Preparing for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, Pt. 4 (Star Tracker Tips incl. Daytime Polar Alignment)
Рет қаралды 33,852
Күн бұрынIn this part, I cover various tips and topics including: daytime polar alignment, meridian flip, and Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. Head to www.squarespace.com/nebulaphotos to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code NEBULAPHOTOS
Full Solar Eclipse playlist: • Total Solar Eclipse Im...
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Resources
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PS Align Pro (iOS): apps.apple.com/us/app/polar-s...
PolarAligner Pro (Android): play.google.com/store/apps/de...
Sky-watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack: bit.ly/3v0UZQa
Sky-watcher Star Adventurer GTi (with Tripod): bit.ly/43IDLDl
Stellarium: stellarium.org/
List of Eclipse Camera Automation Software: eclipse.aas.org/resources/app...
Xavier Jubier's Interactive Google Map: xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/...
Xavier Jubier's Eclipse Exposure Calculator: xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/...
Lens & Sensor Visualization Tool: moonzoom.world
Solar Eclipse Timer App:
Apple - apps.apple.com/us/app/solar-e...
Android - play.google.com/store/apps/de...
Freewell Magnetic Solar Filter: bhpho.to/3SL26V3
Baader Astrosolar Safety Film for making your own custom filters (3 stores in case any sell out):
Agena - bit.ly/448ursS
B&H - bhpho.to/3r4RFBj
High Point Scientific - bit.ly/3PxkpNm
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Contents
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0:00 Why use a tracker?
3:05 2 things I forgot: Raw vs. JPEG, Spare batteries
4:51 Daytime Polar Alignment
9:27 Meridian Flip Discussion
12:50 Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks Discussion
18:20 Squarespace
This video is sponsored by Squarespace.
@ueligrunder609 5 ай бұрын
i will travel from Switzerland to Texas to look this solar eclipse. It will be my second total ecipse after 11.8.99 in France.. I am planing tow others to see.... Thanks for this great chanel
@Twobarpsi 5 ай бұрын
I wish you good luck!!
@sylvainreynaud 3 ай бұрын
me too ! Geneva -> Dallas
@eric-workjaakkola1281 3 ай бұрын
Were you able to see it?
@bradperry4902 5 ай бұрын
Thanks so much for this series. Daytime polar alignment is one of the problems I've been working on solving as of late and it is very encouraging to see I was exactly on the right track with PS Align Pro and a piece of wood to hold the phone. I appreciate how clearly you explain everything in all of your videos without ever dumbing it down so much that the important details get omitted.
@sunnymind 5 ай бұрын
Thanks so much for clarifying the polar alignment stuff. I was really wondering about it
@junktrunk909 5 ай бұрын
This is such a good call out about the meridian flip, Nico, thank you! Now that I look it up for my planned location, the sun crosses the meridian about 2 minutes before C1. I would have been so confused and frustrated!
@mikehardy8247 5 ай бұрын
I feel foolish. Even after researching, I can't seem to be figure out how to turn on the Meridian line alone. On a side note, I wish there was an in depth tutorial on Stelarium (video)😊
@JoeInMemphis 4 ай бұрын
With my Bresser tracking mount I would set everything up, then tell it to go to Jupiter (that was just above the east horizon) so it would think it’s pointed at Jupiter, then I would unlock right ascension and declination and point it at the sun, that’s how I did the last eclipse and did not get the meridian flip at the wrong time…
@francislesliezabala1870 4 ай бұрын
Thank you for Nico for creating this video. I now can get a proper day alignment with my StarAdventurer GTI. Clear Skies!
@travlon5101 5 ай бұрын
These videos have been very helpful. Thanks so much for doing them. I completely forgot about the meridian flip. I'll be practicing with all this in the next few days in my backyard. I want to be ALL ready on eclipse day. I will have a second camera with a wide angle lens, for the comet and planets all set up, ready to go.
@dgodiex 5 ай бұрын
Great didactic skill Nico! keep it up and thanks for all the valuable info.
@JeffBeairsto 5 ай бұрын
Thanks. This was very helpful, I hadn't considered the possibility of viewing/shooting the comet.
@davidg5898 5 ай бұрын
Great series!. I'll be using some of these tips. I won't be in the path of totality but my area will be just shy of 90% obscuration. I'm all set for both visual and photographic observation. And I'll be distributing solar viewers to my family and close friends in the weeks before (I always keep a bunch handy, to avoid shortages and price gouging when solar stuff happens). In one of these episodes, you need to give a gentle reminder to keep a cover/cap over any lens without a solar filter. Finder scopes, for example, are a common oversight.
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Good idea. I'm mostly a photographer so not thinking about finderscopes.
@sorggalder 4 ай бұрын
Hi Nico!!!😊 thank you so much. Appreciate the tip.
@WilliFromEarth 5 ай бұрын
Thank you for the hint with the scrap wood.
