SAN ANTONIO – If you don’t share eclipse photos on social media, did it even happen?
Texas is on the path for optimal viewing of the April 8 total eclipse. Especially in the path of totality, we’ll be getting a superior view of the astronomical event compared to much of the country.
So naturally, people will want to document that.
But, is it possible? And is it safe?
To get a really good shot of the sun during the eclipse, you’ll likely need a professional digital camera with a special filter to protect your lens. There are recommendations online for how to use a DSLR or mirrorless camera to capture the eclipse.
Remember, it’s unsafe to look at the sun through an unfiltered telescope or binoculars because optical instruments intensify the light.
So what about using your smartphone?
To get a decent photo, Space.com has a few recommendations:
- Disable your flash - The flash won’t help your photo and it will detract from the experience of totality.
- Use focus lock - If you don’t, your phone may go in and out of focus.
- Don’t use zoom - Zoom will lower your image resolution unless your smartphone has a dedicated telephoto lens.
- Shoot in RAW image format - During totality, it will be dark and a RAW image will give you a much better photo compared to JPEG. Some Android phones, like the Google Pixel range will allow you to switch to that format. If you have an iPhone, you would need to use a third-party camera app.
- When shooting a video, use a tripod for stability.
You will also want to use a filter to protect your phone’s camera lens. Only in the path of totality, when the sun is wholly blacked out will it be safe to view or photograph the sun without filters.
Before October’s annular solar eclipse, we talked to Doug Duncan, an astronomer and eclipse expert at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
“Everybody likes to take pictures with their phones, but if you want to take a picture of the sun, you’ve got to protect your phone camera,” Duncan said.
Duncan partnered with John Jerit, founder and CEO of American Paper Optics, to develop a filter to protect your phone’s camera and allow you to take a snap of the sun or an eclipse. It’s called the Solar Snap.
“First and foremost, you need the snap. So the snap comes in the kit, and you actually get two of them,” said Jerit. “And then you also have two pieces of Velcro that will allow you to attach it to the back of your phone camera. And of course, to get everything lined up, you need glasses, and then lastly, there is a digital download there, and that allows you to start using the cell snap correctly, and it helps focus your phone.”
Both Duncan and Jerit say you must also wear safe solar eclipse glasses to avoid eye damage during any eclipse, even while looking at the sun on your phone. The glasses must be ISO and CE certified, so regular sunglasses are not safe.
Even when 99% of the Sun’s surface is obscured, the remaining sun is still intense enough to cause retinal burn, experts say.
This is why the Texas Optometric Association advises people not to use their smartphones to take pictures or videos during the eclipse.
“Watching a solar eclipse on your smartphone camera can put you at risk of accidentally looking at the sun when trying to line up your camera. It could possibly also damage your smartphone camera. Never look at a solar eclipse through the optical viewfinder of a camera. It can damage your eyes in the same way as looking directly at it,” the TOA said in a press release.
Remember, there are other ways to document the event aside from recording the sun itself.
- Take a time-lapse video or series of photos at ground level of the dimming sunlight
- Record the faces of your friends and family reacting to the eclipse
- Put your camera down and just enjoy the experience that won’t come again for 20 years