4 replies to this topic

[Exeligmos]

I've enjoyed reading eclipse reports, including some remarking on how prominences were easily visible with the naked eye.

 

For some reason, I had difficulty seeing them. I didn't spot any with the naked eye. With binoculars, I could see the one at 3 o'clock, but it was just a bright orange-pink smudge within the brilliant inner corona. (Impression of what I saw here):

 

 ~Totality-impression-f-final-cropped.jpg   25.01KB   0 downloads

 

Since my eyesight is pretty good, I've wondered if there was a stray wisp of cirrus passing over the sun at that moment.

 

Did anyone else here have any trouble?

Edited by Exeligmos, 21 December 2017 - 08:54 PM.

[Unknownastron]

I could not resolve the prominences naked eye but could see spots of the bright pink color without optical aid.  Through my binoculars and Celestron-90 they were very, , ,prominent.

Clear skies and clean glass,

Mike

[Exeligmos]

My problem may be that I was using instruments with a low focal ratio (9x63s and my mark 1 eyeballs). I do know that increasing power can increase contrast, but I didn't think of that when planning the outing. As I'd never seen anything remotely like prominences, I just didn't know any better.

 

For 2024 (or 2020), I'll have a small telescope with me (perhaps with a clock drive) to get in closer to the prominences and chromosphere.

[Thundermoon1994]

I've enjoyed reading eclipse reports, including some remarking on how prominences were easily visible with the naked eye.

 

For some reason, I had difficulty seeing them. I didn't spot any with the naked eye. With binoculars, I could see the one at 3 o'clock, but it was just a bright orange-pink smudge within the brilliant inner corona. (Impression of what I saw here):

 

~Totality-impression-f-final-cropped.jpg

 

Since my eyesight is pretty good, I've wondered if there was a stray wisp of cirrus passing over the sun at that moment.

 

Did anyone else here have any trouble?

 

Could the geometry of your specific location have anything to do with it? How close were you to the center line?

 

i don't consider my eyesight anything special, and the prominences were VERY visible at 3 and 5 o'clock. I was about 20 miles from the point of greatest eclipse, but almost as far from the center line. The eclipse magnitude from our location was 1.032. It may be that if your eclipse was too deep, it could actually obscure the prominences as well? Just a thought and a data point to share in your quest. 

 

 

Damien

[Exeligmos]

i don't consider my eyesight anything special, and the prominences were VERY visible at 3 and 5 o'clock. I was about 20 miles from the point of greatest eclipse, but almost as far from the center line. The eclipse magnitude from our location was 1.032. It may be that if your eclipse was too deep, it could actually obscure the prominences as well? Just a thought and a data point to share in your quest.

 

The prominence was visible. It seemed to be overwhelmed by the glare of the surrounding corona. Plus, the sky around the sun looked like this just before totality (iPhone video frame):

 

 contrails.jpg   45.61KB   0 downloads

 

Perhaps the clouds got me after all....