More on eclipse on the sun that will occur today - How to take snap shots

Starting at midday today, young Nigerians would for the first time in their lives witness the solar eclipse, also known as eclipse of the sun. Solar eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when the moon moves between the earth and the sun, partially or completely blocking the rays of the sun hitting the earth. Direct blockage of the sun’s rays in this manner casts a shadow on the earth, resulting in partial or total eclipse, depending on where on earth the cosmic event occurs. Director, Centre for Basic Space Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof.
Fidelis Opara, has predicted the time the solar  eclipse would be observed in different parts of the country.
According to  him, the eclipse will occur in Abakaliki  between 1.06pm and  4.09pm, in  Ibadan between 12.52pm and 4.01pm, in  Port Harcourt  between 1.03pm and 4.09pm,in Enugu between 1.04pm and 4.07pm, in Lagos between 12.50pm and 4.01pm, in Kano between 1.07pm and 4.01pm; Abuja between 1.03pm and 4.03pm and in Uyo between 1.06pm to 4.09pm.
         However, it is necessary to warn that people should not look skyward during the occurrence without proper protection for the eyes.
An article published on www.space.com stressed that a fraction of a second of magnified, unfiltered sunlight would burn the retina of the eye irreparably.  The effect feels like having a horrible sunburn on the eyeball. The eye cannot grow new layers by peeling off the burnt layer like the skin does. Therefore, staring directly at the sun is dangerous without the protection of safety equipment used by veteran sky watchers and astronomers.
In essence, looking directly at the sun can lead to permanent eye damage or blindness. Therefore special eye protection or indirect viewing techniques should be used when viewing the solar eclipse.
One crude solution is to look skyward by holding a green beer bottle above the eyes. Alternatively, a person can pour water in a wide plastic bowl and look at the water surface to observe the eclipse at it occurs.
             CAREFUL TAKING OF SNAP SHOTS
Here are some tips on how to capture this wondrous solar eclipse photo-op:
WARNING: Never stare directly at the sun without a proper, safe filter. Failure to do so can result in serious eye injury or permanent blindness. No. 14 welder's glass filter is acceptable, but ordinary sunglasses and polarizing or neutral-density filters used in regular photography are not safe and should not be used.

• Look for a clear, unobstructed view of the eastern sky. If you are planning to use a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, shoot through a telescope or telephoto lens with a focal length of 400 millimeters or more to give you a fairly large image of the sun's disk in the frame.

• To get steady shots, use a sturdy tripod or mount to support your camera setup. Don't try to hand-hold it.

• Don't forget to use a large-capacity memory card and set the camera to its highest resolution so you can capture as much detail and color information as possible. Consult your camera manual on how to change the settings.

• Switch your camera mode from Auto (A) to Manual (M) so you'll be able to control its focus as well as lens aperture, shutter speed and white-balance settings.

• Remember to focus carefully to get sharp images. Use your camera's Live View feature, if it has one, to achieve accurate focus. You can pre-focus the camera (without the solar filter) before the eclipse using Mars or Jupiter or a bright star. Otherwise, you can focus on distant ships or clouds along the horizon; you can also use the sun's edge or sunspots (viewed through the solar filter) on the morning of the eclipse.

• To minimize vibrations that can blur your images, use your camera's mirror lock-up feature before each shot. You should also operate the shutter with an electronic cable release to eliminate camera shake. Keep your exposures very short by using a high ISO setting (400 or higher).

• Use the "bracketing" technique for your exposures — that is, taking a series of shots at various shutter speeds and/or apertures. This will increase your chances of getting the appropriate exposure for the scene you're interested in.

• Make sure your camera battery is fully charged, and keep a spare one handy, just in case. You don't want to get that flashing low-battery icon at the critical time.

• Be sure to test your camera setup before the eclipse. If possible, take some trial shots of the sun to give you an idea on what exposure settings to use with your particular telescope/filter combination.

• When composing your shot, try to include some interesting elements in your foreground, such as a lighthouse or sailboat silhouetted against the horizon, or people strolling on the beach.

• After the eclipse, be sure to download your images to your computer and back-up all your files right away. Keep the originals in a separate folder or drive and process only copies of the images. Use editing software such as Adobe Photoshop to enhance the images' brightness, contrast, sharpness and color balance. You can also "stitch" the frames together to create an eclipse sequence.

Good luck, and let's hope for clear skies on Sunday!
Editor's note: If you snap an amazing photo of Sunday's solar eclipse or any other celestial sight that you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.