---
title: 'Solar Eclipses: 2017 & 2024'
url: 'https://casazza.net/Home/astronomy/solar-eclipses'
markdown: 'https://casazza.net/Home/astronomy/solar-eclipses.md'
date: '2026-10-27'
description: 'Solar Eclipses: 2017 & 2024 Experiencing a total solar eclipse is a unique milestone for any observer. My two experiences with totality could not have been more different, contrasting a carefully automated road-trip setup with the unpredictable reality of local weather. The radiant solar coro…'
taxonomy:
  category:
    - astronomy
  tag:
    - eclipse
    - solar
    - outreach
    - automation
---

# Solar Eclipses: 2017 & 2024

Experiencing a total solar eclipse is a unique milestone for any observer. My two experiences with totality could not have been more different, contrasting a carefully automated road-trip setup with the unpredictable reality of local weather.

![](https://casazza.net/Home/user/pages/02.astronomy/09.solar-eclipses/totality.jpg)---

*The radiant solar corona captured during totality in Clarksville, Tennessee, on August 21, 2017.*

---

## The 2017 Eclipse: Clarksville, Tennessee

![IMG_0325-sm.jpg](https://casazza.net/Home/user/pages/02.astronomy/09.solar-eclipses/IMG_0325-sm.jpg)

The August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse was my very first experience with totality. Wanting to experience those two and a half minutes with my wife without being bogged down manually operating camera controls, I built a fully automated photography script using **Eclipse Orchestrator**.

![](https://casazza.net/Home/user/pages/02.astronomy/09.solar-eclipses/IMG_0312-web.jpg)### Equipment & Execution

- **Mounting:** My Canon camera was piggybacked on my Atlas EQ-G mount alongside my Coronado PST solar scope.
- **Focusing Trick:** I focused the lens during the preceding full moon and marked the barrel with a permanent marker, allowing instant alignment on eclipse morning.
- **Location:** Watching weather models closely, we traveled to Clarksville, Tennessee, setting up at a free viewing event hosted at the local airport.

The script ran flawlessly. During partial phases, we observed prominences through the Coronado PST and made pinhole projection crescents with our hands. During two minutes and thirty seconds of totality, we simply looked up into the daytime sky to behold the diamond ring and outer solar corona. It was an unforgettable journey.

![](https://casazza.net/Home/user/pages/02.astronomy/09.solar-eclipses/Proms.jpg)---

*Solar prominences hugging the edge of the lunar limb during the 2017 eclipse.*

---

## The 2024 Eclipse: Driveway Reality

By April 8, 2024, the path of totality passed directly over my home in West Central Ohio. Living directly on the centerline promised the ultimate luxury: experiencing a total eclipse from my own driveway without travel or traffic. But I was prepared to travel as far as Texas. With each day the forecast indicated that I should stay put, so I did.

However, eclipse day presented its own set of challenges. With highly unpredictable spring weather, shifting high clouds, huge contrails, and, to top it off, technical failures across a very simular gear setup that worked in 2017. Image capture never started. I took my own advise and simply experienced totality directly from my own property alongside family. It served as a stark reminder that under the sky, nature and mechanical reality remain in total control.

---

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