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Table of content
1. Ensure the telescope body is as level as possible.
2. When tracking the sun, keep the telescope cylinder facing the side with the Dwarflab logo (not the battery compartment side).
3. Avoid calibrating or performing panoramic shots before tracking the sun (when the motor needs to move to the axis limit positions for position calculations). If you have performed any of these actions, restart before tracking again.
4. Most importantly, make sure you are using the latest App and firmware .
DWARF II owners, A big welcome to today's eclipse observation walk through with DwarfLab! So you know what we are gearing up together for--the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. With the path of totality passing through Mexico, the United States, and southeastern Canada, partial eclipse coverage will extend over the entire North American continent, as well as the northwest of South America and the western side of Europe, this eclipse will be unprecedented in scale for sure. Nearly all residents of the western hemisphere will have the opportunity to witness this eclipse, potentially making it the most widely observed celestial event in history!
If you happen to be in these locations at that time, or if you plan to travel there, you will need this customized checklist!
Strongly recommend watching " Solar Eclipse 101 " produced by National Geographic：
Genius astronomer Xavier M. Jubier collaborated with NASA scientists to create a map relevant to this eclipse, providing enthusiasts with free access.
By entering your location in the search bar, you can accurately obtain the latitude and longitude of your location, (which facilitates your polar alignment), the extent of eclipse coverage (with illustrations), the start/end time, total duration, and times for each phase (C1-C2-MAX-C3-C4, making it easy for you to set timers and wear solar filters in advance, detailed explanations provided in Chapt.6), basically all the information you need can be found here.
Credit: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html | Even marked with the sunset time if the eclipse coincide with it in your place
Click HERE to view the usage guide for this map
If you're lucky enough to live in the path of totality, this spectacle will naturally unfold right in your backyard or just a few blocks away at a starry sky party! Alternatively, if you're planning to take flights just to witness this grand show, now is the time to book your tickets and venues! We've also found some useful website you might want to check out:
When selecting your spot, don't forget to check the weather forecast (even historical data) as many areas can be quite cloudy in April!
Based on past experiences, you'll need a collapsible universal tripod(better with a leveling bubble), solar viewing glasses, a large-capacity portable power bank (with an extended charging Type-C cable), as well as camping equipment such as a water bottle, hat, umbrella and small stool. If not cozy, at least stay warm and hydrated during the exciting event!
Those fortunate enough to have witnessed this cosmic spectacle in the past have described it as an indescribable, most spectacular, and once-in-a-lifetime experience, reminds us of our place in the universe and the beauty and wonders that surround us every day...anyways, you don't want to miss those several minutes when it comes.
But, you know, the urge to record it when a special event comes can become so strong, and it would be quite regrettable not to leave behind memories!
Thus, a fully automatic, highly integrated, intelligent astronomical telescope DWARF II , which integrates tracking, imaging and processing, is your best choice for capturing the eclipse!
Traditional astronomical telescopes (with cameras and tracker), DSLR cameras (with telephoto lenses and tracker) and DWARF II Smart Telescope:
DWARF II Astronomy Photography Demonstration
Position DWARF II as level as possible. The flat design of DWARF II ensures more precise automatic tracking.
Briefly press the power button to turn on the device, while holding it down will turn off the device.
Face the lenses approximately towards the sun , then use dual-lenses locating or the joystick to center the sun in the tele photo view.
*Please note due to the absence of calibration in this process, it is very important to keep the lens cylinder face to the front side (DWARFLAB MARK) while tracking the sun and moon.
For more about dual lens control, refer to here. Switch to the telephoto lens and click auto-focus. Dwarf II will automatically detect the sun and apply the best settings(brightness) for it.
Activate 'Function-Feature-Sun Track'. The camera will calibrate (move up a little, don't panic) and then track the sun.
In tracking mode, the sun remains centered, allowing continuous observation or shooting videos/time-lapses.During auto-focus, the camera auto-adjusts parameters, if you may know, typically at 1/600s-1/150s exposure, gain at 0, and IR Cut. Do adjust Hue and WB as preferred. Adjusting the appropriate white balance can present the Sun in different shades of yellow, such as egg yolk or creamy yellow. If you want to manually focus, you can use two fingers to zoom in on the screen and use sunspots as a reference for precise focusing.
