"Solar Eclipse Timer" by Gordon Telepun
Вставка
- Опубліковано 4 бер 2024
- Dr. Gordon Telepun is a board-certified plastic surgeon in private practice in Decatur, AL, who became passionate about total solar eclipses after witnessing his first one in Zambia, Africa, in 2001. He has been fortunate to observe and photograph four total eclipses: 2002, 2006, 2017, and 2019.
After the 2001 eclipse, he developed the concept of a digital "talking timer" for eclipses that would announce aloud the countdowns to the contact times to assist photographers with perfect timing. The first version of the talking timer was used in Africa in 2002. It ran on a Windows Pocket PC and did not have geolocation.
The "eclipse talking timer" concept was released again before the American eclipse in 2017 as a mobile app called Solar Eclipse Timer for Apple and Android devices. It provided automatic geolocation and the calculation of precise contact times. Additionally, it added many observation announcements and reminders for removing and replacing your solar glasses. The app helped thousands of people enjoy that eclipse. It was then used for eclipses in 2019, 2020, and the hybrid eclipse in 2024.
The present version is ready for the next American eclipse on April 8, 2024, and includes a new feature developed with Fred Espenak called Photographer's Mode. When this mode is enabled, all of the announcements are about the timing of the eclipse.
Gordon has authored a unique eclipse preparation book titled "Eclipse Day: 2024 and More! How to Enjoy, Observe, and Photograph a Total Solar Eclipse." This book's chapters follow the progression of the stages of an eclipse and work in concert with his app to help people get the most enjoyment out of eclipse day. The digital form of the book is available as a multimedia interactive book for Apple and Android tablets and as a PDF version for desktop computers. A spiral-bound print version is also available.
In addition, Gordon maintains a UA-cam channel called Solar Eclipse Timer, where he has hours of in-depth eclipse preparation content available.
