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Partial eclipse is happening now. A little cloudy, but we can see parts of the sun becoming hidden

By Dr. JC Holbrook

I admit that I dreamed about total solar eclipses last night. Cairns and surrounds are filled with people who have traveled from foreign lands and other parts of Australia for the total solar eclipse. What is everyone talking about? The weather. Everyday the weather report is revised for tomorrow morning. Right now it says that there is a 50% chance of rain. Tensions are running high as the scientists try to decide if they are simply going to stay put and hope for the best, or travel to another spot where the chances of rain are lower.

Yesterday, Dr. Alphonse Sterling and Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi discussed the previous eclipses that they observed. In one case, for the 2006 eclipse in Ghana, they changed locations within hours of totality and were blessed with clear skies. However, they have not always been so fortunate. As I chatted with other eclipse chasers, they shared stories of failure after making the decision to change locations. The most dramatic tales were of when they left seeking clearer skies and
got clouded out, while the folks that they left behind had a last minute clearing, enabling beautiful views of the eclipse.

Dr. Sterling understands how totality impacts the weather, especially in the tropics. As the eclipse begins, there is a cooling that occurs similar to having the sun set. This allows clouds to form temporarily if there is a lot of humidity in the air.

In preparation, I have been taking pictures of the sunrise at about the time of the eclipse, 6:30 am. Thus far, it is about 50/50 for clear and cloudy. As Drs. Sterling and Oluseyi prepare their instruments today, they will be considering all these factors and a potential change of location. But whatever decision they make, will it be the right one?

Join us and find out, as we live tweet (in Australia, the eclipse occurs at 6:39 am on Wednesday, 11/14; In the states: today Tuesday, 11/13 at 1:39 pm PST, 3:39 pm CST, and 4:39 pm EST) at @blacksun2012doc and @astroholbrook

Please support the post-production efforts of Black Sun 2012. Your tax-deductible donation will help part our "financial clouds," and can be made today at https://www.austinfilm.org/film-black-sun

Thank you!

Hi Black Sun 2012 Supporters,

We know that it has been some time since last you heard from us, but it isn't because we have forgotten about you. Not at all! In fact, if you think back to our September post, you will recall that we received a grant from the National Science Foundation. This grant provided us with the means to make it to the second leg of our journey, to shoot Drs. Hakeem Oluseyi and Alphonse Sterling, as they conduct time-sensitive experiments on the solar eclipse in Cairns, Australia this November 13 (14th in Cairns).  So, we have been busy getting our crew together, buying/renting equipment, purchasing plane tickets, and, oh yes -finding places to stay. It is all coming together.

But, we are not quite over the finish line yet. We are a few dollars shy from being able to add more shoots to the schedule. For instance, we’d like to get footage of our scientists’ past (neighborhoods where they grew up, family, etc.), in order to have a better understanding as to how they got to be the men/the scientists that they are today. Also, we would like to get shots of Dr. Oluseyi’s current work facility at the Florida Institute of Technology. In addition, additional financing is needed for post-production (editing, music scoring, motion graphics, etc.). However, this time, happily enough, your donation will be tax deductible! (←You win, We win)

BLACK SUN is a fiscally sponsored project of the Austin Film Society. You can easily make a donation by going to https://www.austinfilm.org/film-black-sun. In return, you will receive a letter acknowledging your gift to the Austin Film Society on behalf of BLACK SUN. And because AFS is a non-profit organization, your donation may be deducted from your taxes as a charitable contribution. With the above named additions to the project, we can be sure that our end product will be so inspiring to young people that they will rush to start scientific journeys of their own. :-)

You can also participate in another fun and exciting way. In the days leading up to the total solar eclipse in Cairns, Australia, Dr. Jarita Holbrook will be live tweeting the play-by-play on the ground in Cairns, as well as providing twitpics of the exotic location and festival atmosphere around the eclipse. You can be part of this as it unfolds by following Dr. Holbrook @astroholbrook, and Black Sun @blacksun2012doc. So join us (and a few thousand others from around the world) for the excitement; and pray that the weather provide lovely viewing.

More soon and thanks so much!

Carla L. Jackson

Co-Producer of Black Sun 2012

Like us on Facebook!: Black Sun 2012: A Documentary

We are preparing for the total solar eclipse in November. The National Science Foundation has given us funding to support our travel to Australia!

We have created an 8-minute film capturing the annular eclipse in Tokyo and NASA scientist Dr. Alphonse Sterling.

For the latest news about "Black Sun" and to see the short film please go to our new website: www.BlackSunMovie.com.

By Carla Jackson

And here they are...

Just another beautiful day in an Astrophysicist's world...

This is Toshinobu Takagi, who helped organize the public outreach of the annular eclipse at ISAS/JAXA

You lookin' at me?

Walking & Talking. Now, here is an interesting film technique. If the camera operator is not on a dolly, they have to be lead walking backwards to get that shot.You have to have faith in your crew member to take care of you.

Dr. Holbrook holding the white light solar filter for the telescope 

The sun just as the clouds start to part... 

Co-Director Kelvin Phillips making sure that he gets all of the sound right 

Dr. Sterling and Dr. Inigo Arregui from IAC in the Canary Islands, Spain

Hi Camera Operator Jacqueline Kuenstler! 

The crew comes home tomorrow. Can't wait to see what they brought me. Maybe a bit of the sun? :-)