Tap the 'Shoot' button to take pictures of the Sun.If you want to capture dynamic footage of the sun, you can select the 'Video' mode.
The above is the complete process for photographing the Sun. You can practice it a few times in advance to familiarize yourself with the shooting process.
*Note: When you switch the app to the background or disconnect, the shooting process will still continue.
From Chapt. 1 we already know, depending on your location, you may experience a partial or total eclipse during this event.
Credit: See watermark｜Partial Eclipse, Annular Eclipse, Total Eclipse
If you are in the penumbra region experiencing a partial eclipse, same as imagining the sun, you can follow the tutorial in Chapter 5 to record the partial eclipse process. Here's a summary :
1. Recommended parameters: Since you won't experience totality, which means a portion of the sun will always be exposed, making it impossible to remove the filters, so during the entire partial eclipse process, you don't need to adjust any parameters. You can set the expo between 1/600s to 1/150s and gain 0 throughout. Remember, longer exposures may result in blurrier images with less detail, while shorter exposures may result in darker images with poorer quality. The specific parameters depend on the state of the sun during the eclipse in your location. You can check the local time of the eclipse in your area beforehand, go out and take some test shots at the same time, and choose and remember your preferred parameters!
2. Shooting mode: We recommend using time-lapse mode, as it can effectively capture the entire process.
*If you want to remove the filters to record totality, we suggest setting intervals of 3-5 seconds. If you're not removing the filters, intervals of 30-60 seconds are recommended. An infinite total duration is also a good choice. If the eclipse lasts for two hours, the resulting footage should be within 15GB.
*If you want to use the video mode(full-frame), make sure to have a cleared memory card! It is estimated that a two-hour video will occupy around 50GB of memory. We recommend using a 128GB memory card, as DWARF II supports memory cards up to 512 GB.
3. Eclipse Works：
A beautiful egg yolk, with the clouds adding a dreamy atmosphere⛅️. Check the weather forecast to see if your location will also be cloudy on April 8th. Fingers crossed for no rain.
2023 annular eclipse captured using DWARF II by @ScottCAstrophotography.
From @Kelly Cr, a time-lapse demonstration of the annular eclipse captured using DWARF II
If you're planning to observe the total solar eclipse within the path of totality, then you're truly fortunate! As an enthusiast myself living in the east counter, I can only offer some tips to you and hope to get feedback from the frontline!If you wish to get a shot like below, follow the instructions provided in Section 6.1 . Keep your solar filters on throughout the event, and maintain the same settings recommended.
These are some of the most captivating moments during a total solar eclipse, if you intend to capture them, please review the following instructions ⚠️The following content is an explanation in detail, and may be challenging to understand. If you prefer to receive direct operating instructions, skip to Section 6.2.2-Operation Guide ⚠️
As shown in the diagram below, depending on the degree of blocks, a total solar eclipse can be divided into several phases: C1-C2-Max-C3-C4 .
We provide the following shooting guidance based on the phases above, aka what you should do in those different times :
1. C1: The Sun is in a partial eclipse state. Assuming you are using DWARF II for time-lapse photography, keep it in tracking mode with fixed parameters.
2. Before C2: About 1 minute before C2 starts, shadow bands appear on the ground, indicating that it's time to remove the solar filters!
**If you wish to switch to video mode or burst mode now, stop tracking - switch mode - set shooting parameters - reenter tracking- start shooting
Credit: WikiPedia | People lay white sheets on the ground to observe the shadow bands. More on：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_bands
*When removing the filters, hold the telescope with one hand and remove the filters with another, ensuring to maintain the stability of the unit as much as possible!
3. C2: In approximately 15 seconds the diamond ring and Bailey's beads will disappear, the Sun is completely covered, and the solar corona appears. The C2 phase has begun! Quickly adjust the exposure to about 1/100s to capture the solar corona, then ⚠️remove your safe glasses⚠️to observe the total eclipse!
