The partial phases of a solar eclipse generally last more than an hour, so breaking down that time into intervals helps to reduce the image load of the event. Additionally, the most common visual representation of an eclipse includes images of the partial phases flanking a central image of max eclipse. Creating this graphic can be slightly more complex than just dividing the time by the images in the graphic, so I have created a spreadsheet that breaks down the nuances of intervals and how they fit into the overall process of photographing the eclipse.

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The following spreadsheet will calculate the intervals for each partial phase (they almost always differ) based on the total number of images you want in the final set of images (including a single image of totality in the middle). This can include any number of frames, but the more frames you add, the smaller the intervals flanking totality will become. I don't recommend reducing the interval below 5 minutes unless you plan to stop the intervalometer with plenty of time to prepare for and photograph Bailey's Beads/The Diamond Ring. The intervals should be similar on both sides of max eclipse to have mirrored images.

 

Use an online data service such as the Navy's Solar Eclipse Computer to gather the eclipse information for your specific viewing location, and then update the white cells in the spreadsheet with that information as seen in the example below. Add the times in UTC (HH:MM:SS.S) to the white boxes under "(UT1)" and change the Time Zone to your viewing area (likely either -5 for Central Daylight Time (CDT) or -4 for Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) for the 2024 eclipse).

 

If you find this calculator/schedule helpful for your eclipse preparation, please consider supporting my work by purchasing something from my Store, or by donating to my Paypal account using the button below or @ShaunCTPhoto​​

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