By Grace Tucker
Published: Apr. 8, 2024 at 9:12 AM EDT
CINCINNATI (WXIX) -The arrival of a once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse in Ohio has those who like to plan ahead asking a lot of questions.
Where is the best place to watch the solar eclipse? What time will the obscuration arrive in Ohio? Which Ohio cities fall in the path of totality?
After finalizing where and when you’ll be experiencing the legendary eclipse, only one question remains: How will you photograph it?
Is it safe to photograph a solar eclipse?
For iPhone, Android, and other smartphone users, the question of photographing the eclipse safely varies depending on whether you’ll be viewing a partial or a total eclipse, according to Prevent Blindness.
And a NASA guide from the 2017 eclipse suggests that the size of your phone’s camera lens also plays a role in which precautions to take.
For cities like Cincinnati and Columbus that will experience a partial eclipse, it is recommended to use a solar filter or place a spare pair of solar eclipse glasses over your phone’s camera to prevent sun damage to the lens.
How much sun damage to anticipate, however, varies depending on the size of your camera lens, NASA advised.
Regarding the 2017 eclipse, the government agency stated that lenses on smartphone cameras are “generally very small (about 2 millimeters) and do not admit enough light” to damage the camera. On the other hand, some newer smartphones have larger lenses (f/1.7 to f/2.0), which could be damaged if pointed at the sun without any filter during a partial eclipse.
For reference, Apple’s newest smartphone, the iPhone 15 Pro, has a camera lens with f/1.78 aperture and would be best protected with a solar filter or eclipse glasses during a partial eclipse.
The minutes when some Ohioans will experience darkness during the total eclipse (when the moon is completely obscuring the Earth’s view of the sun), no solar filter is required for your phone camera.
Which Ohio cities will experience a total eclipse?
The eclipse’s path of totality will last from 3:08 to 3:19 p.m. as it cuts a swath from southwest to northeast Ohio.
Here’s when some Ohio cities along its path can expect the total eclipse to be, and how long it will last:
- Hamilton -- Begins at 3:09:09 p.m., will last 1 minute, 42 seconds.
- Dayton -- 3:09:29 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 43 seconds.
- Springfield -- 3:10:15 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 34 seconds.
- Marion -- 3:11:14 p.m., duration 3 minutes, 34 seconds.
- Delaware -- 3:11:36 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 35 seconds.
- Fremont -- 3:11:46 p.m., duration 2 minutes, 38 seconds.
- Dublin -- 3:11:59 p.m., will last 1 minute, 23 seconds.
- Port Clinton -- 3:12:12 p.m., duration 3 minutes, 30 seconds.
- Toledo -- 3:12:17 p.m., duration 1 minute, 53 seconds.
- Mansfield -- 3:12:23 p.m., will last 3 minutes, 16 seconds.
- Ashland -- 3:12:43 p.m., duration 3 minutes, 19 seconds.
- Wooster -- 3:13:39 p.m., duration 2 minutes, 25 seconds.
- Akron -- 3:14:14 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 46 seconds.
- Cuyahoga Falls -- 3:14:15 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 56 seconds.
- Cleveland -- 3:13:46 p.m., will last 3 minutes, 49 seconds.
- Kent -- 3:14:31 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 47 seconds
How to photograph a solar eclipse with a smartphone
Whether you’re viewing a partial or total eclipse on April 8, these tips will help ensure your smartphone captures a clear image of the legendary celestial event.
1. Turn off your flash.
It is recommended to turn off your phone’s flash during a partial or total eclipse. Using flash won’t help your photography and, worse, it will distract from the eclipse-viewing experiences of everyone around you.
2. Do not use your phone’s zoom feature.
Using your phone’s manual zoom to appear closer to the eclipse will only cause your photos to lose resolution, making the quality of your image noticeably grainy.
NASA recommends buying a $20-$40 dollar, 12x to 18x zoom lens attachment for your phone for producing a high-quality, magnified image of the eclipse.
3. Use manual focus.
Do not count on your phone’s automatic focus during the eclipse.
It is recommended to focus your camera’s image manually, which can be done by tapping the screen and holding your finger on the moon to direct the focus there. NASA recommends directing your camera’s focus to the edge of the moon.
4. Use manual exposure.
Take advantage of your phone’s manual exposure by sliding your finger up or down to darken or lighten the image.
On iPhone camera apps, tapping an object will center a box around it and show a little sun icon. This is the exposure slider. Drag it down until details on the moon become visible. Android camera apps have a similar sliding exposure feature that can be accessed by pressing on the display for a couple seconds.
5. Use burst mode to capture all the action.
Because the eclipse happens within a matter of minutes, using your phone’s burst mode will ensure you don’t miss a second of the once-in-a-lifetime event.
To enable burst mode on iPhones XS and newer, slide the shutter button to the left. If you have an iPhone X or older or an Android smartphone, just hold down the shutter button to photograph in burst mode. This way, you can capture each small movement of the moon during the eclipse without having to manually photograph each second of the event.
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