 |
|
The
Partial Solar Eclipse Tuesday 25 October 2022
|
|
|
The
Partial Solar Eclipse Tuesday 25 October 2022
|
| Avebury Manor - The National Trust |
|
|
 |
|
| Tuesday, 25 October, 2022, the eagerly anticipated partial eclipse of the sun was initially mared by extensive cloud cover, however, breaks in the cloud did appear and this resulted in some spectacular views of the partial eclipse. | |
|
|
|
 First contact Avebury- Credit: Peter Chappell |
 Full partial Avebury - Credit: Peter Chappell |
|
Viewing
Log by Peter Chappell
|
|
| I
arrived at the National Trust staff car park at Avebury around 9:30 and
saw Rob and Viv Slack and Robin and Hilary Wilkey (all from Swindon Stargazers)
unloading their cars with the equipment they would be using for the event.
After doing several trips moving my equipment from the car to a bench
seat, we had a look at were to set up for the eclipse. A large tree to
the south of the museum would block part of the eclipse, so it was suggested
we set up on the grass well back from the buildings and trees. After a
few minutes we decided it would be too wet under foot staying on the grass
and the public might miss us? I decided I would move all of my equipment
to an area just outside the lavatories, this would be out of the way of
the offending tree! I was the only one to move, the others decided to
stay put near the benches. I had everything set up and ready by 10:00
with the eclipse due to start around 10:09? To take photo’s I would
be using my Canon 70D camera attached to a Tamron 150-600 mm zoom lens
(set at 600 mm using manual focus and auto settings with flash off) on
a Manfrotto tripod with a Seymour solar filter (white light) on the front
of the lens. To do visual, I would be using a 60 mm Solarscope (658 nm wavelength) giving an orange view of the Sun (excellent views for sunspots, prominences and filaments on the surface of the Sun) on a Porta Mount I and a 80 mm William’s Optic refractor telescope with an Altair Herschel Wedge and Baader solar Continuum filter (540 nm wavelength) giving a green view of the Sun (excellent for sunspots) on a Porta Mount II. Trouble was, a lot of cloud had built up over the last 30 minutes and viewing could be a problem? I would be using an Orion Explorer II zoom eye piece for both of these telescopes. There was a few groups of sunspots on the surface of which AR 3126 and 3131 were bigger than the Earth! |
|
 Avebury - Credit: Hilary Wilkey |
|
|
First
view I noticed of the eclipse (probably about a minute after actual
first contact due to the thick cloud?) with the WO telescope and moved
to the camera to start taking pictures of the event, while being near
the toilets, a few people started taking an interest and had a few questions
for me to answer plus moving the telescopes slightly to keep them on
track with the Sun movement across the sky (none of my gear had power,
all hand moved). After about 20 minutes I decided to re-join the group
down at the benches, by now, the Sun had cleared the tall tree but the
cloud was still a factor to deal with, to the north of us I could see
blue sky in places! Any cloud and the Solarscope would be useless as
it is the most filtered telescope I have, can only be used for viewing
the Sun and nothing else! The WO with the wedge could see thru some
cloud, so I had to use that quite a lot of the time and take photos
with the Canon when the Sun popped out of the clouds. |
|
 Peter
Chappell at Avebury with his telescopes - Credit: Hilary Wilkey |
|
 |
 |
|
With
grateful thanks to the National Trust for their hospitality and support
|
|
