Total Solar Eclipse!
by Marie Lott

August 21, 2017

Hodges, South Carolina

Projected images of the sun using a "sun funnel" on an 80mm refractor with a 13mm eyepiece
All photos were taken by myself with an iPhone 5SE except where indicated. Click to view larger.

	First contact! 1:10 PM
	Thirty minutes in
	One hour in
	T minus 10!
	3-2-1 !
	Last gasp, a few seconds  before totality
	2:40 PM EDT: Totality at our observing site as imaged with a DSLR by my observing buddy Mike Boni
"The final moments of Totality are an impressive moment with sunlight shining through gaps in the uneven limb of the Moon creating Baily's beads. Two large pink coloured prominences are also nicely seen. The wispy solar corona rapidly vanishes from view at this point, once again being hidden by sunlight as the Sun returns.  8 images were combined for this view ranging from 1/4000 to 2 secs."	Final Moment of Totality Totality from about 1 mile away from us, as imaged by world renowned astrophotographer Damian Peach. I am including his photo here as it very accurately depicts what we could see naked eye from our location. At 5 o'clock is the red prom grouping we could see easily without visual aid. Baily's beads are seen bubbling on the right limb just seconds before the diamond ring burst out, the corona disappeared, and bright sunlight came back. Credit: Damian Peach, http://www.damianpeach.com/tse2017/3rd_contact_bailys.jpg
	Deep twilight with 360 degree sunset!!  This shot is looking to the west of the eclipsed sun, where we can see Venus in the darkened daytime sky!
	Snapshot of totality, with the star Algieba above the sun
	And so it ends...
	We're starting to pack things up.
	It's getting HOT again !!! An amazing afternoon!
	Two new friends had fun today using a steamer basket to make several hundred tiny projections of the partially eclipsed sun on the driveway.
	(Zoom in to see all of the little crescent suns in the basket's shadow!)
	Big temperature drop! Before (left) =94F    Totality (right) =81F
	Eclipse travel caution sign en route to our observing site (photo by D. Peach)