Astronomy - Fred Espenak’s Eclipse-Photography Webinar

When it comes to capturing a total solar eclipse, few can match the expertise of Fred Espenak. Get valuable tips from "Mr. Eclipse" himself during S&T's live webinar on Thursday, January 12th.

Fred Espenak, who recently retired from NASA, has made a long career of chasing — and recording — total solar eclipses.

On the morning of August 21, 2017, I'm going to be standing in the path of the Moon's shadow, waiting — along tens of millions of others — for that day's total eclipse of the Sun. And, like most of those folks, I'll want to capture the spectacle with my camera.

But guess what? I'm not that great at eclipse photography. Oh, I've seen the Sun's corona plenty of times, but somehow in those fleeting moments of celestial nirvana, I always manage to forget something.

So that's why I'm looking forward to Sky & Telescope's upcoming live webinar with my longtime friend and colleague Fred Espenak, a.k.a. "Mr. Eclipse." Along with you, I hope to pick up those little-known tricks that will help us all capture the beauty and grandeur of the 2017 solar eclipse.

The live webinar is Thursday, January 12th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (4:00 p.m. Pacific Time, 0:00 Universal Time on the 13th). It's $29.99 to participate (or to download afterward), but it will be well worth the cost.

During that hour, Fred will tackle everything from wide-angle photography with simple cameras to shooting through telephoto lenses and telescopes. He'll even cover how to capture the eclipse using your smart phone! You'll get tips on what to do to ensure success during totality as well as how to record the partial phases, the diamond-ring effect, and Baily's beads.

Here's the glorious solar corona, as recorded by Fred Espenak during the total solar eclipse on August 1, 2008.

For more advanced photographers, Fred will also discuss time-lapse sequences and animation; shooting bracketed exposures to capture the inner, middle, and outer corona; how to automate eclipse photography with a laptop computer; and how to exploit a DSLR camera's "high dynamic range" (HDR) settings.

Best of all, you'll be able to ask Fred questions during the webinar!

Now, I can't guarantee that an hour spent with "Mr. Eclipse"  will ensure perfect photos from the 2017 solar eclipse. But let's face it: we'll have less than 3 minutes of totality next August, and you'll want to make the most of it, right? So please join Fred — and yours truly — as he shares the kind of expert training that you won't find anywhere else.

Again, the webinar is Thursday, January 12th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST. Click here to get more info and to purchase the webinar. I hope you can join us!