such a rich experience.

flight to Frankfurt, geologist/environmental scientist

2006-04-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Lufthansa Flight #580 to Frankfurt was straightforward, I really enjoyed the BBC program on the 2006 World Cup in Leipzig/Germany. Lots of good material on competition & winning, i.e. Game Theory. The Swiss guy next to me was a geologist turned Environmental Scientist working for Siemens. He's looking at my eclipse pictures, & we discussed on science subjects. When I brought up Alfred Wegener (proposed Continental Drift, i.e. what we know now as Plate Tectonics) he said "of course, he is our patron saint". He even had a Scientific America, which ironically had a front cover about Particle Physics. We exchanged emails for future correspondence.

packup, archive images, leave for Cairo Int'l airport

2006-04-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

Overnight bus-trip from Dahab to Cairo was OK, slept half-way decent. Had a raging temperature (because of 2nd camel-ride) just before I left, so I was really concerned about getting sick on bus. Got into Cairo @6:30am, & got whisked off to Magy Hotel by their driver. Blogged some pics from their DSL terminal, then took a couple of hour nap. Woke up, & scrambled to start packing the 3 70 lb cases. Archived the images on my Powerbook. Running behind, left @12 noon. Man, was it chaotic getting out of our parking area, it was crammed w/vehicles. Got to Airport @12:50 (flight leaves @2:40pm), & there was mess involving baggage weight allowances (won't repeat it here). Got to plane @2:40pm..man, is that cutting it CLOSE or what!!

Blue Hole, camel ride to Abu Galum

2006-04-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

Camel ride to Abu Galum, from Blue Hole. Scenery was incredible, the contrast between desert & sea was amazing. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

Abu Galum is just a few huts on the beach, a few families. I ended up getting sick & cramps..again! Just like on the camel ride @Giza/pyramids. I had to dismount from the camel, & walk back on the return leg. My tender butt couldn't take it anymore.

eclipse pictures

2006-04-01T06:13:00.000-08:00

fisheye wide-angle

3rd contact, diamond-ring

2nd contact, diamond-ring

Eclipse weather was perfect..the rain 2 days earlier cleared out the dust.

Giza pyramids on camel

2006-03-31T13:03:00.000-08:00

I spent the day on a camel tour @Giza pyramids. Got a lot of photos, incl sunrise from a rooftop. Went inside the pyramid (incredibly humid) & saw the tomb. Did some QTVR panoramas. Went up a hill, & got some long distance view of pyramids. Late in the day there was a sandstorm & rain! Got sick, because of lack of water/food. Sunset pic opportunities was nil (because of rain), & headed back to hotel for rest. I leave for all night bus-trip to Dahab in 20 min.

10am Mar 27, weather update

2006-03-27T00:42:00.000-08:00

Univ of Athens prediction for Mar 27 (12:00 UTC, 2pm local time), clear skies. The low-pressure system moves on east.

Univ of Athens prediction for Mar 28 (12:00 UTC, 2pm local time), clear skies. The low-pressure system moves on east.

No prediction yet for Mar 29 (12:00 UTC, 2pm local time)..too far in advance.

signs of clearing @10:48am

I am feeling better about our weather prospects for Eclipse-day.

Raining on Mar 27 (morning), what!?

2006-03-26T23:56:00.000-08:00

A steady rain greeted me, as I woke up @9am. Hmm..this is not good for my stress levels. 1st, a fairly significant car problem. 2nd, issues with lack of freedom-of-movement for our 4x4 (can't offroad south of Sallum near Egypt/Libya border). 3rd, weather issues. Rain is NOT a welcome sight near eclipse-day! However, see previous post for clear sky prediction (Univ of Athens) for Wed/Mar 29. This Low pressure area should give way to dual High-Pressure areas (sandwiching Sallum)

In the background of pic, is the Libyan Plateau (where many observation areas are setup, incl Scientist-Area). The plateau goes all the way to the Mediterranean.

I didn't expect our 4x4 scout mission..to turn into mud-bogging!!

everyone is excited about blogging pictures of themselves to the Internet

Blogging over breakfast @Sallum

Blogging from Sallum/Egypt

2006-03-26T19:38:00.000-08:00

Blogging setup from house (Awaad's brother), using dialup connection. Had to bring in car-battery + Radio Shack inverter to power Powerbook. The 220VAC -> 120VAC adapter blew up in Marsa-Matrouh

Blogging & Sleeping.

