Members of the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association (CAA) rose early June 10 to view, photograph, and promote the (locally) partial solar eclipse. Already in progress as Sun rose above the horizon, the annular eclipse or “ring of fire” could not be seen but decent coverage of the solar disk did result in some impressive views.
In addition to watching the eclipse members, led by special events director Jay Reynolds, hosted members of the public at Cleveland’s Edgewater Park. The view from Edgewater’s lakefront location included the rising partly-eclipsed Sun with the lakeshore and Cleveland’s skyline.
Other members took up station at Avon Lake, Bay Village, and even inland at a Medina County location. Here, in mixed order, is a sampling of member photographs:
Jeff Lewis, in Bay Village, captured this view of the eclipsed sun as it rose above the Lake Erie horizon.Dave Nuti captured this view of the rising eclipsed Sun and the Cleveland, Ohio skyline as seen from Edgewater Park.Jay Reynolds made this photograph of early risers viewing the eclipse from Edgewater Park with the “photo op” Cleveland sign in the foreground.CAA member Nora Mishey, CAA’s Education Director, discusses the science of eclipses with members of the public at Edgewater Park in this photo by Anita Kazarian.A horn of the eclipsed Sun become visible as it rises from the Lake Erie horizon. Viewed from Bay Village.James Guilford captured this view from far inland — rural Medina County — where ground fog created interesting lighting effects.Joe Hamlin, in Avon Lake, produced this colorful capture of the eclipse over Lake Erie.Photographing the eclipse from Edgewater Park, the photographer was photographed by Anita Kazarian.Matt Franduto shot this photo of the cloud-obscured eclipse through his telescope.Jeff Lewis, from Bay Village, shared this view of the rising eclipse as it clears some low clouds.Calling this the “cherry bowl”, James Guilford produced this image of the sunrise eclipse as seen through ground fog in rural Medina County.Rising from a nest of clouds, the red eclipsed Sun was imaged by Timothy Campbell from Edgewater Park.Chris Elder was in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, for the eclipse. Patchy clouds blocked the view at dawn, but they broke up about 20 minutes in revealing some of the best eclipse views available in the country.
Old Moon Rising. Cleveland, Ohio’s downtown skyline with waning Crescent Moon rising. The moon was about 32.5 hours until new. Credit: Frank Shoemaker
This beautiful new shot of an “old” Moon rising was made by Cuyahoga Astronomical Association member Frank Shoemaker. The photographer writes, “I shot this image this morning [September 27] at 5:50. The moon was about 32.5 hours until new. So far, this is the closest I’ve shot the moon to being new.”
The “new” phase is the end of the lunar cycle aging from Full, and fully-lit, to New and fully-dark; it’s also the beginning of the next cycle, thus New Moon.
“I shot it from the west end of Edgewater Park on the new pier down at the water. I used a Canon 7D Mark II with the 100-400 mm lens at about 260 mm. It’s a single exposure, 2 seconds at f/9, ISO 2000.” Shoemaker explained. “I processed the image through Topaz Labs DeNoise AI and finished it in Lightroom. I planned the shot with the Photographers Ephemeris app.”
The Cuyahoga Astronomical Association (CAA), in cooperation with Cleveland Metroparks, will host an Eclipse Watch event at Edgewater Park, on Cleveland’s western Lake Erie shore, from 12:30 to 4:00 PM, Monday, August 21. The event will be free and open to the public, no reservations required, to observe the day’s solar eclipse. In case of rain, the event will be canceled.
Eclipse at Maximum – Edgewater Park, Ohio, August 21, 2017 – SkySafari 5 Simulation
The Edgewater Eclipse Watch will include:
Telescopes equipped to safely view the eclipse, tended by CAA members
Eclipse viewing glasses provided by AstroZap, one per group, please!)
Non-profit organizations, including Cleveland Metroparks, with family activities.
Additional activities to be announced!
The venue for the Edgewater Eclipse Watch will be at the west end of Edgewater Park’s lower level parking lot (see map below). Telescopes and other activities will be in the grassy area adjacent to the parking lot. Visitors may come and go as they please during the event.
Here is where the Eclipse Watch will take place. Click to visit Google Maps for a more complete map and directions.
Timing of Our Partial Solar Eclipse, August 21, 2017 – Via SkySafari 5
Millions of people will enjoy this eclipse of the Sun, some portion of which will be visible from everywhere in the continental United States; it’s even been dubbed “The Great American Eclipse” and “The National Eclipse.” Locations along a relatively narrow strip of land stretching from Oregon and the Pacific Northwest to the Atlantic off South Carolina will enjoy the full glory of a total solar eclipse. Here in Northeastern Ohio, we will see a deep partial eclipse with, at its peak, the Sun reduced to a brilliant crescent in our early afternoon sky.
CRITICAL: Vision safety is a major concern: It is important to note: even during the maximum point of our partial eclipse it is not safe to look at the Sun without proper vision protection. According to a statement from NASA, “The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as ‘eclipse glasses’ or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun.” Here’s a quick video about how to safely view the eclipse via WKYC and our own Jay Reynolds.
A solar eclipse takes place when our Moon comes between Sun and Earth casting its shadow on Earth’s surface. The illustration below shows how the depth of Moon’s shadow varies depending upon how much of Sun is covered. The small black dot indicates the area where all of the solar disk is covered and where a total solar eclipse is in progress; outside of that dot, a large shaded area shows where various levels of partial coverage — the partial eclipse — is visible.
Diagram of the Solar Eclipse – Image Credit: NASA
This video from NASA shows how eclipses work and why they don’t happen every month. Spoiler: Moon’s shadow “misses” the Earth most of the time…
WASHINGTON — Business leaders, space enthusiasts, students and the public are invited to attend NASA Technology Days. The free, three-day public technology showcase will take place at the Cleveland Public Auditorium and Conference Center Nov. 28-30. Participants from industry, academia and the U.S. Government will discuss strategy development, partnerships and methods to foster technology transfer and innovation.
The showcase will feature NASA-funded technologies available for transfer to the aerospace, advanced-energy, automotive, innovative manufacturing and human-health industries. The venue will provide opportunities for networking, business development and forging new relationships, including dialogue with NASA technology program leadership.
NASA officials will discuss the agency’s upcoming technology initiatives, technology transfer and strategic partnerships. NASA centers also will provide exhibits and information on how businesses can partner with the agency for technology development, transfer and innovation. Attendees also can learn about leading technologies contributing to American economic growth and innovation.
NASA Technology Days is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, visit:
CAA: Cuyahoga Astronomical Association 