A man traveled thousands of miles from Portugal to Texas in the United States to witness the total solar eclipse in 2024 and captured breathtaking photos of the incredibly delicate white aura of the sun.
Astrophotographer Miguel Claro embarked on a long journey from his home to the United States to capture the stunning beauty of the astronomical event that took place on April 8. His partner, Apolónia Rodrigues, joined him in this once-in-a-lifetime experience, meticulously planning the trip to ensure they accurately followed the path of the eclipse. After tracking the weather forecast in Texas for a week and identifying the optimal location, they successfully captured spectacular images.
At 47 years old, Claro told Epoch Times that photographing a total solar eclipse may be the “most advanced and complex task” in all astrophotography.
The planning for this trip began months in advance. He mentioned that even with all the preparation, many things could still go wrong, requiring them to switch to plan A, B, or C at the last minute.
Starting from Dallas, they drove to Houston, then to Pearsall in the southwest of San Antonio. However, due to the weather forecast being “poor,” they decided to venture back north, closer to Oklahoma. The day before the eclipse, they returned to Dallas and on the morning of the eclipse, headed to Clarksville in the northeast of the state.
“At 10 a.m.,” Claro said, “the sky was still cloudy.”
Just two hours before the moon would start covering the sun, the photographer and his partner found a “beautiful, green, calm” farm to set up their photography equipment, including six cameras with lenses, tripods, stands, filters, cables, and other devices.
“The owner of the farm kindly allowed us to stay,” Claro said, and the next few hours were the “most nerve-wracking period” of their lives.
Fortunately, “like a miracle,” just five minutes before the eclipse began, the sky cleared at the sun’s location.
“During the ‘totality’ of the eclipse (lasting 4 minutes and 28 seconds), the image was completely clear,” Claro said, “it was truly magical!”
Under calm, windless conditions, he obtained a series of high-resolution images for a full minute. The outcome was not only a magnificent iconic picture but also a one-minute video. The video highlighted the beauty of the eclipse, named “Eclipse Whispers.”
For Claro, capturing an image that could reveal all the glory of the solar corona was a dream come true. He is also a writer and science communicator specializing in astronomy.
After his limited edition artistic prints received enthusiastic feedback, Claro is now looking forward to the solar eclipses happening in Portugal and Spain in 2026, 2027, and 2028.
Claro emphasized that none of the elements in his photos were generated by artificial intelligence: “These are the results of my genuine hard work, captured and processed manually by myself. I did not use any fancy AI software, not even artificial noise reduction.”
Claro said that without the support of “some good friends,” he could never have successfully taken these beautiful photos. They know who they are and where they stand in our grateful hearts.
“This photo is dedicated to them, but especially to my dear Apolónia, as she planned every detail of this expensive trip,” Claro said.
“Lastly, but certainly not least, I thank our lovely sun because it is so captivatingly beautiful and showed itself for a long enough period between two cloudy days, making every drop of sweat meaningful!”
Those interested in purchasing photos of the 2024 total solar eclipse can visit [insert link here].