@COGSCNY 5 ай бұрын
Keep these coming I’m completely infected with eclipse fever and cant wait for April.
@rj66600 5 ай бұрын
I’ll be heading to Arkansas for this eclipse. This video is extremely helpful. Thanks man.
@jeffreyherbert1907 5 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for your informative videos!!
@flappah 4 ай бұрын
For those who have the MSM Nomad tracker they also have a Day Time Polar Alignment kit. It basically lets you assemble your phone to the tracker casing.
@nsick 3 ай бұрын
Thank you for all of this information! I'm a veteran night photographer but newbie to the Star Adventurer so your video series has been really helpful for me. I'm going to do my best on Monday and see what I can get!
@Jason-qt8bm 5 ай бұрын
Exceptional series Nico! Using Stellarium I've will be trying to get the Pleiades, Jupiter, p12 Pons-Brooks and the Eclipse with a Nikon and 50mm lens. Best of luck to all and clear skies
@NikonJax 5 ай бұрын
Nico, you rock!
@gabewrsewell 5 ай бұрын
thank you again! i’m not sure i would’ve even remembered to deal with the meridian flip on the day of reckoning. and that’s funny we have the exact same plan for the comet during totality, i also have the amazing Sigma 40mm Art lens, and if i can afford a third camera within the next month then i was going to frame it up with jupiter, venus, the eclipse, and the comet as well! :)
@Lord_Volkner 4 ай бұрын
Thanks Nico.
@davidletz9123 5 ай бұрын
Texas is going to be a bona fide madhouse!! 🤣
@jhn1987 5 ай бұрын
I wish you had posted this video months ago. I got a German Equatorial mount for the 2017 solar eclipse. I got up at 3 o’clock in the morning to do a polar alignment and even mark the spot in the ground where the tripod legs are. When it came to the photograph of the eclipse, the equatorial mount did not track the sun properly, and I struggled mightily, I swore that for the next eclipse I would do differently. I ended up getting a sky watcher, solar quest mount, which does seamlessly track the sun, however, it can only be used for solar photography.
@hotflashfoto 5 ай бұрын
Tips. Written down. Thank you!
@GilbertTang 5 ай бұрын
Thank you!
@cosmic_sailor_ 5 ай бұрын
18:05 Astrophotographers dream😍
@joeguetzloff4465 4 ай бұрын
I was unaware you could add comets in Stellarium. Thanks Nico! That makes daily map research null and void. 😁
@robertharper3057 5 ай бұрын
thanks for the suggestion regarding using the polar alignment app. i had been trying to hold it next to the mount with poor results (duh) and now have a little platform with a spare dovetail mounted to perform the alignment (sometimes i skip over the really simple ways to do things)
@terrance_huang 5 ай бұрын
7:13 Smartphone compass has very very high error angle, even after "calibration", the magnets in equatorial mount motors also affects the phone. Better use a map, and roughly point the mount to a far away true north building's edge or other object
@customislandtours 5 ай бұрын
My goal for this eclipse is to get the Earthshine. I figure with this eclipse being longer than normal, it will give me more time to fiddle with the camera settings. After that, if I still have time, I could try for the comet. I use a 18 to 400mm on a crop-sensor Canon 77D, so it looks like I could just zoom out until I have Venus on one side and Jupiter on the other, and the comet should be in the frame. Thanks! Great video.
@naveenravindar 5 ай бұрын
Did not know about the daytime align feature on PS align. Definitely going to give a try this weekend! Hopefully its an improvement over just using a compass. I'm also planning on a wide shot to try to get the comet and I really hope it pops up!
@MrPixelspin 5 ай бұрын
This video comes at the perfect moment. I am planning to photograph the eclipse with the StarAdventurer, an R5 and 70/200 2.8 with 2x extender. This is gonna be my first eclipse ever, and we are travelling from the Netherlands to San Antonio. I am getting a bit stressed. 😂
@Sander.1980 5 ай бұрын
Leuk ritje man.Kon ik dat ook maar doen. Haha.Zoiets moet je wel meemaken idd.
@shadowtriber666 5 ай бұрын
I have a Sky-Watcher Solar Quest trackers and that’s all I really need. It works wonders.
@shortexposureastrophotogra4988 4 ай бұрын
Nice video! I'm planning to try a wide angle shot with a Nikon D50 and 20mm lens. May be able to include M45 Pleiades, Aldebaran and Hyades, M31, the comet and ofcourse the Sun in the lower right corner. I'm thinking of setting up that mount, an old Orion Atlas, already on the west half of the sky, hopefully at right r.a. and dec, then just start it tracking right before totality. I want to have the exposures happening automatically, so I hope to use an old Nikon program to click away. I'm just going to cover the camera with a thick towel and remove it when totality happens. I'm also going to order the clouds to disappear 😅
@cwillybiker 4 ай бұрын
Great video! Super helpful. My question is about camera orientation. With a tracker, the camera perspective will change as the mount rotates. Do you rotate the images in post-processing to get consistent angle (to agree with what you observe with your eyes)? The other option is to fiddle with the camera periodically to keep it level, which seems like a bad thing to do. Thanks!