Uploading multiple large files (video especially!) takes a long time, so I take a nap in between. Wakeup an hour later, & wrapup upload. I'm posting @5:43am, & have been up for 2hrs trying to get latest weather report. Looks good for Wednesday (Mar 29) E-Day, for 12:00 UT (about time of eclipse). No clouds expected, & high-pressure area dominant.

Here's what I expected:

1) freedom of movement (using 4x4) south of Sallum
2) difficult Internet access (if at all)

The exact OPPOSITE happened: almost no movement allowed south of Sallum (because of Egyptian military presence on Libya/Egypt border), & GREAT Internet access!

Dang, a eclipse LiveWebCast could be done from Awaad's brothers house! I probably come back to house after eclipse, & upload a few eclipse pictures before I head back to Cairo.

UPDATE: weather situation @5am local-time (Mar 27)

2006-03-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

weather front @2am local-time, note "L 1014" (2nd one from top, right-side) planted over Libya/Egypt border

MeteoFrance satellite-image @1am local-time, note clouds over Egypt/Libya border

Univ of Athens prediction for Mar 29 12:00 UT (2pm local-time), no clouds on Libya/Egypt border. note 2 high-pressure areas sandwiching Libya/Egypt border.

I guess there is some cause for optimism.

"Forecast is what you expect, Weather is what you get"

We will see what happens on E-day, on March 29 (around noon local time for eclipse)

weather update for March 29, itinerary for March 30

2006-03-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

Low-pressure area, causing the cloud-cover

uh-oh.., pessimistic weather prediction for Wed (Mar 29), eclipse-day

A more optimistic weather prediction (Univ of Athens/Greece)..some hope.

A corresponding optimistic weather forecast, corresponding to above

We visited the (only) hotel in Sallum, & discovered Dr. Serge Koutchmy had been in on Fri (March 24) inquiring about a place to store his telescope equipment. He is staying in Sidi Barani. As I was leaving, I was called over by a person (teacher of Arabic) who gave me directions to the high-school where Dr. Koutchmy will be observing eclipse. We plan to visit tomorrow, to exchange information/strategy on eclipse.

We had extensive discussion on itinerary for Monday (March 27):

- military presence on border, rules out any 4x4'ing recon missions near Libya/Egypt border (south of Sallum)
- trying for various places south of Sallum: last house, at base of "cliff" (Libyan Plateau)
- south & southwest of Bugbuq
- two hills in southern Sallum
- scientist-area on Libyan Plateau west of Sallum

getting permits for Sallum, relaxing over dinner

2006-03-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

making copies of passport & letter (Dr. Hady/Cairo University)

chill out after busy day, having dinner

"King's Meal", typical Egyptian cuisine. Green beans, lamb's meat, leaf dip, et al

hand-wash after meal

Bedouin contact in Sallum, place to stay & recon mission

2006-03-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

Awaad Elmebedy ("big chief" of Bedouin in Sallum) is Omar's contact. We will stay with him overnight, & go reconnaissance for eclipse campsite tomorrow

Omar "taking care of business" at work..

meeting @guest-room

Mekyed & son

discussing eclipse plans: visit scientist-area on Plateau (west of Sallum), find Dr. Serge Koutchmy (IAP/Paris) & his observation site in school

Leaving Marsa-Matrouh, driving to Sallum

2006-03-26T12:27:00.000-08:00

Omar driving

hint of clouds to the west..trouble!

uh-oh..more clouds!

Magellan GPS (Sport Track) & Nokia cellphone, prepared for 4x4'ing to look for isolated campsite. We want a perfect eclipse-site in the outback.

Leaving Marsa-Matrouh, Toyota Landcruiser fixed

2006-03-26T12:16:00.000-08:00

Eating just before leaving, Toyota Landcruiser is fixed

solar eclipse flyer for Sallum/Egypt

Awad (Omar's ex-Navy friend, who arranged condo reservation in Marsa-Matrouh)

early Sunday morning (Mar 26) in Marsa-Matrouch

2006-03-26T01:57:00.000-08:00

early Sunday morning in fruit-stand in Marsa-Matrouh

restaurant next to condo, I ordered beans in a Pita..GREAT! Reminds me of Baja Mexico & Mexican food.

