TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE SCHEDULE

There are a multitude of phenomena during a total solar eclipse, each with dynamically different exposures, and many occurring rapidly over only a few minutes or even seconds. In order to properly prepare to photograph such a complex event, I find it best to build a schedule to guide my efforts and reduce the stress that can lead to missed shots. 

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The following spreadsheet outlines the major events of the eclipse with its corresponding exposure (two pages). 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 spreadsheet with that information as seen in the example below. Add the times in UTC (HH:MM:SS.S) to the white boxes under "Time (UTC)" 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).

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Additionally, take the exposures determined by the Solar Eclipse Exposure Calculator, and input those into the spaces provided by each eclipse milestone/phenomena (white boxes only). Lastly, test the process of modifying settings on your camera during a mock session, and modify the white boxes under "Duration" as required with times that you are comfortable with (considering that the stress of the actual event will likely make you a bit slower). Use the syntax shown in the cell of "=TIME(h,m,s)" so that the action times update correctly. Print out the schedule before the eclipse and you will have a handy guide to help you capture all of the solar eclipse phenomena.

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If you find this 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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