Constitution Hill Observatory

I thought last week was busy for items arriving but this week was on par if not greater. A number of the items that I’ve decided to purchase do not necessarily fit in the “must have” category. But somehow I seem to have convinced myself that I need them. Either for this total eclipse or for other projects that I’m looking to undertake in film and photography. The damage is done now, the credit card is still smoking, so let me take you through the latest.

For locaton and timing accuracy I’ve decided to go with a Bluetooth USB GPS dongle. Whilst there were same bare bones versions, I opted for one that can do data logging which is great for trips and geotagging photos. The make and model is the Qstarz BT-Q1000XT-F. I’ve included a picture of the device next to a standard mouse for reference. I’ll post a video eventually of the unboxing that I did, but first impressions? It does what it says. 

I was able to get it working relatively easily with both my main computer via USB and a Asus Eee PC via BlueTooth. The main application that I wanted to verify was Eclipse Orchestrator and that worked perfectly. The suggested clock error being detected was well within the suggested range by the creators of the application. One downside I found is that only one application at a time can access the information. This could be down to the use of the serial comm port interface. To be honest that is not an issue for what I want to use it for.

In addition to the GPS dongle, a package from Rainbow Symphony arrived. The package took only four days to arrive in Sydney from California. I had purchased a variety of solar filters for the video and DSLR cameras and for good measure, 25 solar filter glasses. These might be handy to have for people who are not prepared and leave it to the last minute to secure. Added to a number of eclipse glasses I have left over from the 2004 Venus Transit I should be able to make some people happy. Here is a shot of the video and DSLR cameras all setup.

One additional purchased that I hadn’t necessarily counted on but thought it would be a great idea to have one lying around, was a video fluid head. Manfrotto have a few that I liked and this one was reasonably priced when sourced from somewhere like B&H Photo and Video. The model # is MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head. Very nice design though a touch heavy being made out of magnesium. Added to the tripod head I bought some bags for my Giottos MTL-8360B’s, a padded bag for the Manfrotto 393 and a Think Tank Pixel Sunscreen.

So all of the large purchases are now done and have been delivered. I am glad that I didn’t leave it too late and be disappointed in the final weeks.Next weekend will be big as we start to approach the last full moon at which point I’ll take the opporunity to check sample exposures. Theoretically speaking the DSLR should be OK but I want to make sure that I know the correct setting for the video camera (Sony CX700) for ideal exposure. On auto exposure the gain is too great and I won’t get to film any subtle detail.

In the next three and a bit weeks to go I’ll be practising setup and configuration followed by a number of trial runs. Will keep you informed of my progress.

n my last post I talked about the the type of kit I was looking at so that I can shoot the upcoming eclipse in Far North Queensland. Since then I’ve made some decisions and placed some orders. Now it is just the waiting game for everything to arrive.

For the lense I opted for the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM. This will get me close to the action whilst providing me with some other options later on for the use of telephoto. There is an Avalon Air Show in Melbourne that I intend to get to next year and have heard this is a great lense for capturing it. The lens is being sourced locally in Australia and spoke with the retailer last week. Should arrive in the next week or so.

To support and mount the lens on the Canon 7D I went with the Manfrotto 939 Gimbal mount. This was sourced from B&H Photo and Video in New York. 

On this expedition I not only want to shoot stills I also want to capture video. I believe video offers me the opportunity to capture not only the event itself but the reactions of people in and around. I am hoping to capture screams, cheers and high fives. To do this I am going to use my Sony CX700 Full HD HandyCam video camera. This is such a great little unit and the quality of images is superb. Like the telephoto lens my plan is to get as close to the action as possible. In this case I’ve opted for a Sony VCL-HG1737C 37mm 1.7x High Grade Telephoto Converter Lens. This was also sourced from B&H Photo and Video.

As I mentioned before the Canon lens will arrive shortly. The gimbal mount and teleconverter took about one week to arrive from the US via UPS. Not bad really. 

So what else do I need to get? One thing that I’ve been lacking over the years is a decent tripod. I have a Manfrotto 190XPROB and thought I’ve seen some posts around taking the head off it seems a touch painful. Instead I want something that is light and allows attachment of a ball head or the gimbal mount in this case. There have been a couple of sales on lately for Giottos so have placed an order for two sets of tripod legs and another ball head to match the Giottos 1311-656 that I already have.

One final purchase will be filters for the lens. I’m looking at a couple of options there but that will do it from a hardware perpective. Once I’ve got everything I’ll post some pictures and maybe a video or two.

