Your Guide to the 2017 Solar Eclipse Book Review
If were planning to go to America to see the 2017 Solar Eclipse or you went, then this was the solar eclipse book for you, if not it is still a very good read. There are 25 chapters of detailed information about the Sun and how to observe it safely followed by detailed explanations of the eclipse.
The book starts with a guide to the path of the Moons shadow across America on the 21st of August 2017 from the start point in Palisades Oregon at 10:15:57 am PDT and then progresses through 11 states from West to East finishing in South Carolina.
The following chapters go into detail about the Saros Cycle and Solar eclipse throughout history. The first recorded eclipse mentioned in ancient Chinese tome occurred either in the year 2136 B.C or 2128 B.C. Modern times of the recorded eclipse starts in 1608 after the inventions of the telescope. The author describes various eclipses through the centuries from his collection of 19th century books finishing with extracts from Corona and Coronet being a narrative of the Amherst Eclipse expedition to Japan in Mr James’s schooner yacht Coronet, to observe the Sun’s total obscuration 9th of August 1896 which is well worth a read.
Moving on, the book goes through how to look at the Sun safety, if you plan to observe the Sun it’s important to understand the dangers and the equipment that can and can’t be used, such as sun glasses and compact discs and colour film strip no matter how many layers you stack. This is covered in two chapters in a lot of detail, the book goes on to explain how to observe the Sun Safety and Ten ways NOT to observe the Sun.
If you are planning to go to America then the next few chapters are worth the price of the book, they explain how to rehearse for the eclipse, what will happen during the passage of the Moon in front of the Sun’s disc and the times it takes to totality. If you’re going to take photos then it’s important to understand the types of equipment available and results you can achieve starting with an explanation of the types of telescope, from refractors to reflector with the correct aperture filters and accessories. Hydrogen Alpha narrowband scope and Daystar Quarks are covered in this comprehensive section; this is well worth a read before you buy equipment for the trip.
Appendices
There are a number of DIY projects you can try for observing the Sun such as a simple Sun Viewer and projectors for simple scopes and binoculars with detailed plans and step by step instructions giving sizes and materials.
Finally the book gives common sense tips on your planning for the day of the Eclipse what you need to know understanding the weather along the centre line and a list of things to bring.
Overall
This is a comprehensive guide to the 2017 Total Solar eclipse; Michael E Bakich provides an excellent book for both those wishing to visit America and for readers who wish to understand the Sun, solar observing equipment. This book is highly recommended.
Where can I buy the Total Solar Eclipse Book?
You can buy Deep Sky Observing from Amazon UK