A new video demonstrating solar eclipse convection clouds has been released by Gordon Telepun, the publisher of the Solar Eclipse Timer App and a new e-book titled “Eclipse Day – 2024 and More! How to enjoy, observe and photograph a total solar eclipse.”
This video overlays a special colorized GOES Satellite imagery of the clouds over Telepun’s observing site in 2017 during the Great American Eclipse. It demonstrates how the decrease in solar energy delivered to the ground during the partial phases reduces the thermals needed to supply convective clouds with moisture, so they dissipate. After totality when the solar energy returns, after s a short delay, convective clouds form again. This is the thermodynamics of an eclipse on display. This video is embedded in the electronic tablet form of his book, and he discusses it and the thermodynamics in detail in Chapter 8 of the eclipse book.
As Telepun commented about the video, “I am particularly fond of this one, from Chapter 8 – Convective Clouds, because I had access to a colorized version of the GOES Satellite, the nice demonstration of eclipse thermodynamics, and the fact that I witnessed this effect on the ground on eclipse day! This effect was spectacular!”
The video is available at the end of this article.
You can also learn more about getting ready for the Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023 and the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 through Telepun’s e-book which provides a comprehensive guide to preparing for Eclipse Day. The unique format of this book takes Eclipse Day and divides it into 28 separate essential elements, from arriving at your observation site to leaving at the end of the eclipse.
Each of those elements is its own chapter where the information about solar eclipse astronomy, science, observation, photography, and videography techniques are discussed together. The appendix is organized more like a traditional solar eclipse book with the following chapters: Basic Eclipse Astronomy, Simplifying Eclipse Photography, Wide Angle Eclipse Photography, Video Recording Ideas, Mistakes I’ve Made, and The Next 10 Total Solar Eclipses.
The book contains 240 photos, 225 illustrations, 175 dialogue boxes, 12 image galleries, 10 embedded videos, and 18 audio files.
And if all that isn’t enough, Telepun offers the Solar Eclipse Timer App for Android and iOS to help people get the most enjoyment out of observing and imaging a solar eclipse. The unique feature of the app is that it will automatically calculate your exact contact times when you are at your final observing position. Then, the app becomes your personal eclipse astronomer as it talks you through the eclipse.
The app includes a built-in practice session where the timing functions are synchronized to the author’s eclipse observation site video so you can run practice sessions. A practice script allows you to hear all of the announcements and practice using your device. Also, the Partial Phase Image Sequence Calculator (PPISC) automatically provides you with perfectly distributed times before and after totality to get a perfect sequence of 20 partial phase images.
You can learn more about solar eclipse convection clouds, the Solar Eclipse Timer App, upcoming solar eclipses and more here.
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