I previously mentioned that I had booked my holiday to Port Douglas to watch the total solar eclipse in November. One of the last things that I had to organised for up there was the car hire. That too has been completed. I pick the car up from the airport and have wheels for all the time that I am up there.

Being mobile is going to be key. I want to travel around and understand all the options that I have on the morning. But I suspect in reality I can dream all I want, the day of the eclipse will be chaotic. For some reason they have organised a marathon the same day to coincide. Crazy!
I am still undecided on my final setup for cameras and video. I joined a Yahoo group (http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SEML) called SEML (Solar Eclipse Mailing List) to seek advice from experts. A number of people replied which was great. All of the feedback was very practical from trying to reduce the complexity of what I was trying to achieve. Rather than going with one tripod I will probably opt for at least two. That way I can split the risk if I bump one versus the other.

Mounting the and pointing a video camera should be easy due to the size and weight. But with the DSLR and a decent size lens I am looking for a gimbal type mount. Manfrotto has one that seems to be reasonably priced. I’ve included a video that I found on YouTube.

Not entirely sold on using a Manfrotto just yet. Will continue my investigations on that front.

Now to the size of the telephoto lens. There is one site dedicated to eclipse photography that gives a real good indication on the size of the moon/sun (click here). I don’t want to be too far away and nor would I look to be too close as the $ of the lens would be too high. So for the moment I’ve got my eye on the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM. 

This year on the 14th November 2012, a total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Australia and the Pacific. Being located on 3 hours flying time away this is a perfect opportunity to see my first total solar eclipse. It will certainly be a thrilling experience.

Back in August 1999 I was living in the United Kingdom which experienced a total solar eclipse through parts of Devon and Cornwall. I was located just outside of London at the time which was just north of the path of totality. We only experienced 96% coverage of the sun but it gave me a fair idea as to what a total solar eclipse would be like.

My memories of the day are quite clear. The day was clear and someone in the office had welding glass. When the moon started to cover the sun I rushed home and grabbed my video camera. I still have the video on Mini-DV somewhere and will look to put it on YouTube at some point. I can also remember the temperature becoming noticeably cooler at the maximum point of coverage.

When I learnt of the 2012 eclipse in Far North Queensland I booked my leave over a year in advance. This is rare feat for me but such an event is so rare I may as well make the effort to experience one in person. The flights are booked and so is the accommodation. 

Next steps are to prepare to photograph and video the event itself. I’ve located a nice application called Eclipse Orchestrator which can control when photographs are taken when an eclipse is under way. My intent at this stage is to have 2 Canon EOS DSLRs (7D, 350D) and also a high definition video camera recording. Mounting the three cameras may be a touch difficult but I’ve spotted a rail system from Giottos that looks very promising. Check it out here (http://www.photogear.co.nz/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=785). Added to the mounting rail I probably need a new tripod and a couple of ball heads so will start shopping around.

That’s it in terms of an update for now but stay tuned for more as the big day draws closer.

We’ve been blessed with good weather over the past couple of days and this has allow some great viewing of Comet McNaught. I travelled up to Buckleys Road in Winston Hills to take photos in the early evening. This is the view towards the south west in the direction of the Prospect Reservoir.

On the 8th June 2004 the world had the opportunity to watch the transit of Venus across the Suns disk. As there had been over 122 years since the last transit I decided that it was more than worthy of taking the day off to watch and record. With my Meade LX200GPS 10 inch telescope and a couple of video cameras I was able to observe the Venus transit.

Here is a shot of the front lawn with the telescope connected to a computer, along with the other video cameras. The telescope was pointed directly at the Sun as I had a solar filter attached. The video cameras only had welding glasses of shade 12.

Located 35km south west of Canberra and sheltered in an isolated valley of the Murrumbidgee River is the Tidbindilla Tracking Station (now known as the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex). Here is DSS-43, a 70 meter dish constructed initially in 1976. It is the largest steerable parabolic antenna in the Southern Hemisphere. The antennas of the CDSCC continuously track spacecraft which include Voyager 2, Hubble and the Mars Rovers (Opportunity and Spirit).

Here we can see three antenna. Located on the left hand side and designated DSS-46 is a 26 meter dish. It was originally located at Honeysuckle Creek and moved to Tidbindilla in 1981. Located in the middle foreground is the YAGI array. The smaller dish on the right hand side is the CTF antenna.