Omar eating breakfast @restaurant

Blogging from Marsa-Matrouh

2006-03-26T01:56:00.000-08:00

Blogging over dial-up connection in condominium (Marsa-Matrouh). Omar's old Navy friend knows the owner of the condo, which gave us the reservation. Unfortunately, the 220VAC -> 120 VAC converter bought @Radio Shack (Alexandria) was rated only for 20W, & it blew up! (the laptop accessory uses 70W). So, my blog only lasted 30 min.

Unfortunately, the car was being stored at Omar's friends house, so I couldn't pull out the spare-battery & use the inverter (12VDC -> 120VAC). Next morning, we did this (while Toyota Landcruiser is being fixed), which is how I'm blogging now..

Toyota Landcruiser prior to be taken to repair shop

"equipment malfunction" 80 clicks out of Alexandria

2006-03-26T01:10:00.000-08:00

vibration noticed, thought it was a out-of-balance tire. All of a sudden, it got real bad & we had to pull off to the shoulder. Was sure it was a flat tire. Lo & behold..no flat tire! Omar removed left-front tire, to discover above. The caliper had been forced into backing-plate, causing the vibration. (inside of rim gouged the caliper, the caiper's secondary brake line had separated, causing a brake-fluid leak).

We discovered 1 of the 2 bolts holding the caliper onto the hub was missing, the other one was barely attached. We surmised that these 2 bolts were not tightened sufficiently at last check-up, & the caliper had worked itself loose to cause above condition.

Omar made a series of calls to his friends in Alexandria, & 2 teams of mechanics were summoned.

The 1st group arrive to dismantle the damaged parts.

The 2nd group of mechanics had spare parts: new backing-plate, new bearings (upper & lower), new caliper. The upper-bearing was damaged (tons of play) & had to be replaced. Unfortunately, the bolts to attached the caliper didn't work, so we plugged the brake-line & limped to Marsa-Matrouh on just right-front brakes. It was nightfall (~8pm) when everything was finished.

The plan is to get final fix in Marsa Matrouh (which is happening as I blog from the condominium, Omar & friend are doing it right now)

pre-trip preparation

2006-03-26T00:43:00.000-08:00

Getting fuel-injectors checked out on machine, a friend at the shop..

Getting battery to power eclipse equipment.

arrival @ Cairo Int'l airport, @Alexandria, & shopping

2006-03-26T00:26:00.000-08:00

arrival @Cairo Int'l Airport, the Magy Hotel staff member moving my 3 cases of equipment (70 lbs each), plus 2 other carryon bags.

arrival in Alexandria, on 1st class train (excellent service & food). Going to meet Omar Mansour, my 4x4 operator/guide to Sallum.

Omar Mansour @mall, we are getting supplies (food, blankets, etc) for our camping trip to Sallum

Lufthansa flight #584, Frankfurt to Cairo

2006-03-26T00:19:00.000-08:00

Edina Bohanec (UC Berkeley student in Sociology) next to me, giving me advice on Egypt sites. In particular, Dahab (on Red Sea): $1/night huts on beach & climbing Mt. Sinai at night (!). I will be doing this after eclipse. She & her (Egyptian) husband are contemplating going to Sallum for eclipse, that was my strong recommendation.

Studying 2 Egypt guide books.

Flight over Mediterranean, approaching N. Africa coast.

2006-03-26T00:13:00.000-08:00

near sunset, Lufthansa flight #457 over Atlantic: destination Frankfurt. Bunch of other eclipse-chasers on this flight

LAX, preparing to board Lufthansa Flight #457

2006-03-21T22:27:00.000-08:00

I'm posting from LAX, waiting to board Lufthansa Flight #457 (to Frankfurt)..connecting to Cairo.

CRAZY last 24 hrs. Did extensive testing of my eclipse-program, got it "nailed down". Tear down equipment started at 9pm & it took FIVE HOURS to get it all packed! Finished @2am, & drove to LAX Customs to get the cameras/camcorders/lenses declared. Almost didn't happen! Got back home @6am, & continued onto 10am for further packing. Got 1 hr of sleep, & wrapped up packing. Took shuttle to LAX, & nice couple (originally from Germany) on the same shuttle are going on the same flight!

Security check-in was a nightmare, the hand-check of film was a fiasco. The girl had to open ALL my film canisters, & practically destroyed the 120 B&W film. Lufthansa staff were extremely professional & courteous.

See here for further pics on mobile-blog.