@joshhaas2410 4 ай бұрын
Great run-down. I’m not sure which part of my tracker to place the phone for the best accuracy. I feel like having my camera mount attached and having the phone there is best so the weight of the camera mount and counterweight are in place but on the other hand, having it on the tracker base would be more accurate to get the base aligned. Thoughts?
@meteorchaser946 4 ай бұрын
With the sky brightness during totality I suspect you may need to stack and calibrate many images to get the comet if it is only around mag 4 and apply a median filter to remove the sky background too. It may be something you could practise using the western sky at the end of civil twilight trying to pick out mag 4/5 stars.
@richardcranium5839 4 ай бұрын
one thing i dont remember you mentioning is a remote shutter. my camera has wifi but its real limited what you can do. it does work the shutter but some may not have that. corded remores are cheap if your camera can take one. i picked up an equatorial mount dirt cheap on goodwill that way i dont have to mess with my telescope
@Joshs4stro 5 ай бұрын
There's also 2% illuminated Mercury on eclipse day, so if you have a big dob or something and are confident in planetary imaging, it would be cool to go for it as Mercury's thinner phases are very dim and not usually visible.
@brucecenterwall1270 4 ай бұрын
I love your content. Very informative. I do have a question for you. I will be using the 2i and will be in Radar Base, TX. Do I need to be concerned about the meridian line; as I plan to shoot video during C2 to C3.
@MountainFisher 5 ай бұрын
I will be videoing it. One with solar film on a maksutov and one on a 50mm Lunt HA solar scope I will adjust for the Corona. I will watch the eclipse with 7x50 binoculars. My mount has gps and is an iOptron AZ Pro so video is only option.
@Robert-jd6gq 5 ай бұрын
My AZ EQ5 Works well Using point and track. I get some drift at about 15-20 min
@cbernheisel87 5 ай бұрын
just got my air bnb in texas, cant wait
@gammondog 5 ай бұрын
I'm envious! Good luck and cloudless skies.
@hbhavsi 4 ай бұрын
This is my first total solar eclipse (witnessing as well as photographing). You have no idea how much I've learnt from your channel. Thank you so much! I have rented a Sony 200-600 lens and an iOptron SkyGuider Pro which is flying directly to Dallas, and I'm flying in separately, so I'm going in without practice lol. But I'm preparing a lot of notes and settings, and will practice with a different lens + intervalometer, bracketing, etc. beforehand. The sky tracker flipping at the meridian really just threw me off. I had no idea about it, and I am panicking lol. I've never used a sky tracker before and I thought it would be simple like calibrating it and setting it to point to the sun. Any tips on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro?
@justmike1800 4 ай бұрын
Thanks! Ill be traveling lighter now with my az-gte to avoid the flip instead of taking my SA gti.
@WilliFromEarth 5 ай бұрын
Did you try this on your ZWO AM5 (AM3) mount? Does the mount itself interfere with the electronic compass/sensor in the mobile phone? The iPhone 13 fits nicely into the Losmandy clamp.
@RaymondKPhotoVideography 4 ай бұрын
Do you have any ideas about what settings to use when filming around totality? Like if I check online for the settings for Diamond Ring an Baily’s Beads (photography) there is quite a wide gal of advise.. I plan on shooting it close up, with a Sony. And shoot in sLog3, to get as much space in Dynamic Range as possible. But I really don’t know what is a good starting point (ISO/shutter speed/Aperture wise), to get the Diamond Ring, Baily’s Beads and the Prominences in one exposed video.. Would appreciate any tips about that. 🙂🙂
@NatarajanGanesan 5 ай бұрын
Smartphone offers a wide fov. In a Pro mode and using a tracker, it maybe possible to work out some exposures.
@douglasgoodman226 4 ай бұрын
I've go the "Move Shoot Move" star tracker. It doesn't have a "Sun" setting. Will it work for the eclipse? BTW what's the difference twixt star tracking and sun tracking? Thanks! Love your tutorials.
@OnceShy_TwiceBitten 3 ай бұрын
I can't seem to find info on an LX90 Alt az style mount? They don't allow solar as far I know.
@vattarai 5 ай бұрын
Great video! Are you also planning to drop a video for more advanced workflow, maybe using one of the automated scripting method to capture. I plan to use multiple setup and also not want to fiddle around with the camera during the totality.
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Yes, that will be part 5 or 6. Will try to get it out as soon as I can, but I'd suggest start looking in to the programs now: eclipse.aas.org/resources/apps-software#automate
@vattarai 5 ай бұрын
Thank you, looking forward to the video !!! @@NebulaPhotos
@CAPHOTO1961 5 ай бұрын
I just moved to Austin Tx this past November. I dont even have to leave my yard!
