Ronald Dantowitz has been looking forward to Monday’s solar eclipse for nearly 40 years.
An astronomer who specializes in solar imaging, he’s been photographing eclipses for more than three decades and will be using 14 cameras to capture the celestial event. The cameras have solar filters to capture the eclipse in its partial phases, along with custom modifications that can photograph the corona and light wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye, allowing scientists to view and study the sun’s temperature and composition in a way only possible during a total eclipse, he said.
Dantowitz, who is based at Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, Mass., is lending his expertise to “NOVA’s” “Eclipse Over America,” airing at 8 p.m. MDT Monday on PBS (KUED-Ch. 7). That hourlong special, which will incorporate his images, is among extensive coverage planned on TV and online of the first solar eclipse to cross the United States in 99 years.
Still, witnessing totality — when the sun is completely obscured by the moon — is best done with the naked eye, not a camera, Dantowitz said, adding that the total eclipse is safe to view without special lenses.
“Enjoying totality by eye is more rewarding,” he said. “There is much to see: stars during the daytime, the million-degree solar corona, and seeing the sun blacked out during the daytime.
“I have been waiting almost 40 years for this eclipse, and although I will be operating 14 cameras during totality, I will certainly take a moment to gaze at the eclipse the same way people have done for thousands of years: with wonder.”
For those not in the 14 states along the eclipse’s “path of totality,” here’s a look at some of the viewing opportunities on TV:
• KUTV-Ch. 2’s Sterling Poulson will be in Jackson, Wyo., doing updates for that station (as well as sister stations KMYU-Ch. 12 and KJZZ-Ch. 14) on all of the various morning and midday newscasts.
• KTVX-Ch. 4 will have Dan Pope and Glen Beeby in Idaho Falls doing reports during “Good Things Utah” (9-10 a.m.) and then from 10-11 a.m. in a special edition of “ABC4 Utah News Midday.”
• KSL-Ch 5 will air two hours of eclipse coverage from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• KSTU-Ch. 13 will have Max Roth and Lauren Handley in Idaho Falls for coverage of the eclipse. They’ll be on the air live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday.
• “Eclipse of the Century”: CNN plans two hours of livestreaming, 360-degree coverage accessible in virtual reality through Oculus headsets beginning at 11 a.m. MDT. Accompanying television coverage will include reporting from Oregon, Missouri, Tennessee and South Carolina.
• “Eclipse Over America”: The PBS science series “NOVA” is planning a quick turnaround on its eclipse documentary premiering Monday. Senior executive producer Paula S. Apsell said “Eclipse Over America,” which delves into why eclipses occur and what scientists can learn from them, will incorporate images of the event from across the country shot earlier that day with Dantowitz’s high-tech cameras.
• “Great American Eclipse”: The Science Channel will broadcast its live coverage from Madras, Ore., with commentary from educators and astronomers from the Lowell Observatory from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be preceded by “Countdown to Darkness” at 9 a.m., and an hour of highlights will air at 7 p.m.
• “The Great American Eclipse”: David Muir will anchor ABC’s (KTVX-Ch. 4) two hours of live coverage at 11 a.m., with correspondents reporting from viewing parties across the country. NBC (KSL-Ch. 5) also plans live coverage, with Lester Holt hosting a special report at 11 a.m. featuring correspondents reporting from Oregon, Illinois, Wyoming and South Carolina.
• Shepard Smith will breaking into typical broadcasting on Fox News Channel from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to update viewers on the eclipse and introduce footage from NASA and observatories around the country.
• CNN, MSNBC and the Weather Channel will offer updates throughout the day.
• “Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASA”: NASA will offer hours of coverage online and on NASA Television beginning at 10 a.m. It plans livestreaming of the eclipse beginning at 11 a.m. with images from satellites, research aircraft, high-altitude balloons and specially modified telescopes.
• “Total Solar Eclipse Live” will air from 12:30 to 1 p.m. on KUEN-Ch. 9.
• Discovery plans live updates during the day, beginning with a 6-minute segment at 11:17 a.m.
Tribune writer Scott D. Pierce contributed to this story.