2012 Total solar eclipse - Cairns, Australia

Location: Trinity Beach, Cairns, Australia
Timing: 14-November-2012 06:40 (UTC+10)

In November 2012 I was one of 60,000 people to visit Cairns for the total eclipse.  This was the first time I've been lucky enough to witness a total eclipse and I have to say it was worth every bit of planning, travel and tiredness.



There was plenty of apprehension regarding the morning clouds, but the feeling at the end of the show was nothing short of ecstatic.  The rest of the crowd obviously felt it too - whistling, cheering and clapping this awesome event!

Above: The eclipse as seen from Trinity Beach (3:43).


A phenomenon like this can draw people together to share a sense of awe and unity.  There's nothing like it - you have to experience it!

Picking the location
There were a number of spots in the top end of Queensland covered by the path of the eclipse, providing plenty of options for viewing.  I considered coastal, hill-top and inland but needed to be certain I had a clear view East, with the eclipse commencing just 2 degrees above the horizon.  Not being a local meant there was risk in picking a spot that just didn't have a very good view.  So I went with coastal, and used Google Earth to pick 4 possible viewing sites to check out when I got to Cairns.  I knew I'd have the risk of morning cloud, but planned to stick with it and not make any last-ditch efforts to drive inland and chase clear skies.

Getting there
I flew up to Cairns 2 full days before the eclipse, grabbed a hire car and checked in to my hotel late morning.  I  spent some time getting my gear unpacked and organised, then went out scouting to select my site.  I checked each spot for travel time, parking, setup location and exact sunrise direction to make sure I had the best chances on the day.  I picked Trinity Beach since it was away from the city centre but had heaps of beach-front road with parking and clear views.


Above: Preparation time... everyone is testing gear and comparing gadgets and phone apps.

Next morning I was up at 4am, headed off to the beach and set up for a dry run, double checking the sun's path would be clear.  Turns out I met plenty of people doing the same thing - including a lovely bloke who'd traveled over from New York!  After that it was a restful day, just recharging all batteries (mine too) and making sure memory cards were ready to go.

Eclipse Day
Up at 4am again and off to Trinity Beach.  Man, I can't believe how crowded the beach was when I got there!  I managed to get the last park space on the road; there was a stream of cars after me that just had to head off elsewhere.  I had plenty of time to set up my 3 cameras before sunrise.

Above: 5:30am on eclipse day; cameras and telescopes are being set up and testing.

Equipment:
  1. Main camera: Canon EOS 550D; 300mm zoom lens; Kenko 2x teleconverter; solar filter; Manfrotto tripod.
  2. Backup camera: Canon EOS 400D; 250mm IS zoom lens.
  3. Video: Panasonic Lumix on a light tripod.  Set running on video mode to capture the whole event.
  4. Phone: Always on hand, an easy way to snap and share stuff quickly.

I initially had the 550D set up running 7x bracketed shots using a laptop-based control program and captured most of ingress this way - but drama struck a few minutes before the main event!  The camera froze completely - I thought it was completely bricked!  With a few quiet expletives I swapped to the 400D but since I didn't have the teleconverter, I was capturing pretty wide field across totality.

I came back to the 550D about half an hour later, put the battery back in and managed to get it going again for another set of shots through egress.  Phew...

Above: After the event, looking a bit ragged, but pretty happy.  Looking forward to bacon and eggs!  Showing the Canon 550D with 2x teleconverter, 300mm zoom and solar filter.

Filters
Solar photography requires filters to keep your eyes and equipment safe.  That said, there are specific circumstances when the light intensity is low enough that filters may not be required - ie at sunrise/set and during totality.  But if you're unsure, DON'T do it!

Before and after totality I used a 58mm screw-on solar filter, attached to the end of the zoom lens.  This is a black polymer type, made by Thousand Oaks.

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