@lidarman2 5 ай бұрын
You will get nearly two minutes of totality. If you go little NW, you can bump that to 4+ minutes. But I see the merit of staying put. The traffic will be nuts, I'm sure.
@CAPHOTO1961 5 ай бұрын
@@lidarman2 They have already issued state of emergency for the traffic. Its estimated that the population will double or so. Ive never seen totaality just partials so anything will be great for me.
@AmatureAstronomer 5 ай бұрын
Neat.
@devinbeamon3906 5 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for these videos. I plan to use my Zenithstar 61 refractor with Baader Astro Film. Is this safe to use? Or, is there a specific grade of solar film for telescopes?
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Baader Astrosolar film is safe for all optics, so you are all set!
@ulbuilder 4 ай бұрын
From my limited testing the Android Polar Aligner Pro seems to use magnetic north not true north.
@douglasfleming1 5 ай бұрын
Thanks Nico. Valuable stuff. Question not really central to your topic, but I hope you can answer: are meridan flips for the sole purpose of avoiding crashing telescopes into mounts? In other words, can I avoid flips if my rig is set up so thar there us no possibility of that crash?
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
That is the primary reason, yes. Some mounts, like the GTi I showed, also need to flip because due to their design they can only track so far past the meridian before a part of the mount runs into another part of the mount. (I called this a hard stop in the video). I’m not sure if tracking suffers when imaging with counterweights up. I’ve done my fair share of it on the Orion Atlas and Sky-watcher EQ6-R mounts and haven’t seen much of a difference, but your mileage may vary.
@chamithathukorala1985 5 ай бұрын
Can we use daystar h alpha sola filter to eclipse
@sorggalder 4 ай бұрын
Hi Nico, on the exposure calculator, what f stop number would I use if photographing through a telescope. f/6 ? My Stellarvue 80mm is a f/6. Thank you Nico.
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
Correct, as long as you aren’t using a reducer with the Stellarvue, you can use f/6 in the calculator
@kamcma1 5 ай бұрын
Thank you for the great video. I asked in the comments of the first eclipse prep video whether solar filters were required for ultra wide-angle photography of the eclipse (ie, more landscape eclipse photography than astro eclipse photography). Your answer was no: ≤ 24mm does not require a solar filter at any time. 40mm for the comet + eclipse wide shot isn't quite that wide, but it's also not telephoto. To check my understanding: would your proposed 40mm image require a solar filter during totality? What about pre-totality while framing the shot?
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
During totality, we want filters OFF on everything. During the partial phases, I’ll be using a solar filter on the 40mm to be safe. If it was just a quick shot, it would be fine, but since I’ll be tracking the sun for an hour before totality with the lens pointed at the sun the whole time, I’d rather be safe than sorry. Again for very wide field (24mm and under) it’s not necessary to use a filter during partial phase. Some still will if they are making a composite photo showing the partial phases.
@kamcma1 5 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos Thank you again for all your great content. Very clear answer.
@sciencoking 3 ай бұрын
I was taking night time shots before monday morning and got ISO stuck at 12800 until totality. Took only one shot and it was trash, but it was more important to just see it anyway :) See you guys in Spain
@richardshagam8608 5 ай бұрын
I downloaded the polar alignment app even before I finished watching. Wow!! Thanks for the tip! And is there any possibility of capturing the comet and Jupiter with a cellphone camera? Probably a stupid idea, but I don't want to have to buy/borrow another camera
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Hard to say. If the comet is having an outburst during the eclipse, it may be visible naked-eye. If that’s the case, your cell phone would be able to capture it. Right now the comet is definitely not bright enough to be picked up by a cell phone. One thing you can do in the next month is try capturing Jupiter and/or the comet at dusk. If it works at dusk, it should work during totality.
@rsxrider1923 4 ай бұрын
I got a question. I am very new at using a Star Tracker. I recently bough the Sky adventurer 2i. My question is when I do the polar alignment during the day, the sun is behind the polar coordinates (if that makes sense). Can I just turn the tripod around and point the camera at the sun once I have completed the polar alignment?
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
The tripod and sky adventurer mount head itself have to stay in the same position pointed north. The way to get the camera pointed at the sun is by loosening the two clutches on the sky adventurer and/or installing a ball head for the camera on the tracker. Once you are pointed at the sun, tighten down the clutches/ball head and turn on solar tracking. It’s possible to point anywhere in the sky just using the clutches, but some find a ball head easier as they are more used to it and it also gives a bit more control over rotation if not using a lens collar.
@jasonmarotta9545 5 ай бұрын
@NebulaPhotos Nico, I think you said you were going to Texas in April. What method did you use to calculate the SA-GTI meridian flip during totality?
@junktrunk909 5 ай бұрын
Pretty sure you should be able to just put coordinates in stellarium, advance the time, and you'll see when the sun crosses the meridian
@jasonmarotta9545 5 ай бұрын
@@junktrunk909 I did some digging into this issue, looks like I can manually slew my camera all the way to the east (counter weights pointing west), then ask the SA-GTI to slew to the sun, effectively pre-flipping well before. Will hopefully test this next week.
