{"id":847944,"date":"2026-08-06T07:52:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T07:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/847944\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T07:52:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T07:52:19","slug":"how-to-photograph-the-august-2026-solar-eclipse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/847944\/","title":{"rendered":"How to photograph the August 2026 solar eclipse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to photograph the August 2026 solar eclipse? This guide is for you.<\/p>\n

August 2026 is a month for eclipse chasers. If the weather is kind, there\u2019s a chance to see a total solar eclipse \u2013\u00a0or a significant partial solar eclipse, depending on where you are \u2013 on 12 August<\/a>, followed by a partial lunar eclipse on 28 August.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering what we mean by a \u2018significant\u2019 partial, it\u2019s that (as seen from the UK and parts of Europe) more than 90% of the diameter of the Sun and Moon will be covered at the point of greatest eclipse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The solar eclipse occurs in the late afternoon from the UK and Europe. At its peak, the Sun will look like an impressive crescent.<\/p>\n

More on the solar eclipse<\/p>\n

\"PhotographersPhoto by Noel Celis\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Note that, as its surface will still be visible, that crescent still requires the use of an appropriate safety filter.<\/p>\n

An alternative way to safely view it is to create a 1\u20132mm hole in a piece of card and project the image<\/a> onto another piece of white paper or card.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need to be at least one metre from the screen to get a decent-sized pinhole projection of the eclipse.<\/p>\n

\"AA regular kitchen colander can be used to project an eclipse onto a piece of white paper or card. This would be an easy way photographing the August 2026 solar eclipse. Photo by Jessica Rinaldi\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images<\/p>\n

This is a particularly good way for children to get involved, especially as they can get creative and make patterns with lots of holes, each projecting a small image of the eclipse as it progresses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For those who want to take more direct photos, a filter must be used on the front of any lens or telescope pointed at the Sun.<\/p>\n

Although this eclipse is in the late afternoon, the altitude of the Sun from the centre of the UK as the eclipse ends is still over 10\u00b0, meaning it will still be bright and powerful.<\/p>\n

\"SunspotsSunspots seen on the Sun in white light. Focus on sunspots to help focus in preparation for capturing your photograph of the August 2026 solar eclipse. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/p>\n

White-light filters will work well for this event and have the benefit of being relatively inexpensive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Narrowband filters tend to be more costly, but offer a different view of the event.<\/p>\n

The bonus with hydrogen-alpha filters is that they also show additional features not visible through white-light filters, such as prominences and filaments.<\/p>\n

Sunspots<\/a> may well be visible through a white-light filter, adding a little extra to the view, but the fine detail visible through a hydrogen-alpha filter really lifts any image and adds many more points of interest.<\/p>\n

\"Hydrogen-alphaHydrogen-alpha view of the Sun. Credit: Pete Lawrence
\nEquipment to photograph the August 2026 solar eclipse<\/p>\n

Camera
\nTripod
\nTelephoto lens\/telescope<\/p>\n

Here are our top tips and best steps for preparing to photograph the 12 August 2026 solar eclipse, including advice for what to do on the day.<\/p>\n

Start rehearsing a few days before
\n\"Bresser<\/p>\n

For the solar eclipse, plan ahead. Get your filter ready and test it with shots of the Sun in the days running up to the eclipse.<\/p>\n

Examine the results and fine tune. If you plan to do a timelapse sequence, set the interval between shots and stick to it.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t overdo it by setting the interval too short, \u2013 once every 5\u201310 minutes should be fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Get ready early on the day
\n\"correctCredit: Pete Lawrence<\/p>\n

Set up your imaging kit well before the eclipse starts, ensuring it\u2019s all safely filtered before anything\u2019s pointed at the Sun.<\/p>\n

If using a DSLR or MILC camera, a remote shutter cable lets you avoid camera shake.<\/p>\n

Try a low ISO around 200 and reduce the exposure so the Sun\u2019s disc doesn\u2019t appear pure white.<\/p>\n

Shoot the Sun before the eclipse starts
\n\"SunspotSunspot group in February 2024. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/p>\n

Use a sunspot, solar limb or granulation for precise focus.<\/p>\n

With a mono high-frame-rate camera, a green or solar continuum filter will improve contrast of the photosphere.<\/p>\n

If using a hydrogen-alpha filter, first contact is at PA 300\u00b0 (measured from north through east); prominences here are eclipsed early.<\/p>\n

Send us your images<\/a> of the August 2026 solar eclipse and they could appear in a future issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want to photograph the August 2026 solar eclipse? This guide is for you. August 2026 is a month…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":847945,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,48,66],"class_list":["post-847944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}