“Peter Lewis: Shuttered Sun — Capturing the Solar Eclipse”

[00:00:00] Remember, the moon is not a complete smooth ball. It's circular effectively but we've lots of rocks and craters on it.

[00:00:07] So you see lots of edges. So when the moon is in front of the sun, that's when you get these, what's called, these Bailey's Beads.

[00:00:14] That's a term to describe, effectively as happens, the light is just shining through the gatch between the rocks and mountains of the moon.

[00:00:30] Jacob and today is the start of a new adventure as we introduce you Short Custs. We will get our Short Custs out on a regular basis now, intertwined with our normal podcast.

[00:00:41] They are just short episodes about anything new, fun or inspiring moments in the world of photography.

[00:00:47] Today, celebrating the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8th, we thought we'd start off with our first Short Custs embarking on a little cosmic adventure with a astronomer Peter Lewis from London, the Ok.

[00:01:00] And we delve deeper into the world of that solar eclipse and try to unlock a bit all the secrets to capture this celestial wonder through your own lens. So let's get rolling.

[00:01:11] Welcome Peter, how was your evening yesterday night?

[00:01:15] It was very good yesterday. I went to a gig last night so I went to see the whole, you know, the whole group, the whole, the Royal Abhole and so I was rocking the nights away last night.

[00:01:25] That's a whole different thing than watching the stars and the sky. Peter, thanks for coming on our podcast tonight and we have a nice little chat about the upcoming solar eclipse in the United States.

[00:01:39] Tell me a bit about yourself and your fascination about the night sky and astrophotography.

[00:01:45] Well, I've always been interested in space ever since I was a little boy. I mean, I live in London and London is not always the best place for the night sky watching, looking at stars and things like that.

[00:01:57] Even in London, you can see the moon and you can see the sun and the main stage of astronomy as well.

[00:02:04] Well, I live in London now is I live right on the edge of London so it's not too bad here and I can do a bit of observing with the naked eye and a little bit of astrophotography as well.

[00:02:15] I was supposed to telescope by my family when I retired as a sort of retirement president and so I've still got that telescope and I still use it all the time now.

[00:02:24] And I think they quite pleased to see me. I think they won't send it to the probably the most successful present they've ever bought me in their life because most presents last about five minutes for this one has lasted me a number of years now.

[00:02:35] I'm still here and I'm very keen and I'm always looking up in the sky so I look out the window and I check my stats and see if there's anything interesting I should be looking out for.

[00:02:45] It sounds an ever ending story just like photography Peter.

[00:02:50] A lot of the skies up there. It's never going to be anything is it? You know, it's got a last longer than I am.

[00:02:55] Peter, this solar eclipse can you just explain a bit what exactly is a solar eclipse?

[00:03:02] One of the things that we need to know is the sky sort of looks is up there and we have we take everything for granted.

[00:03:08] I think to remember is everything is on the move. Everything is moving.

[00:03:12] So the basic construct of a solar eclipse is that the sun is all of gas that's in the universe and we're a planet, one of a number of planets and we revolve around the Sun as we go around the Sun.

[00:03:27] Our position has changed and with the earth is one of a few planets in the solar system that has its own moons that orbit around Earth.

[00:03:35] So occasionally you get the situation where the moon is revolving around the Earth and whilst the Earth is in line with the Sun, the moon revolves around and gets in the way.

[00:03:47] So basically you got the Sun, the moon and the Earth. And by a strange quark of some people might say fate, some people may say a coincidence.

[00:03:57] Some people might actually believe that there's a greater god that's created this is that the moon is about 240,000 miles away on average from the Earth.

[00:04:07] And there's a strange quark of fate is that the moon as we look at it, is the same circumference, the same size as the Sun is not obviously in real terms.

[00:04:18] But because the angle that we're looking at the moon actually completely obliterates the Sun only but only just as it passes through and across as well.

[00:04:29] So obviously the moon was a lot smaller you get something that they call annular eclipse is.

[00:04:35] It's a complicated thing but basically the moon goes around the Sun in an ellipse so it's not a pure circle.

[00:04:41] So sometimes the moon is a bit nearer, sometimes it's a bit further away.

[00:04:45] So it only occasionally does it create a complete hole that curves exactly the Sun.

[00:04:50] And sometimes the moon is just further away and therefore the Sun sort of creates a ring around the moon.