@junktrunk909 5 ай бұрын
@@jasonmarotta9545thanks for the update. Yeah I think I'll end up doing the same. I checked my own location and see the sun will cross meridian just 2 min prior to C1 so I'm hopeful that your approach will do the trick for me too. Gotta test myself this weekend.
@ronawood 4 ай бұрын
When you do the manual meridian flip, do you rotate the camera body back to a vertical direction?
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
I just leave it alone and flip the image in post-processing. Will be 180 flip from what it was on the other side
@alan.macrae 4 ай бұрын
@nebula photos Hi Nico, what are your thoughts on using an external monitor, like a Atomos Ninja 5+ for viewing and focusing aids while shooting the eclipse? Helpful or not so much? Thanks
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
Yes, definitely could be very helpful. Go for it!
@achernarpolis8842 5 ай бұрын
Suggest any general exposure settings for the eclipse w comet data capture/image? Not a lot of time for data so I would guess lots of short exposures?
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Yeah, that’s a challenge, and I’m still thinking about it. I’ll try some practice shots at dusk in March. Depends a lot on focal ratio, but I’m going to try f/1.4 and lots of 1-5s exposures, the corona will be totally blown out, but I’m hoping it still looks cool. Maybe I’ll throw in some really short exposures for the corona and do some kind of composite blending of the shots.
@paulboone714 5 ай бұрын
I have the GTi and a HEQ5, was curious to know since both are go to mounts, can you do the same with the HEQ as you can with the GTi when it comes to the app and solar tracking? Because I think it would be cool to have one with my AT60ED shooting the eclipse it's self for getting the Iris and doing a HDR and controlling it with my IPad, the other (GTi) would have my Rokinon 135 and possibly capturing wide angle Solar Eclipse along with the comet.. we will see... As for shooting with a lense and capturing both items, would you want to keep your F stop down or to capture the light for the Comet, suggest keeping at like a F 2.8 or 2.4 still?
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Yes, GTi and HEQ5 both can do solar tracking. The HEQ5 can be controlled by the app if you have the Wi-Fi dongle. Yes, that is my thinking - focus on the Comet and keep the aperture wide open or close.
@hangerbird 5 ай бұрын
Going to Texas with the SunQuest instead of my Star Adventurer. How did you get to show just the meridian line on stellarium?
@denisemoser7318 5 ай бұрын
on a PC. turn off all grids (lower left of bottom toolbar-then just hit the semicolon key.
@hangerbird 5 ай бұрын
@@denisemoser7318Thanks. It more or less worked. It gave me the meridian line, but what it didn't do was also put the degree marks on it like he had shown on his.
@carlmcneill1139 5 ай бұрын
I have the adventurer 2i. I have yet to get it set up to try it out. Is it only the GTi that flips at the meridian? I'm planning on using my 180-600mm on my Nikon z6 II or Z8. I haven't been able to get it to balance so I ordered another counter balance kit. They couldn't sell me just the weight so I'll have a spare rod. Hopefully that is all I need to get this setup balanced. I bought Baader film and I still need to make my filter. I was thinking about using a sheet of foam from Walmart and cut it to go on the inside of the tube I'll make that slips onto the lens barrel. Does that sound like a good idea? We're down to just over a month so not much time left to practice. Luckily I work rotating days so I only work half a month.
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Yeah, sounds like that would work for the filter. And correct, the 2i will not flip on its own, so no worries there.
@RaymondKPhotoVideography 5 ай бұрын
Great follow up video! I am planning to use the Star Adventurer 2i and the Solar Quest trackers. My question is, do I have to think about the meridian flip with those two trackers?
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
No to both - you should be all set. For others reading, the meridian flip problem is really only an issue with GOTO EQ mounts. The 2i is a normal Ra-only star tracker and Solar Quest is an Alt-Az mount.
@RaymondKPhotoVideography 4 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos Thank you for answering my question! Was a bit worried when I read about the Meridian flip thing, but super happy to hear It’s not a problem I have to take into account! Back to putting the finishing touch on my planning capturing the April 8th Eclipse! 👍🏻👍🏻
@Blueplanetart 4 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotosHow do I calculate the time for the meridian flip? using Star Adv GTi NW of Austin TX
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
@@BlueplanetartSorry, should have shown in the video. When using the GTi App, this time is called the 'transit' time. To prepare ahead of time, download Stellarium (stellarium.org/) put in your location and set the time to April 8th, close to totality, and see when the sun crosses the meridian. If the meridian isn't marked on screen, it should be an option in the display settings. Let me know if you have any trouble figuring it out. You can also email me: nicocarver at gmail
@thomascollins8743 4 ай бұрын
After you align the star tracker, how accurate do you need to initially point the camera at the sun? I assume that you want to set your lens focal length to what you are planning to shoot at, then center the sun in the frame, then turn on the sun tracker to track the sun?
