Joshua Tree National Park

Dennis Mammana, my favorite Night Sky Photographer offered a workshop at Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP, about 3 hours drive from San Diego) over the Memorial Day weekend. The workshop was on Saturday afternoon, followed by photographing the night sky inside JTNP and reviewing and critiquing the photos on Sunday morning. I will post the night sky photos later on. Since all of us had already visited JTNP couple of years ago, Sheila, Swetha and Shreya stayed back to do "shopping"  while I went "workshopping" :))

JTNP is just south of the Mojave Desert and spreads over 800,000 acres. The (in)famous "San Andreas Fault" runs through the south side of the park. JTNP is a nature lovers' paradise and offers plenty of hiking trails, camping lots, unique rock formations, rock climbing and unpolluted night skies. The national park got its name from Joshua Trees, which grow all over the park. Early explorers named the tree after Prophet Joshua because the tree branches seem to outstretch in supplication. The Joshua Trees grow with odd twists and turns and  look like as if they are praying with their hands raised :))

From the 2009 visit. If you can't identify the rock climber in this foto, check your eyes ;)

I had all my meals at this highly recommended, family run restaurant.
Yummy Kabobs, juicy Shawarmas and outstanding Baklavas (:-P...

சூர்ய கிரகணம் (Solar Eclipse)

Warnings:

1. Never look at the Sun directly.
2. Never look at the Sun through a Telescope or Binoculars unless you have the
    proper Solar filters installed.
3. Never photograph the Sun (except Sunrises and Sunsets) through your camera.

#1 & #2 will cause permanent eye damage.
#3 will cause permanent camera damage.

Once I knew the Annular/Partial Solar Eclipse is on may 20th, I didn't want to miss it. The next one is 5 years away and may not be even visible from California. Good, this one fell on a weekend. Initially, I thought I will just watch it with everyone and enjoy it. As the date got closer and closer, the "shutterbug" started biting me more :)). I realized, I am completely unprepared to photograph the Eclipse.

I scrambled in the last minute and ordered 4 simple Solar Filters for us to look at the Eclipse safely.

I ripped out 2 of the filters and taped it to the old

Tele lens :))


















This is my first ever attempt to capture the Solar Eclipse. Enjoy :))

3:41 pm. Test shot, before the Eclipse began.

5:41 PM

5:50 PM

6: 03 PM

6:25 PM

6:37 PM

6: 48 PM

While the eclipse was progressing, Shreya  and I tried some simple experiments and had fun :))  If I was not able to rig up my lens, these are the only fotos you would have seen.

We made pin holes on an aluminum foil and projected the Sun's image

4:12 PM, befoe the Eclipse began.

6:09 PM

6:51 PM The peak of Eclipse.

Shreya's fingers formed a pin-hole camera :))

As the Sun started going down behind the houses, Sheila and I drove to the Hilltop Park nearby. The place was packed with people, watching and photographing the eclipse. One person had set up his telescope and projected the image of the Sun.

Projected image of the Sun

As we drove back, the Sun was setting behind the hills and offered a glorious view of the final stage of the eclipse :))

Super Moon

For 2012, the Moon was at its closest point to Earth (Perigee) yesterday night.   My plan was to go to a nearby location and capture the moon as it emerges from behind a mountain.  By the time I reached my destination,  the Moon has popped out already :))  The atmosphere was little bit hazy and the shots didn't come out that good.