You need to maintain this exposure setting to capture the solar corona until C3 begins . In other words, all images taken between C2, Max, and C3 will be of total coverage and the solar corona. Take Dallas area as an example. The totality lasts about 3 min 51 sec.
4. Max: At this point, the sun is most obscured, and you wouldn't want to miss this part. Look towards the horizon, and you may even see Venus and Jupiter!
**During this process, do not operate the camera and focus solely on observing the total eclipse even if you feel the shooting is messed up.
5. C3: Baily's beads will reappear shortly. Quickly put your glasses back on! If you still want to capture Baily's beads, you can quickly reduce the expo, then grab your filters and after another 15 seconds, you can start wearing them (allow 5 seconds for wearing), and once you have the filters on, readjust the exposure to partial eclipse settings.
6. C4: Partial eclipse continues till the end of contact.
So, to summarize:
「When shadow bands appear, adjust the parameters (switch modes) - then wait for the appearance of the diamond ring or Baily's beads, remove the filters, and capture Baily's beads with appropriate parameters; next, when the solar corona appears, adjust the exposure parameters again, then keep the DWARF II sit there and observe the eclipse; when the totality ends and Baily's beads reappear, adjust the exposure and prepare to wear the filters, adjust the exposure again when the partial eclipse begins.」
If you want to capture a series of images or continuous video of the solar eclipse, you can choose not to remove the filters at all ; if you hope to capture phenomena like Baily's beads and the solar corona during totality, then removing the filter will be necessary, but this may also mean missing the opportunity to shoot continuous video. Therefore, a balance needs to be struck between the two. During the brief period of totality, while enjoying the spectacular sight, capturing Baily's beads and the solar corona is a very challenging task! If possible, I hope you can enjoy the view and maybe record your feelings with your phone instead of being busy removing and wearing the filters and adjusting the exposure. After all, the work with filters is also super cool! However, if you are focusing on serious photography, please practice multiple times and familiarize yourself with the steps according to the tutorial we provide. This will greatly help you achieve satisfactory results during the total solar eclipse.
Q: Should I polar align or calibrate to make my tracking more accurate?
A: No, DWARF II cannot be calibrated during the daytime. To save you the trouble of polar alignment, the sun tracking algorithm operates under the assumption that the device is in a level position. We will continue to refine the algorithm based on this situation and release a software update in March that will allow continuous tracking for several hours.Additionally, regardless of your location, we recommend setting up DWARF II and entering tracking mode half an hour before the eclipse begins. Since nighttime calibration is not possible, to extend tracking time, you can exit tracking, recenter, and retrack in the last ten minutes before the eclipse starts. **The position of the sun cannot be adjusted or manually centered while in tracking .
Q: How can I record the eclipse with a series of photos?
Update: Burst Mode now online for you!
Burst mode in 'Function-Feature' includes a 'Settings' option.Set the time interval (from 1s to 60s) and the number taken of this set of pictures. Note that there's a brief delay in saving photos after hitting stop on taking the burst. So it might take some time for the photos to show up in the album.
*Note: The change of Interval settings during a shooting session will take effect to make sure you get a better record of a whole imaging process saying totality!
**If you want to record a non-full-frame video of totality, whether it's through burst or time-lapse, you must consider setting an appropriate frame interval. It's recommended to set it between 3 to 5 seconds. Too long of an interval may cause you to miss crucial frames. As mentioned earlier, you can start adjusting the appropriate shooting mode or interval settings about 1 minute before C2.
Credit: http://www.mreclipse.com/SEphoto/SEphoto.html
Q: I see quite a lot of recommended parameter sets for eclipse. Should I refer to any for getting advanced results?
A: No, there's no need for complicated parameter adjustments because DWARF II is fixed-focus and fixed-aperture. Our goal is to save you from feeling overwhelmed during the eclipse. With our recommended parameters, you only need to adjust the exposure during totality. We also hope you can enjoy the process, as DWARF II will serve as a competent smart recording tool.
Comments
I am think along the lines of shooting video and edit the event in post. I don’t know about if I taking the filter off or not. Using a white light filter most likely I can correct most of it in post