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
Yes, you got it. Or if it’s easier to find it zoomed out, feel free to start zoomed out, center the sun, then zoom in to your desired focal length and start tracking.
@thomascollins8743 4 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos Okay, so this will be my first time trying a tracker. So once you have the tracker aligned North, you just rotate the camera 180 deg (since the sun will be to the South), line up the sun in the camera (with solar filter on), and flip the switch to "solar track" (as you show in the video)? You can't tell the tracker to "slew to the sun," so you have to do that (move the camera and center the sun) yourself.
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
@@thomascollins8743Everything here is correct!
@Dmkenz90 4 ай бұрын
How did you get the piece of wood to stay on the mount like that? I'm trying to do the same thing but using elastic bands and not really working lol
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
Drilled a hole in it slightly smaller than 1/4” so that when I screwed it on with the 1/4” screw that is part of the declination bracket, it stayed put. Not a long term solution, but should last a few uses at least.
@Dmkenz90 4 ай бұрын
I figured that's what you did thank you for that!
@briancampbell5243 4 ай бұрын
Total noob here. I have camera and lens. I also have beginner’s telescope. I live in upstate New York. I’m in the path. Should I get a tracker given the cloud cover that we often have? I’m not loaded, but it might be a fun addition to the photo hobby. I know it’s not an easy answer, but I appreciate opinions especially from upstate NYers. Thanks.
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
Probably not. I'd say only if you plan to make deep sky astrophotography a hobby after the eclipse is over.
@andrewh2341 5 ай бұрын
Hi Nico, I watched your previous video in the series where you detailed making your own slip on filter. I was curious what your thoughts were on using standard photographic ND filters as I already have a high quality set of those. Specifically I have nd8, 16, 64, 100, & 100k. In terms of stops that is 3, 4, 6, 10, & 16.6 stops of ND. Side note: I’m a super nerd and ran my filters through a spectral transmission analyzer at work and found them to be pretty close to neutrally optically dense from 350nm (near uv) through 800nm (near ir) unfortunately the machine is not capable of analyzing outside that range. That said the solar radiation spectrum does drop off pretty quickly the deeper you get into the ir so 🤷♂️
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
The ND100,000 (16.6 stop) filter should work*, I have a similar glass filter from Freewell I've been trying and seems to work fine. *I typically tell people who are looking to buy a filter to only get trusted 'solar filters' but since you already have these and have analyzed them out to 800nm, I think you should go ahead and try it.
@andrewh2341 5 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos yeah mine are a name brand also (polar pro) I’ve heard good things about freewell too
@saldebeer3496 5 ай бұрын
Oh My God, I got the GTi many months ago (after watching part two of the eclipse series) thinking it would be the best possible-no-worries-tracker and now I’m learning about the flip. I can’t return the tracker now and I’m really worried that it will not work on the day of the eclipse... Is the flip something that can be avoided? Where can I learn more about this? 😢
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Yes, sorry it wasn't clear. Go to: settings->advanced-> turn off 'trail points meridian flip' That will turn off the auto meridian flip. You will likely still have to flip the telescope, but I suggest doing it manually before or after totality by re-slewing to the sun after it's crossed the meridian. You can use Stellarium to find when that will occur for your location.
@saldebeer3496 5 ай бұрын
Thank you so much, man. I will practice as often as possible to really make it work. Your channel is awesome, thank you!
@bradybowling5766 3 ай бұрын
I’ll be near San Antonio TX, how do I know if I need to flip the meridian before totality please help!
@NebulaPhotos 3 ай бұрын
Plug in your location to Stellarium (stellarium.org), turn on the meridian indicator in the display settings, and advance the time to around the eclipse. If the sun crosses the meridian at least 10 minutes before totality, I would suggest flipping before. If during totality or within 10 minutes, I'd flip after.
@chamithathukorala1985 5 ай бұрын
Please try daystar h alpha sola filter to eclipse ❤❤❤
@keyswitches9269 5 ай бұрын
If buying a polar alignment app is not possible, would doing a rough point-north and starting solar tracking, than slewing to the sun and adjusting with the knobs also work?
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Yep, will just require more tinkering so I’d start earlier
@keyswitches9269 5 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos thanks for letting me know!
@ricardosoto1648 5 ай бұрын
Dear Nico. I have a question for you. I would like you to recommend me a telescope to take sharp pictures of the inner Corona at the following April Eclipse. I took some pictures last 2017 Eclipse but the images of the solar protuberances were not very sharp. I took them using a Celestron C90 and a Canon EOS 80D.I used different exposures.The External Corona was indeed very clear.
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
I'm mostly a refractor guy. I captured the 2017 eclipse with a Sky-watcher 80ED, a modestly priced semi-APO doublet. Here is an idea of the details captured of the inner corona at 530mm f.l. (I used the flattener/reducer): www.astrobin.com/310184 For this upcoming one, I'm still deciding, but I'm leaning towards using the Askar 103 APO (a triplet refractor at 700mm f.l.). But that is with full frame. With a crop sensor, I'd suggest more like 500mm f.l. max. What's your budget?
