Diagonal Diamond Rings and Totality 2 - 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

This composition captures the second contact diamond ring, the solar corona during totality, and the third contact diamond ring during the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.

The diamond ring effect is seen just before and after the total phase of the eclipse (aka totality). The crescent Sun is then a short, brilliant segment along one edge of the Moon (i.e., the diamond) seen as a dark silhouette and surrounded by the solar corona (i.e., the ring).

The diamond ring images where produced with a Vixen ED100SF refractor and a Nikon D810 DSLR.

The image of the corona was produced with an Astro-Physics 105EDT refractor and a Nikon D800 DSLR. It is a composite of 57 separate exposures (1/2000 to 2 seconds) combined and processed using Photoshop CC 2017 and Photomatix Pro 6.

The Moon appears darker than the sky because of the huge contrast between the Moon's disk and the very bright inner corona adjacent to the Moon. I've tried to preserve this visual impression in this image. A custom Curves layer was used to approximated the color to the dark blue sky.

The image above is available as a Custom Print.

Additional eclipse photos can be seen at: 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery.

For more information on this event, see: EclipseWise 2017 Total Solar Eclipse.

Technical Details



2017 Eclipse Links

2017 Total Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery

Custom Prints of 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

EclipseWise 2017 Total Solar Eclipse



Books about the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse


Eclipse Bulletin:
Total Solar Eclipse of 2017

book
Click for more
Road Atlas for the
Total Solar Eclipse of 2017


Click for more
Totality - Great
American Eclipses
of 2017 and 2024

book
Click for more
Get Eclipsed

book
Click for more

More Eclipse Books at Astropixels Publishing