Earlier today, a solar eclipse swept across America. The path of totality ran from Texas to Maine, but people across the nation could see at least a partial eclipse – including guests visiting Walt Disney World! The last partial eclipse visible from Walt Disney World was in October 2023, and with the next sliver of a solar eclipse years away, and the next substantial solar eclipse decades away, we made our way out to Magic Kingdom to try and capture today’s partial solar eclipse.

I did a little bit of homework in an earlier article titled How to Watch Tomorrow’s Solar Eclipse at Walt Disney World. Most importantly, I knew when the maximum partial eclipse would happen, the expected coverage amount, and where in the sky to look. Armed with that information, I chose Magic Kingdom this time and had a specific shot in mind. Ideally, I would be able to compose a shot with the spires of Cinderella Castle in the frame.

The eclipse started to come into view right around 1:45pm, as expected. With only a portion of the sun covered by the moon, the image wasn’t really compelling until closer to 2:30pm. At its peak, we could expect a maximum coverage of around 57%. That means that we wouldn’t experience a total solar eclipse, but we could expect a substantial partial solar eclipse.

In the case of today’s partial solar eclipse at Walt Disney World, I opted for a zoom lens. The reasoning for that was primarily driven by the fact that the neutral density filters I have only fit my zoom lenses, but also due to the fact that the sun is a relatively small target in the sky. Showcasing the partial eclipse would require framing the shot to show the moon covering the sun, and a zoom lens was the perfect choice.

After trying and failing to frame a shot with the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland, I decided to head over to the popular TRON Lightcycle Run attraction. Today, TRON was popular not only because it is the newest ride at Magic Kingdom, but also for the fact that the canopy functions as a wonderful filter for the sunlight. The ride was not working when we stopped by, which meant that there was already a big crowd in the plaza area, but guests quickly forgot about the ride being down and turned their attention to the partial solar eclipse as seen through the canopy.

I’m certainly not an ophthalmologist, but the canopy appeared to filter the sunlight enough to make looking at the sun a little more bearable. At the very least, it was probably the best way for the average guest to capture the partial solar eclipse with their phone and no additional specialized equipment.

When the ride was working again, I tried to grab a photo of the partial solar eclipse through the wheels of a TRON Lightcycle Run ride vehicle, but never got a perfect shot.

While the photos were acceptable, a photo through the TRON Lightcycle Run canopy wasn’t why I went out to Magic Kingdom. The goal was still to make it over to Cinderella Castle and try for a castle spire shot. So we left TRON Lightcycle Run around 2:30pm and arrived at Cinderella Castle with around 20 minutes to spare until maximum coverage just after 3pm.

Going back to yesterday’s homework, I knew that I’d have to look southwest to find the sun during the partial eclipse, so I knew that I’d have to stand behind Cinderella Castle to frame the shot that I was hoping to capture. More specifically, I’d have to stand east of Cinderella Castle along the walkway where the wishing well is.

When we arrived at the spot I was aiming for, I knew it would be a good spot because I saw Disney had a videographer in the area with some serious gear. They were shooting a timelapse, but conditions were difficult, so it’s possible that the footage may be unusable and never published by Disney. We should know by lunchtime tomorrow.

Back to my setup. I had my zoom lens on, and multiple neutral density filters to try and make taking photos of the sun a little bit easier. Now, it’s worth noting that a neutral density filter, while great for cutting down the amount of light allowed into the lens, is not designed for photography of the sun and the spectrum of light that reaches the Earth. That meant that I could’ve damaged the sensor of my camera.

Most importantly, I did not look through the viewfinder on my camera. I never used my eyes to look at the sun without proper eclipse sunglasses. Obviously, a photo of a solar eclipse isn’t worth permanent damage to my eyes. Instead, I used the screen on the back of my camera to frame my photos. By avoiding the viewfinder and looking only at the screen, it was essentially the same as looking at a TV.

When it came time to take photos of the partial solar eclipse from the vantage point I had pre-planned, it was a bit more difficult than I imagined. I’m very happy with the end product, but it was a series of trial and error to get my exposure levels correct that allowed for detail in both the sun and the spires of Cinderella Castle.

There wasn’t a lot of cloud cover, which meant that I really had to choose to favor my exposure levels for the sun, and not Cinderella Castle. That said, there was a bit of cloud cover that brought the brightness of the sun down enough to be able to capture the silhouette of the tallest spire on Cinderella Castle. The resulting image creates a much darker scene than what the naked eye would’ve experienced but it created a photo of the partial solar eclipse where the moon’s effect on the sunlight was visible.

There are a few forecasted solar eclipses over the coming years, but not with the amount of coverage seen today. The next notable solar eclipse for Walt Disney World will be a total eclipse on August 12, 2045. Make your Disney Park Passes now.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!