@ricardosoto1648 5 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos Dear Nico, My budget is about $2000.00. I have and Star Adventurer mount (payload up to 5kg). I will , of course , need better optics this time. This will be my 4th eclipse. I live in Mexico City and travel to San Antonio Tx next month and look for suitable place near Fredericksburg. I am very interested of taking the best solar prominences and corona pictures that I can. Your recommendations will be very important to me. Thanks in advance.
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
@@ricardosoto1648Full frame or crop sensor?
@ricardosoto1648 5 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos I have a Canon EOS 80D .
@ricardosoto1648 5 ай бұрын
1.6x Full frame
@counterfit5 3 ай бұрын
I wish I had seen this a week ago 😅 Still did pretty well, though
@lidarman2 5 ай бұрын
I found that the online calculator is 4 stops to little exposure for the partial phase at ND5 filter compared to eclipse shoots in my past. For example. The calculator for f/8, ISO100 with ND 5 filter gives 1/800s. I found that I need 1/50 to get a nice middle exposure. Has anyone else found this to be the case? Or if not, why in my case do I have to increase the exposure? I checked everything (EV, etc) including using different cameras and lenses. In the past I never payed attention since I was doing it manually and just shooting and changing settings to get a good exposure. Now I am trying to automate it so I'm in the weeds.
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
Which ND 5 filter do you use, and was it one of the options in the calculator? I checked the calculator against my actual shots in 2017 and found they were close enough to the values I used that I thought it was good tool, but I only base this on Baader astrosolar film, which lets in a lot of light (meaning shorter exposures for the partial phase). I'd suggest using your practical tested value of course for partial and I wouldn't worry to much about totality (no filter) as that is going to be more similar for all - check the calculator values against a few other resources online (Fred Espenak, etc.) and go forward with your scripting. A good script will cover a nice range of exposure values, and if you shoot raw you will have even more latitude for adjusting exposure in post.
@lidarman2 5 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos Thanks Nico. I have the film from Thousand Oaks which I got last summer for the October eclipse since the Baader was not available. Maybe I will pick up a sheet of Baader from B&H. But that said, I did a comparison to a filter that blocks 1/3200 and scaled it, getting the same answer. What you said is my plan. And I am going to add some bracketing to the partial for good measure. Today I did some test shots with a Panasonic camera and still get the same results as before.
@lidarman2 4 ай бұрын
Following up on this post; I solved my question about the exposure because I got a sheet of Baader today. It seems the film I used before from Thousand oaks optical has 3 to 4 stops less transmission. Which makes it ND 6. So those using Baader, it's ND5 and Thousand Oaks is ND 6 (even though they claim ND5)
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
@@lidarman2 thanks for the follow up! I appreciate it!
@wangum17 4 ай бұрын
Hi Nico, What tripod would you recommend for the sky watcher GTI? I’m not a big fan of the tripod that came with it in the kit.
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
What's your budget and what don't you like about the included tripod (not arguing, just knowing this will help me advise you on a better option)?
@wangum17 4 ай бұрын
My budget would be around the 200-400 dollar range. I don’t like how the kit tripod legs adjust meaning the wing nut screw on the legs. It’s difficult to make minor adjustments AND the plastic tips for the feet seem sub par. Would you agree with this?
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
@@wangum17Yeah, those are both good points. I haven't really had a problem with stability, but it's a bit annoying to adjust. My favorite tripod I own is the iFootage Gazelle TC7 Fastbowl Carbon Fiber: bhpho.to/49Ma9rL I think it hits all your points - easier adjustments, rubber or metal spikes (built-in) for the feet, etc. And it's in your budget range.
@wangum17 4 ай бұрын
Looks exactly like what I’m wanting! Thanks so much for the advice and recommendation! 👍
@wangum17 4 ай бұрын
Hi Nico, I have one more question/concern. I have the same Canon Rebel T7 kit that you have. My concern is the 75-300mm telephoto lens that comes with it. I want to use this camera kit for the eclipse. I have the sky watcher GTI, automation software setup, and the amazing tripod you recommend to me. The concern is that the manual focus and zoom can’t be locked and I’m worried about removing and reinstalling the solar filter without messing up the focal length and focus. Would you even recommend this lens for the eclipse or would you recommend something else. There is another Canon 70-300mm lens that locks down for $600 but I feel like this lens is just a lateral purchase for $600. What are your thoughts or recommendations? Thanks again! Yancy Craig
@mkjn0124 4 ай бұрын
Hi Nico, these are the best instructional videos. I ran the entire CaptureEclipse script and got nothing but dark frames at 1/250-1600 with the filter in place. I had to drop my exposure to 1/10 to get a decent picture of the sun. ISO is 200 and f8. That is a huge difference in shutter speed. What might I be missing.
