SOUTH CAROLINA - USA

Photographed from Greer, South Carolina, this eclipse was very close to being a total eclipse, and the size difference between the Sun and the Moon was a tiny fraction of a percent. We had planned to view from the Atlantic beaches of Virginia, but rain there the day before the eclipse forced us to take I-85 toward Atlanta in search for better weather. The path for being located within the path was a very narrow 5.25 miles, and being directly on the centerline was a gamble. I plotted the centerline according to the coordinates from a USNO Eclipse Circular and a local map we purchased out of a machine, which luckily had latitude and longitude on it.

These images were shot unfiltered through a 1200mm Bausch & Lomb Criterion 4000 telescope (mirror tele) which I borrowed from a fellow amateur astronomer (and purchased from him soon afterward). I had a Nikon F connected to it with a 250 exposure back which allowed me to take a number of images during the predicted 8.1 second duration eclipse (at this location). Unfortunately the shake from the camera was translated into several images, which you may note in the images. Because I exposed for the chromasphere and prominences, the bright portion of the Sun was a bit overwhelming, and the round view through the telescope can be seen in some of the images.

I counted on the images a total of 109 Baily's Beads, and the large prominence to be about 125,000 miles above the solar surface. There are slight hints of the corona visible nearest to the photosphere, just above the chromasphere where it is brightest. It was too bright to view visually without a filter. The 1200mm lens and ground glass screen on the camera did knock the brightness down somewhat, and I would take glimpses of the view through it while imaging, however it was still way too bright to do this, and I could see the bright ring for a few hours afterward, like that of a bright flash in your eyes. I would highly recommend if you have such an opportunity to take additional filter with you to darken it down a bit more.