An SDSS plate was reused to wonderful effect this week, as a pinhole camera to project 640 simultaneous images of the recent partial solar eclipse on 23rd October 2014.

Sarah Ballard (@hubbahubble) and Woody Sullivan, from SDSS member institution, the University of Washington in Seattle came up with this unique idea to observe the solar eclipse.

Putting an SDSS plate to use as an eclipse viewer. Credit: Sarah Ballard and Woody Sullivan (Univ. of Washington).

640 images of the 23rd October 2014 partial solar eclipse. Credit: Woody Sullivan and Sarah Ballard (Univ. of Washington).

For more lovely or unusual eclipse photos, see this Solar Eclipse Roundup, by Sky and Telescope, who selected Sarah and Woody’s method as their “best use of old technology” for viewing the eclipse.