[00:04:56] It's called an annular but this one is a total is when the Sun and the Moon and the Earth are perfectly aligned so that the Moon is exactly the same size as we look at it as the Sun and covers it up completely.

[00:05:10] And that is a total of crypts of the Sun and it happens.

[00:05:14] Well, few times it can happen a few times every year can happen not for a few years.

[00:05:21] I mean there was one in I think Australia last year last summer it was in America was I think 2017 or where I am here in the United Kingdom.

[00:05:31] There's not going to be one for many, many years yet.

[00:05:34] The last one was in 1999 but obviously on the 8th April if you're in the United States and if you never have a country as well there's a total eclipse.

[00:05:45] We won't see it here on this side of the Atlantic parts of Ireland for instance will see a partial eclipse that's when the Moon doesn't completely cover the Sun because as it moves across it doesn't cover entirely the Sun but only a portion of the Sun.

[00:05:59] And that's called a partial and we've had a few in this country and I've been able to take a few photos of the partial eclipse which is quite spectacular thing to see.

[00:06:07] And it's a reminder that everything is on the move, everything is moving because you watch it and over a period of the time you see the shape and the angle changing as it moves across the Sun and that.

[00:06:19] And the solar eclipse speed of there can be traced back in history right and they can also be predicted in the future.

[00:06:27] Exactly because the thing is the path of all planets could be fairly easily calculated because we know now without our science and our technology and the mathematics.

[00:06:38] We can work the path of all these planets and their paths when they're going to meet across and it happens you know not just for solar eclipse as we have what's called a lunar eclipse where basically happens the other way around.

[00:06:49] Where is actually the Earth gets in between the Sun and the Moon so we cover the light of the Sun shines onto the Moon.

[00:06:57] And that's called a lunar eclipse I managed to take a few photographs in the past of that so it's not quite as rare but it's still not not common as well.

[00:07:08] I think it's good that these things sometimes happen because for normal people like us, it's like you tell we always think that this standing still everything but really everything is on the move.

[00:07:20] Exactly and a few years ago there was a what was called a conjunction where two planets appeared to be extremely close to each other and they're not they can be hundreds of millions of miles apart but as we look at it in the sky so we look out in the sky there.

[00:07:35] And you think there's two little dots of light they look like they're almost touching their their hundreds of millions of miles away from each other.

[00:07:41] So there was a great conjunction with Jupiter and Saturn that happened in December 2020 where it looked like a single beam of light was actually in fact two planets that actually appeared almost indirectly next to our in line with each other as we looked out.

[00:07:57] And some people think that she that was the Christmas star, the famous fairy story of the Christmas star was actually a great conjunction of of Saturn and Jupiter because what has happened is these two planets they go around the Sun and they're going at different speeds and occasionally one catches up with the other when they catch up with the other you get what's called a conjunction and occasionally the ones chasing up with the ever.

[00:08:20] So as I said the same theory or same concept is that all the bodies it in our universe in our solar system they're all in the move and this solar eclipse is exactly an example where more than one body happens to be moving at the same time and they just happen to go inside that line as we look at them.

[00:08:39] There's a solar eclipse and now move a bit to the gear question Peter for all photographers and others let's do first the safety questions are there any kind of filters we should use not to burn our eyes or burn around equipment.

[00:08:58] Yeah, I mean I take a lot of photographs of the sun every single day if you follow me you'll often see photographs images of the sun I take photos of the sun because one of the things about the sun is it's not just a ball of gas but there's lots of energy involved in that and you can see sun spots and changes in the sun spots it happens every single day so I do a lot of photography of the sun.

[00:09:22] One of the most important things we're actually the important thing is not one of it is the important thing is to remember safety.

[00:09:30] So you always have to make sure that firstly you never look at the sun directly with an naked eye because if I had I wouldn't be looking at you in the screen right now I won't be talking to people right now.

[00:09:41] Okay, so you don't look at it right in directly in the sun so you can wear what's cooked eclipse glasses is just bits of plastic really and they can go over your eyes just normal and they're quite cheap just put them over your eyes if you want to look at the sun.

[00:09:55] You know looking we naked eye secondly is with equipment is to make sure that any equipment that you use that you tend to use to photograph or to look at the sun.

[00:10:05] You use proper safe filter solar filter using film or some ever a fabric subs which actually diffuses the light from the sun so you're not looking at the best sun.

