If you're thinking of photographing the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, you're probably already getting geared up for the big day. So are we!

A note for first-timers: If you've never seen a total solar eclipse before, don't worry about photographing it. You'll need all the minutes of totality to absorb the surreal sight of a black "hole" in the sky where the Sun's supposed to be, surrounded by its ghostly white corona. Take in the 360-degree sunset on the horizon, and maybe even look for planets and stars around the eclipsed Sun. (Read our full guide to on what to look for, and when.)

That said, photographing the eclipse can bring its own kind of joy. It just takes a lot of preparation. In fact, if you're interested in photographing the upcoming eclipse, you've probably given it a lot of thought already. But in case you're looking for some last-minute advice, check out our article on framing eclipse photographs and this checklist for eclipse photographers. Find even more resources for photographing the eclipse in our eclipse portal.

In case you need some inspiration, we've gathered some of the best solar eclipse pictures of total, annular, and partial eclipses from our online gallery:

Wide-field view of solar eclipse over grassland peppered with palm trees. A single leafy tree stands in the foreground.
Phases of the March 9, 2016, eclipse above Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Muhammad Rayhan / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Baily's Beads
A sequence of frames show the pink chromosphere and the white Baily's Beads during the total solar eclipse of Augst 21, 2017, as seen from Oregon.
Philipp Salzgeber / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Solar corona close-up
A close-up of the total solar eclipse above Indonesia on March 9, 2016, reveals intricacies in the corona. The composite image also shows the Moon illuminated by Earthshine.
Catalin Beldea / Stiinta & Tehnica Magazine / Alson Wong, processing / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Wide-field view of total solar eclipse
The August 21, 2017, eclipse as seen from Wyoming.
Dieter Kreuer / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Eclipse phases
An annular eclipse over Kinmen, Taiwan, on May 21, 2012
Miles Wang / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Chromosphere on one side, corona on the other
The Sun's chromosphere peeks around the Moon's limb above Pokwero, Uganda, on November 3, 2013.
Alson Wong / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Partial eclipse behind clouds
Clouds don't fully cover the partial solar eclipse above San Luis Potosi, Mexico, on October 23, 2014.
Juan Zupata Photography / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Diamond ring
The "Diamond Ring" above Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, on March 20, 2015
Morefield / S&T Online Photo Gallery
The Moon hovers in front of the left side of the Sun; the right side sports a complex of spots
The Moon eclipses a spotted Sun, as seen from Los Angeles, California.
Ed Johnson / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Ethereal corona
The ethereal light of the corona shines above the cruise ship M/V Corinthian, off the Coast of Sierra Leone.
Rick Fienberg / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Eclipse phases toward sunset
Partial phases descend into the sunset on October 23, 2014, as seen from Byron, Minnesota.
Brad Eichhorst / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Diamond ring over snow-covered landscape with crowd of silhouetted watchers in the foreground
Viewers observe third contact above Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway on March 20, 2015.
Stan Honda / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Solar corona
This composite image consists of 11 different exposures to capture details of the corona on August 21, 2017, from Wyoming.
Arnaud Mariat / S&T Online Photo Gallery
Crescent Sun partially blocked by clouds
A cloudy eclipse glimpsed from Brackenfell, Cape Town, South Africa on September 15, 2015.
Edward Foster / S&T Online Photo Gallery

If inspiration hits and you photograph the eclipse, be sure to share what you've captured in our online photo gallery. Wishing you all clear skies!

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