Astrophotography Blog: 2026

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Partial Solar Eclipse in New York City – August 12, 2026

Maximum partial solar eclipse visible from New York City on August 12, 2026, with sunspot groups AR4508, AR4507 and AR4503

Maximum partial solar eclipse visible from New York City – August 12, 2026. About 9% of the Sun was covered by the Moon.

On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse crossed parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal. New York City was far outside the path of totality, but we still had a chance to see a partial solar eclipse, with about 9% of the Sun covered by the Moon at maximum eclipse.

I photographed the eclipse from New York City using a Canon EOS Ra with a Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM lens and Canon Extender EF 2x III, giving an effective focal length of 400mm. A Thousand Oaks 72-T threaded solar filter was used for all photographs.

For all photographs I kept the aperture fixed at f/8 for consistent sharpness, while varying the shutter speed and ISO to find the best exposure for showing the solar surface and sunspots. Because of these different exposure settings, the apparent color of the solar disk varies slightly between the images, from a deeper reddish-orange to a lighter, almost white appearance. In the darker, more reddish exposures, the contrast of the sunspots is generally stronger and they are easier to see.

The image above shows the maximum partial eclipse visible from New York City. The photographs below show the eclipse in chronological order, beginning when the Moon first started moving across the edge of the Sun.

Several groups of sunspots are also visible in the photographs. I identified three of them as AR4508, AR4507, and AR4503 using the solar images and active-region labels published by SpaceWeather.com. The active region AR4506 was also present on the Sun but was not clearly visible in my photographs.

Beginning of the Solar Eclipse

Beginning of the partial solar eclipse in New York City on August 12, 2026, with visible sunspots

Canon EOS Ra, Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM + Canon Extender EF 2x III (400mm), f/8, 1/640 sec, ISO 3200

This photograph was taken just a few minutes after the partial eclipse began at about 1:07 p.m. EDT. The Moon had just started moving onto the solar disk. Sunspot groups AR4508, AR4507, and AR4503 are visible across the Sun.

Partial Solar Eclipse over New York City

Canon EOS Ra, 400mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 320

The Moon moves farther across the edge of the Sun while the three sunspot groups remain clearly visible.

Solar Eclipse Progression

Progression of the August 12, 2026 partial solar eclipse in New York City with visible sunspot groups

Canon EOS Ra, 400mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 400.

As the eclipse progresses, the curved dark edge of the Moon becomes more pronounced against the bright solar disk.

Partial Solar Eclipse Near Maximum

Partial solar eclipse in New York City on August 12, 2026, near maximum eclipse

Canon EOS Ra, 400mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 200.

This photograph was taken later in the eclipse, when the Moon had moved farther across the solar disk and the eclipse was getting close to its maximum as seen from New York City.

Maximum Partial Solar Eclipse in NYC

The first image at the top of this post shows the maximum eclipse visible from New York City. Maximum eclipse occurred at about 1:54 p.m. EDT, when approximately 9% of the Sun was covered by the Moon. The photograph was taken with a Canon EOS Ra at 400mm, f/8, 1/160 sec and ISO 500.

Although this was very different from the spectacular total solar eclipse seen along the path of totality in Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, it was still an amazing astronomical event to observe and photograph from New York City.

The combination of the Moon's silhouette and several groups of sunspots made this relatively small partial eclipse especially interesting through a 400mm telephoto lens.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Camel on a Dune Under the Starry Sahara Sky – Merzouga, Morocco

This photo was taken at night in the Sahara Desert near Merzouga, Morocco. A camel and its keeper are standing on the top of a sand dune under a clear, star-filled sky. Above the camel and its keeper, both the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper can be recognized in the Sahara sky.

Camel and keeper on top of a sand dune in the Sahara Desert at night under the Big Dipper and Little Dipper in Merzouga, Morocco

Camel on a Dune Under the Starry Sahara Sky – Merzouga, Morocco

One of the most interesting details in this image is the light. On the far side of the dune, much lower and outside the frame, there was a desert camp. The camp itself is not visible, but even this relatively weak light was enough to illuminate the camel and its keeper. That subtle light illuminated the camel and its keeper just enough to create a striking silhouette against the dark dune and the night sky.

This combination of desert landscape, human presence, and recognizable stars made the moment especially memorable. The camel and keeper standing on the crest of the dune give the scene a timeless feeling, while the starry sky above connects the quiet Sahara night with the wider universe.

This image was made as a panorama of 3 photos using a Canon EOS Ra camera with a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 16mm. Exposure settings were f/2.8, ISO 12800, 15 seconds. The photo was taken on April 7, 2026.

Finding Polaris in the Sahara Sky

This photo also shows a classic way to identify Polaris, the North Star. The two outer stars of the bowl of the Big Dipper, known as the pointer stars, can be used to find Polaris. If you follow the line from these stars outward, it leads to Polaris, which marks the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.

Even in a desert landscape far from city lights, this simple star pattern remains one of the easiest and most famous ways to navigate the night sky.

Annotated night sky over the Sahara Desert in Merzouga, Morocco, showing the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Polaris above a camel and keeper on a dune

Annotated Sahara night sky showing the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Polaris above a camel and its keeper on a dune in Merzouga, Morocco.

Monday, January 26, 2026

Tanzania Cloudy Astrophotography

These are several astrophotography images from Tanzania that did not make it into my earlier post featuring the Rainbow Milky Way. That previous post focused on rare color and clarity, while these images were captured during a much cloudier night.

Although clouds often end an astrophotography session, in this case they added atmosphere and depth to the scene. With no Moon in the sky, the clouds appear as dark silhouettes against the star field and the Milky Way, creating a very different mood compared to clear-sky images.

All photos were taken at Nyikani Migration Camp, Tanzania on September 21.

Camera: Canon EOS Ra
Lens: Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure: f/3.2 · ISO 6400 · 15 sec
Technique: Panorama (4 images)

Milky Way under two safari tents at Nyikani Migration Camp during a cloudy, moonless night in Tanzania

Two safari tents frame the central part of the Milky Way. With no Moon present, clouds appear as dark shapes cutting through the star field.

In the first image, two safari tents are visible in the foreground, with the central part of the Milky Way positioned under them. The sky was completely moonless, allowing the clouds to show up as dark structures against the stars rather than reflecting light.

Milky Way rising above a safari tent with trees and clouds at Nyikani Migration Camp, Tanzania

A single safari tent under the Milky Way, surrounded by trees and passing clouds.

In the second image, the Milky Way rises directly above a safari tent, with a green tree visible in the foreground. Both images were taken as close to the camp as possible, keeping the scene simple and grounded in the immediate surroundings.

These photographs are much simpler than the Rainbow Milky Way panorama, but they document another side of night photography in Tanzania — where clouds, darkness, and proximity to the landscape all play a role in shaping the final image.