Post by hmca on Nov 12, 2019 1:09:27 GMT
In 2016 I visited the Frontier Cultural Museum in Staunton Virginia. I had a photography assignment at that time to take portraits. I saw this man with this wonderful beard and kindly face and got my courage up and asked if I could take his picture.
He agreed and since then Earl Downs and I have been FB friends. I just noticed he had posted pictures of Mercury and asked if I could share them at our site. I knew they would be of particular interest to Peterj and pontiac1940 .
Earl told me that he has been interested in physics and astronomy since he was 8 years old. To get the shots of Mercury he used a 8 inch Celestron CPC telescope with a solar filter. He attached a X/Y iPhone holder.
With clear skies he was able to watch the entirety of the transit, about 5 hours. He said the chances of him seeing the next one in 30 years are not good so he watched the whole thing!
Earl's telescope
Earl at the cultural museum
Mercury is not the big red sphere......which I had thought it was when I created this post. That is the sun! Mercury is the tiny black dot that we see as it appears passing in front of the sun.
He agreed and since then Earl Downs and I have been FB friends. I just noticed he had posted pictures of Mercury and asked if I could share them at our site. I knew they would be of particular interest to Peterj and pontiac1940 .
Earl told me that he has been interested in physics and astronomy since he was 8 years old. To get the shots of Mercury he used a 8 inch Celestron CPC telescope with a solar filter. He attached a X/Y iPhone holder.
With clear skies he was able to watch the entirety of the transit, about 5 hours. He said the chances of him seeing the next one in 30 years are not good so he watched the whole thing!
Earl's telescope
Earl at the cultural museum
Mercury is not the big red sphere......which I had thought it was when I created this post. That is the sun! Mercury is the tiny black dot that we see as it appears passing in front of the sun.
