This image shows an alpine hut in Eastern Switzerland. I took it in early 2021 and I still vividly remember the cool night temperatures so close to the snow line.

The hut was still in hibernation and would stay that way for a while before waking up to its busy life during the short alpine summer.

The sight of the abandoned hut perfectly matched the gloomy mood at the height of the COVID pandemic. The dark mood I associated with this image might be the reason why it remained ignored in my publication pipeline for so long.

When I stumbled upon the image again today, not only did I realize that I had taken it exactly 3 years ago, it was also obvious that I had completely misinterpreted its mood: the spring Milky Way in the sky and the receding snow were sure signs of the end of winter and the dawn washing out the contrasts in the sky announced the approaching day.

In hindsight, the image no longer has a gloomy mood, it is full of signs of hope. The time to publish this image has definitely come!

EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro-modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro

Sky:
Stack of 7x 45s @ ISO1600, f/2

Foreground:
Stack of 5x 90s @ ISO3200, f/2.8

Tags:   Switzerland Swiss Alps Swiss@Night Milky Way Nightscape Starscape Astrophotography Astronomy

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I finally found the time to sort trough all my images of the 2024 Solar Eclipse and to create this composite image, showing the different phases of the stunning event.

Starting clockwise from uneclipsed Sun top center, the image shows the progression of the partial phase until totality begins with the Baily's Beads and the solar prominences on the bottom center right.

From bottom center left the opposite sequence starts with the Baily's Beads and the even bigger prominences at end of totality, followed by the second partial phase until the Moon finally disappears again on top.

In the center of this circle is the eclipsed sun and the magnificent solar corona during totality.

Tags:   Eclipse Eclipse2024 Solar Eclipse Astrophotography Astronomy Canon Canon EOS R

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While the Sun's corona certainly is the most impressive sight of a total solar eclipse, the fleeting moments just seconds before the Moon fully covers the Sun (Contact 2, or C2) and the first seconds after the end of totality (Contact 3, or C3) are very interesting too.

When just a tiny rest of the Sun is visible, it forms the Dimond Ring with the faint corona that becomes visible around the otherwise black circle of the Moon.

As the shadow progresses, the last sunlight passes through the valleys of the Moon, forming the Baily's Beads.

This is also the time when the red solar prominences become visible. During the April 8th eclipse, taking place close to the solar activity maximum, I observed more and bigger prominences compared the the 2017 eclipse, which took place while the Sun was less active.

This image is a composite of extremely short exposures, just seconds before and after totality.

The sequence of 12 exposures on the upper left depicts the progression of the eclipse from the Dimond Ring stage to the Baily's Beads and ends showing the Sun's Chromosphere at C2. In the lower right, the opposite development can be seen at and immediately after C3.

EXIF
Canon EOS-R
Canon RF100-500 f/5.6-7.1 L IS USM
Skywatcher AZ-GTI

24 x 1/2500s @ 500m

Tags:   Eclipse Eclipse2024 Solar Eclipse Sun Astrophotography Astronomy

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After returning home from my post-eclipse trip, I finally have time to work on my solar eclipse images.

This is my first processed result, showing the stunning solar corona. The image is an HDR composite of 14 exposures, covering 12 exposure stops. I also mixed in the solar prominences and Baily's Beads captured at C2 and C3.

EXIF
Canon EOS-R, astro-modified
Canon RF100-500 f/5.6-7.1 L IS USM
Skywatcher AZ-GTI

HDR image from 14 exposures between 1/2500s and 2s.

Tags:   Solar Eclipse Eclipse Eclipse2024 Astromony Astrophotography Sun Moon Corona HDR Canon Canon EOS R

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I captured this beautiful chapel in the French part of Switzerland a few years ago with my buddy Benjamin Barakat.

Located in the outskirts of a small town, the chapel is in a bortle 4 area. This definitely isn't a dark sky site, but a great foreground under a less than perfect sky can still yield good results.

The image has been sitting on my hard drive for a long time, but somehow never got published. I think it's time to change that and there's hardly a better release date than Easter for it.

EXIF
Canon EOS-Ra
Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8
iOptron SkyTracker Pro

Sky:
Panorama from 3 panels, each 7x 45s @ ISO1600

Foreground:
Focus stack from 5x 5s @ ISO400 during twilight

Tags:   Switzerland Swiss@Night Astrophotography Astronomy Nightscape Starscape Long Exposure Night Landscape Canon Canon EOS Ra Tamron Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 iOptron Skytracker Chapel

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