Spectacular total solar eclipse from Altai Mountains at the border region of 4 countries: Russia-Siebria, China, Kazakistan, and Mongolia. The scene was unique with the eclipsed sun above rapid waters of Chuya river near the sacret site of White Rock on the Russian side of Altai Mountains. The totality last 2m 12s at our observing site close to the centeral line.

The Total Solar Eclipse of August 1 2008 over Lake Ob, south of the city of Novosibirsk, Siberia. A digital multiple exposure captures the spectacular spectacle from beginning to end. Siberian taiga forest birch trees appropriately frame the photo.

For our eclipse view, myself and 7 other Canadians chartered an aircraft out of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada to view the eclipse at the start of the path (Murray Paulson, whose eclipse pictures also appear on SpaceWeather, was also on the flight.). This wide-angle image (taken with an HD video camera) shows the eclipsed Sun low on the horizon at the apex of the dramatic cone-shaped shadow of the Moon. Being at the end of the path means the lunar shadow was an elongated ellipse and stretched a long way off into the distance toward the Sun. The perspective from our altitude (27,000 feet) made the elliptical shadow look like a cone narrowing down toward the horizon. Despite the fact the shadow headed north toward the Sun after the eclipse, it appeared to travel from right to left in this scene, with distinctly defined edges, making it easy to tell when second and third contacts would occur as the shadow edges reached the Sun. This still frame was grabbed near the middle of totality, with the Sun near the centre of the shadow cone. In all, it was a unique view of the eclipse — I'd never seen the shadow so well defined before.

Awesome ! handheld shots, no tripod (telelens at highspeed shutter)

The Bonus Shot is a fogbow that appeared after the eclipse.

Shadow play

During the total eclipse, I was able to see planets and stars--everything except the eclipse itself! Clouds covered the sun and Moon at the moment of totality.

At the very end of totality, however, I was lucky enough to see half of the diamond ring.