Annular eclipse at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 10/14/23 part I

In planning the eclipse viewing site, I looked for 2 things: proximity to a major airport and a good probability of clear skies (see references below).  I considered Albuquerque (so fun to spell) and learned the last weekend of the Balloon Fiesta, the  largest hot air balloon event in the world, coincided with eclipse day.  Boasting the most photographed event in the world, the fiesta hosts over 600 balloon teams. The overwhelming synchronicity made this the city of choice.  

Note: some browsers require you to click on videos twice to play, click on images for full resolution, lower right icon will give video in full resolution.  

The event started with a drone lightshow:

propane burners fueled the lighter-than-air crafts and lit up the fiesta:

next came dawn patrol: a small group of balloons launch pre-dawn in order to test the winds at various altitudes for the rest of the pilots.  

dawn patrol meets orion

Next, rows and rows of balloons lined up for the mass ascension:

closest row

next row getting ready

closest balloon setting up

The "mass ascension" started shortly after sunrise.  

Was not expecting much from the star spangled banner.  The flyby pilots timed it perfectly, complemented by all the ground burners going off at once. Had I realized, I would have captured the whole thing.  

up up and away:

Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque, NM 10/14/23

What do you  get when you cross a balloon fiesta and solar eclipse?
A Balloonar Eclipse! 😂

impending balloonar occultation of venus

special balloons:

the eyes on the ground belong to yoda
who's apparently lost his flying skills

eclipse epiphenomena:

semicircular shadows between fingers

patented ring/annular eclipse pose

semicircular shadows between leaves

Finally all the balloons have launched from the field as spectators watch the moon's shadow cross the sun.  Take a close look at the diffraction pattern around the sun in this image:

Zia symbol heralds annular solar eclipse in New Mexico
the land of enchantment

New Mexico State Flag

Here's a cell phone shot of the partial eclipse:

Partial solar eclipse
10/14/23 9:35 AM Local
Albuquerque, NM

Next up annularity and long focal length DSLR images

Imaging details:
10/14/23
Albuquerque, NM
Samsung galaxy S22 ultra

partial eclipse image shot with solar filter at 100x, then reduced to 10x

Arriving early for the pre-dawn activities allowed me to dial in my polar alignment for my tracking mount, only adjusted my alignment once.

References:
Xavier M. Jubier's website integrates with google maps superimposing the eclipse path and details for any point selected along the path.  

https://eclipsophile.com/ gives historical weather for cities along the path