[00:10:17] I use a telescope to take a look at most of my photographs and I have a filter which fits over the front end of the telescope as well and that filter has a safety film that is purely for solar photography and solar imaging as well.

[00:10:33] And you have to make sure that it doesn't just fit over the front of it you have to make sure that there are no pin prick holes and gaps in the film that might have might split because any any bits of light that feel for will actually be picked up by your camera lens and could actually seriously damage or destroy camera lens.

[00:10:51] Or if you use a phone as most of the time I do when I touch a phone to the telescope eyepiece as well is there any but shafts let sunlight will actually burn through your camera lens so imagine that whatever do see your eyes and know why camera lens.

[00:11:07] And the other thing to also make sure I think with these lens is that there's different types of filters when you're taking photographs of the sun by the large you're doing what's called a white light image creating a white light image.

[00:11:19] Our vision of the sun is the sun is yellow the sun isn't yellow it's actually white is a white ball gas so you have what's called a white light filter.

[00:11:27] And we often you see these photographs and things like that and I do all the time is I put a false coloring not because I'm trying to create a different color to what the sun is but because it satisfies everyone's how we grew up as babies you know the sun is yellow and so we're a custom built to see in the sun is yellow.

[00:11:45] So I put in a fourth color but in reality the sun is white so these are called white light filters.

[00:11:52] They go over your telescope or over the front of your camera.

[00:11:55] I can't stress enough and I do repeat often when I'm posting at least photographs is don't look at the sun make sure you're using a proper safety filter and make sure that actually you test so that there's no damage

[00:12:08] there's no way that any like can penetrate through the gaps really really important.

[00:12:13] I saw them like $30 or something white all lines with Taylor solar filter so it's it's not a cost to keep your eyes healthy.

[00:12:23] Well yeah because again your eyes repaired cost no full of more money than safety and safety feel safety glasses yeah.

[00:12:31] And be the picture wise you've got any dips or settings when you start making the pictures.

[00:12:39] Yeah I mean the first thing to remember is that solar clips natural period of totality is just about three or four minutes okay but the process from the time of the moon starts to creep across the face of the sun to the time it disappears can be a few hours and all that's what's happening in the next time is the light is changing.

[00:12:59] It's time to get darker and darker and darker but very slowly and then it comes out the other side of the time to get lighter again.

[00:13:06] So the first thing to remember is that you don't have one setting in your stick with it so if you start not taking photographs you have your solar filter on all the way through if you're taking photographs.

[00:13:17] And then what you're doing is you're changing the settings and your camera so you would have when the sun is actually shining even with the filter on you'd have quite a very low ISO.

[00:13:27] So ISO 50 or something like that which it will reduce the amount of light that's coming through the camera lens as well.

[00:13:33] And then you would increase that and also you would change the exposure time as well where you are you doing it.

[00:13:40] I can't give this there's no precise figure no one will take this is what you must do so I mean no one will say it must be this it must be that you experiment and remember this is over a period of a few hours until you get to totality which happens in just four minutes.

[00:13:55] To join the period is happening you can experiment until you get the figures and the flavors you're right and then you get towards totality.

[00:14:03] And when you get to all those totality that's the time you have to make a judgment about when to remove the filter because what's happening is as the light disappears.

[00:14:13] Because that's what happens when the moon moves across lights appears the filter's not going to be much good because everything's going to be so dark.

[00:14:20] So at some stage or ever you're going to have to remove the filter because then you can start seeing the exciting big join the eclipse which is just the shaft of light that's just permeate at the edges.

[00:14:31] Remember the moon is not a complete smooth ball is circular effectively but we've lots of rocks and craters on it so you see lots of edges so when the moon is in front of the sun.

[00:14:42] That's when you get these what's called these Bay Leeds beads that's a term to describe effectively is happening is the light is just shining through the gaps between the rocks and mountains of the moon.

[00:14:52] But you only see that with the filter off and you have to make sure that so you changing your ISO settings get it absolutely right could you only have a few you know a minute or two to do that.

[00:15:03] And then what happens is that the moon is moving across and then suddenly reveals as he moves to the other side of the shaft of light appears because basically it's the first bits of the sun sign again as the moon moves on.

[00:15:15] And then you get this sort of diamond ring effect and the diamond ring effect is really a bit of burst of sunlight they start to emerge where you've actually got a ring around the moon which is the sunlight and there are big shaft which is the first bits of the sun.

