Annular Eclipse viewing

Dawn watches the moon block the sun

Today I went w/ Dawn and Raechel out to Wupatki NM to watch the annular eclipse. Evidently some other people had the same idea and as we approached the visitor center the road became a parking lot. We turned off to Wukoki ruins and watched from there along with a much smaller and more pleasant group of people. One couple had a telescope set up that had enough magnification to easily see 3 sunspots. We didn't have any eclipse glasses, but others did and passed them around. I was able to take pics through the eclipse glasses, but it was hard to hold them and find the sun and focus and hold everything still. It is much easier to do with the moon because you don't have to hold a filter or worry about burning out your sensor or eye.

one sunspot is visible in the upper center of the sun

As the moon crept over the sun it got noticeably darker and cooler.

The "ring of fire" only lasted a few minutes

The shadows also were pretty cool, forming crescent shapes instead of circles when the light went through a gap. I didn't look at the shadows during the brief "ring of fire" period, but they probably would have looked cool.

odd looking shadows with crescents

watching the sun approaching the horizon

Wukoki ruin during the eclipse

The eclipse was still going on with maybe a quarter of the moon over the sun when it set. We sat around for a while to let the crowds disperse before returning to Flagstaff.

It was an enjoyable little jaunt to photogeek and watch a rare event.

Dawn posted some pics too, you can see them here:

http://dawnkish.blogspot.com/2012/05/solar-eclipse-of-heart-wukoki-ruin-az.html