Matt Prosser has been consulting his Photographer’s Ephemeris again. Plus he has a new blog – check it out. He writes:

Photos of the Moon over Kelston Roundhill are so last year, don’t you think? This year how about a photo of a 90% partial eclipse of the sun over the clump?

This Friday, 20^th March 2015 at 08:29 there will be a partial eclipse of the sun. The sky will go dark (and birds will fall silent, maybe).

I’ve worked out that the place to be is on the footpath off North Stoke Lane. (This is where I will be)

See the photographer’s Ephemeris at http://app.photoephemeris.com/?ll=51.413988,-2.433046&center=51.4126,-2.4294&dt=20150320092800%2B0000&z=14&spn=0.03,0.07 for details.

For more information about the eclipse in the Bristol Area, including a neat animation of what to expect, see the following link: http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/uk/bristol

For safety here is some advice on how to protect your eyes when viewing the eclipse. http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/make-pinhole-projector.html

The fun starts at 08:23 and ends at 10:38 with maximum at 09:29

The weather at this range is sunny with cloud so let’s hope for a clear morning.

So does this mean smoked lenses I ask naively?

Yes, though the technical term for a smoked lens is a 10 f:stop Neutral Density Filter.

The sun will be quite high in the sky even though it is early morning so a portrait mode will be required. A single exposure would result in a silhouette of the hill so I’ll also take multiple exposures and blend them for best effect.

See you there eclipse hunters! I’ll try and do a better job of being in the right place at the right time than last year.