Ken and Bev from All-Star Telescope invited us to join them in Casper for the Solar Eclipse. They booked the hotel two years ago! It was a good excuse to see them and some other family and mutual friends as well. August 21 was a warm, clear day. We arrived at the site by 10am and watched others setting up cameras and telescopes.
Using camping supplies we had handy, Michelle followed NASA's pinhole camera instructions, and together with the kids we had made 3 boxes for safely viewing the sun. They worked well! Even the seasoned astronomers took a peek!
Our viewing site was on the lawn of a Medical Center, and a couple of nurses came out to see what was happening.
Kate drew a picture on her dry-erase board to show the first nip that the moon took out of the sun:
Here's a picture of the group while it's still bright out, and then again as it gets darker. As totality approached at about 11:42am, the temperature dropped, the mosquitoes came out, the streetlights went on, and there was a 360 degree sunset!
There were only a couple of moments of totality. Time passed very quickly. I tried to enjoy it but also took a few pictures of both the eclipse and also the group, and missed the "diamond ring effect" at the end while I was fiddling with my camera settings. As the sun slipped back into its usual bright eye-blinding self, cheers erupted from the group. It was indeed an awesome spectacle to witness together.
Here is a "pinhole picture" from a sheet of cardboard on which Bev drew the number 2017 with pinholes. It was difficult to photograph the suns on a second sheet of paper, but by bringing up the contrast you can see the moons easily! Happy Eclipse Chasing everybody!
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