[00:15:30] I think you really have to have two things you have to have a very fast shutter speed to get the best light on that.

[00:15:36] And secondly again keep me ISO down and you've got your finger on the ISO button on your camera and you're starting to move it you're pressing the button.

[00:15:43] Two things I say you can't really ought to be on a tripod I mean some people do handheld but you know you ought to be on a tripod.

[00:15:50] There's unless you're moving the camera around the better and secondly if you've got a remote trigger so you don't have to press a button as well all the time.

[00:15:58] And there are things that you know most photographers know about and even if you don't really know about it I'm sure you can do that.

[00:16:04] So there's some of the key tips as well I would say definitely practice as much as you can and you can't really practice if you haven't got the clips to practice on but it's not brand new science you know people have been doing this for a long time as well.

[00:16:18] And here's the final tip I would say give to everyone which is make sure you're wearing your glasses just stand away from your camera and just look up.

[00:16:26] Just look up the sky and just take in everything that's happening because this is a you know it's a remarkable event a natural event and people just forget and touchy look.

[00:16:36] Peter you know that this event will be watched by millions of people but throughout history it's been always a fascination by artist or photographers to capture this event.

[00:16:48] Why do I think it captures our imagination so much.

[00:16:52] Well I think you have to think back to the days before people knew or understood what was happening before you imagine the first time it happens for people and experiences period with the sun went out that.

[00:17:05] Sun disappeared and people think of what happened you know it was there you go it's not nighttime this is a people that actually looked up and didn't blind themselves I might add you know because you imagine people have puzzled so there's always been a fascination because you know from the days where people didn't understand.

[00:17:21] But now we do understand you know it's like lots of I mean the sort of crepes isn't the only thing that happens I mean I learned a crepes can be you know tremendous exciting to see the moon you've been bright and then suddenly it gets very very dark and in the turns red.

[00:17:34] The moon turns red is called a blood red moon this is where the atmosphere of the earth gets bent around but from the sun shining so actually what you actually seen is to see the moon but as she is totally red now I've taken photographs of that as well.

[00:17:49] And I have to say that I find that just as exciting because you think the natural phenomenon as well I mean the solar eclipse isn't the only one but clearly it's predicted unlike this you know unlike an aurora.

[00:18:01] I can aurora predict exactly when it's happening people know exactly where to be and it's hyped incredibly by the media you know there will be huge amount of fuss in the media I can't remember well there was one a few years ago in America remember my brother went over for it but so you can imagine this you know millions of millions of people will be in the line you know goodness knows what the traffic is going to be like as people are moving towards that narrow line of totality as they get there.

[00:18:27] You know they'll be selling t shirts and just everything else in time to turn into a commercial opportunity but for people who really enjoy this natural experience it's not about that it's about the wonder of it all.

[00:18:41] I mean you if you remember a few years time we get one in Europe I think down in Spain there will be a total eclipse in August of 2012-2026 I think it is so we're all going down to the Costa Braw and the Costa de Osteo.

[00:18:54] Yeah okay for this total eclipse down there.

[00:18:57] I will think I will do a live podcast by then Peter you will sit next to me and we will explain everything that sounds fantastic I'll take you up on that.

[00:19:06] Peter is being a pleasure talking to you thank you for explaining a bit what is going to happen and for those lucky in Mexico the US and Canada who are going to see it we will surely see a lot of pictures and we will see each other in 2026 and here in Costa Braw.

[00:19:21] Definitely definitely yeah wish everyone a cloud free sky you know keep those clouds away that's the one thing I can't predict Peter thanks again and we keep in contact.

[00:19:32] That's great. You're welcome. Thanks Peter bye.

[00:19:35] Okay right.

[00:19:36] There you go we hope you'll enjoy it our first short cast and it helps the photographers under you who will be fortunate enough to see it on April the 8 don't forget all the advice Peter had just given you and share your pictures with us.

[00:19:49] Thanks again for joining us on this stellar journey through the cosmos today and keep your eyes on the skies and your camera ready.

[00:19:56] If you enjoyed today's episode don't forget to like comment subscribe to our podcast on Apple or Spotify and stay connected with us on all social media platforms for more photography inspiration and all the updates.

[00:20:08] You can find everything back in the show notes under until next time keep clicking and move your photography. Bye.