My favorite way to show eclipses and sunspots is with a reflective pin hole camera. A small mirror, preferably front surface, about .25 to .5 inches in diameter mounted on a camera tripod. The light from the sun is reflected through a window into a darkened room onto a white wall or screen. Its often possible to get images of 3 feet or more in diameter. I haven't bothered to motorize the mirror so frequent adjustment is necessary. The later does, however, serve to demonstrate to non dialists that the sun moves across the sky:-) I often put an adjustable aperture on the screen side of the mirror to improve the resolution.
Cheers, Professor John P.G.Shepherd Physics Department University of Wisconsin-River Falls 410 S. 3rd. St. River Falls,WI 54022 Phone (715)-425-3196, eve. (715)-425-6203 Fax (715)-425-0652 44.88 degrees N, 92.71 degrees W.