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
What type of filter? Must be really dark
@mkjn0124 4 ай бұрын
I am using the Baader film.
@mkjn0124 4 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotosI should also mention that I used the White Light Universal filter with similar results. And I using a Canon 70-200 with a 2x extender.
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
@@mkjn0124 That's odd, I haven't run into that kind of issue. Not sure what's going on. There were no other filters on the lens? no clouds in the sky? That seems like a very long exposure for the baader film with the settings you mention (ISO200, f8).
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
@@mkjn0124 are you saying f/8 + 2x extender so f/16? maybe that's the issue
@RoniVainionpaa-dm7sl 5 ай бұрын
Heyy! I was first
@Tiago211287 5 ай бұрын
This tracker only allows to be controlled with windows ?
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
The GTi is controlled primarily from an app on Android or iOS (Synscan Pro app). The 2i (first tracker shown) doesn't need any app or software to use it, you can just use it completely manually.
@Tiago211287 5 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos thanks for answering!
@MrMa1981 5 ай бұрын
Well better than me when I fell asleep and the mount crashes itself for 3 hours straight.
@denisemoser7318 5 ай бұрын
I stand corrected--after Nico's comment, I used the android app today with the GTi my camera and a hot shoe sol finder. Looks like it does work--it just doesnt show any indicaters or numbers except the crosshair. Looks like it DOES work. So I will see how close it is after dark. Prior comment was: It seems that the android app does not do a pure daytime alignment. It appears to require you to set up and align normally at night for a given location and save thise setting. Then you can use the target and crosshairs to replicatevthe saved nighttime settings presumably at thecsame location. I hope I am wrong but that is how it seems to work even as desciped in the english sections of the developers german web site. I have found no other android app that does a de novo daytime alignment setting.
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
My understanding was that was simply an option to save time. It’s definitely using the phones compass and gyros
@denisemoser7318 5 ай бұрын
See above corrected comment.
@TreaHuggs 4 ай бұрын
You dont have a magnet on your phone, you have a metal plate. The magnets are on the mount you place your phone to.
@Wha2les 4 ай бұрын
Is 70-200mm lens enough? Or do i need a longer lens?
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
You don’t need a longer lens. It’s harder to focus on the sun, but just do your best. You will still get plenty of detail of the corona at 200mm.
@Wha2les 4 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos I see. I was worried it might be a bit too small. Obviously I don't need it to be so big to see moon craters, but I would like to have it big enough haha. Would a teleconverter be a bad idea to give me the option of 300-400 mm?
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
Usually teleconverters are pretty soft and lower image quality. Depends on which one though. The cheap ones aren’t worth using IMO
@Wha2les 4 ай бұрын
@@NebulaPhotos I see. I would be using the Sony teleconverter. I was thinking that the less light by 1 or 2 stop shouldn't be a problem, but then I have solar filter as well which would lower it further
@NebulaPhotos 4 ай бұрын
No, that shouldn't be a problem even with the solar filter. As soon as you can, I'd suggest trying it out with solar filter on a sunny day, both natively at 200mm and with teleconverter at 400mm and see what you think. You should be able to get some idea of sharpness and ease of focusing from a test on the sun with your solar filter.
@AstroSea4 4 ай бұрын
Bro imagine if you could also add saturn and mars to the frame. is it possible? Also would Jupiter and venus be visible at the eclipse time? naked eye or camera
@erewhon42 4 ай бұрын
Jupiter and Venus should be quite bright. I would think naked eye visible. Definitely would show up on a camera. You would need 100mm to barely get sun and Venus in frame. Jupiter and Sun would need 50mm or so. All 3 would fit in 35mm frame. Saturn and Mars might be doable, but they're farther away from sun. Stellarium claims 1st magnitude, which is how bright Regulus is, and I got a lot of photos of that near the sun in 2017 without really trying. Biggest issue I think will be the wide field if you want to get more than one. To get Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn you'd need something in the 20-something mm range. Not that I've looked into it or anything. 🙂
@AstroSea4 4 ай бұрын
@@erewhon42wow it might be too big of a hassle. I guess I would only try if I had perfectly clear skies, which seems unlikely 😅 but thanks for the info!
@G4L4CTICR4DIO 5 ай бұрын
I’m a 911 operator in Columbus, Indiana. Not looking forward to the eclipse 😂
@GaryHayes 5 ай бұрын
Oh no, I forgot to 'not' click on clickbait thumbnails ... just say what the video is not what it isnt. Nice basic tracker info for beginners though
@NebulaPhotos 5 ай бұрын
I made it the thumbnail because I'm worried people will forget about this and it will screw up their eclipse shots. It is part of the video starting at 9:27
@GaryHayes 5 ай бұрын
yes saw that section, expecting for the 'drama' indicated by the 'hand on brow' thumbnail, but no just basic info @@NebulaPhotos
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