講師プロフィール
児玉英夫

　昭和22年（1947年）福山市明治町生まれ。

　南小学校→広大附属福山中・高等学校→広島大学教育学部高校教員養成課程外国語科（英語）を

　昭和45年（1970年）に卒業。その後 今日まで大学受験指導にあたる。

　予備校講師、高校講師（広大附属福山、広島附属等）を経験。

　英検一級。TOEIC(Test of English for International Communications)855点
　　　（Hearing400点、 Reading455点、2000年9月）

　趣味：天体写真。

塾長挨拶：私が今まで体験してきたこと、蓄積してきたものが、少しでも次の世代の役に立てば本望です。

しまなみ海道チャリンコ走破にチャレンジしてきました

画像をクリックすると、全貌を見ることが出来ます（２００２年９月２１日）

私の写した天体写真と撮影エピソード
以下の天体写真と英文の撮影エピソードは、
２０１１年５月にオランダのライデン市でおこなった天体写真展のものです。

ライデン大学の日本語学教授（左の黒い上着の男性）と
私が写したコロナの写真を持つオランダの子供たち。

My Astronomy Photos and Episodes
Originally Exhibited in Leiden, the Netherlands in May, 2011

01. Big Presents for a Small Kindness
(Total Solar Eclipse in Mexico, 1991)

On July 11, 1991, I went to La Paz Mexico to see the total solar eclipse, where I happened
to meet for the first time, Mr. Asada, he was staying in the next room. Mr. Asada bought a
new tripod for this event not knowing it was impossible to aim his lens to the sun at the zenith.
So, I removed one of my cameras from my equatorial ( a tripod especially made for tracing
the movement of heavenly bodies) and let him put his camera there. During the first half of
the eclipse, while Mr. Asada took his pictures, I enjoyed observing the remarkable prominence
and the corona through a small telescope.  In the latter half of the eclipse, I took my pictures,
while Mr. Asada observed the eclipse through his 11 x 70 binoculars.  It was the second longest
eclipse in the 20^th century.

 Mr. Asada and I happened to come from the same prefecture in Japan , Hiroshima. When we
came home, we continued our relationship, he joined our astronomy club and sometimes joined
in the star parties.  We also  went to Australia to enjoy star watching.  He later entrusted me
with two of his major telescopes, 25cm Newtonian and 15cm fluorite triplet refractor, saying he
was too old to use them.  They are worth five million yen (about 40 thousand Euros).  He also
assisted me financially in building an observatory to house those telescopes. 

He was one of the top engineers of coal mines, and made a great contribution to the revival
of Japan after World War II.  In 2011, he passed away at the age of  97.

02. New Image from an Old Film, One Saros Later
(Total Solar Eclipse, Mexico, 1991 to 2009 Eclipse, Japan)

On July 11, 1991, I took a photo of the total solar eclipse in La Paz, Mexico on a large format film. 
Many people went to Hawaii to see the eclipse, but I decided that the possibility of fine weather
was higher in Baja California, Mexico.  It was a difficult journey, because many people from all over
the world rushed to the best spot, La Paz. Our large tour group (there were more than one hundred
of us) managed to get to the city, but to our surprise and anger, we had to stay at a convent,
instead of the beautiful hotel where we were supposed to stay.

 In order to take a good photo, I used a refractor telescope with 102mm fluorite lens, which is
color aberration free.  To use a large format camera, Pentax 6X7, I had an adaptor made. 
To obtain a large image of the sun, I bought a converter lens to make the focal length twice as long,
1800mm, thus making the disc of the sun on the film about 18mm across.  I took care that it will not
be out of focus.  I brought a heavy equatorial to keep the sun in the vision automatically.  My total
luggage was 50 kilograms.  To avoid the vibration from the mirror and the shutter of the camera,
I held a black board in front of the lens and used it as a shutter.  The exposure was 1 second. 
I selected a film with wide latitude; Fuji negative 160.  As a result, I took a better picture than others. 
But when it was printed on a paper, the pink prominences disappeared in the bright inner corona. 
The fine stream line of the corona did not show on the film. 

 Eighteen years later, however, as I was processing July 22, 2009 eclipse image, I tried scanning my
old film with four different exposures and stacked the images on a computer.  I also processed those
images with rotational gradation method, and the fine stream lines of the corona appeared.  Though
the photo is not as good as is seen with the naked eye, I obtained a new image from my old film one
saros later (18 years and 11and 1/3 days. at which interval similar solar eclipse occurs).

03. A Perfect Photo
India, 1995

On October 24, 1995, in India, I took a perfect photo of the whole process of a total
solar eclipse.  Four years before, in Mexico, I saw a girl taking a photo of the process
of a solar eclipse in one frame of a film.  I asked the girl for a copy of that photo, and
obtained it in exchange for my close up shot of the eclipse.  Though her photo was only
the central part of the eclipse, it was so beautiful that I was determined to take a photo
of the entire process.

We need lucky coincidence of many conditions in order to take this kind of photo.
First, the sky must be clear through the entire process of two and a half hours. 
Second, the camera must not move till the end and nobody should kick the tripod. 
Third, during the eclipse, you must remove the filter, this is necessary to take the partial
phase, one should not forget to put it back as soon as the total phase is over. 
Fourth, you should push the shutter exactly on time; I pushed the shutter 31 times
at exactly five minute intervals, plus nobody should be standing in front of your camera. 
Fifth, in the frame of the film, the sun should be so placed that it will not go out of the frame
until the end of the eclipse.  Sixth, you should be able to charge and push the shutter without
winding up the film. There is plenty of room for errors, and you should satisfy all these
conditions to take this single frame of photo.

For this photo, I got a camera second hand; Mamiya Universal Press with 100mm F2.8 lens;
you can charge and push the shutter without winding the film; its film format is as large as
6X9 centimeters.  I used the finest grain film available: Ectar ISO25 negative.  I secured the
best position on the roof of the hotel the previous night, so nobody would stand in front of
the camera or kick the tripod.  I set an alarm clock for 4 minutes every time I pushed the
shutter so that I might not forget to press the shutter the next time.  During the totality of
40 seconds, I did not forget to remove the solar filter, though I forgot to remove the filter of
my video camera.  After the totality, the other people began to pack up their telescopes and
cameras to go home, but I kept on pushing the shutter for another one hour and fifteen minutes,
and this is the incredible result.

This photo was published in an astronomy magazine “Tenmon Guide” (January 1996).     


04. Prevented by Snow
(Comet Hale-Bopp)

On March 18 ,1997 I photographed Comet Hale-Bopp in the mountains near my home
in Fukuyama  Mr. Hale and Mr. Bopp, amateur astronomers, independently discovered
the comet when it was still around the orbit of Jupiter.  It was a giant.  We had been
excitedly waiting for the comet to approach the sun for nearly two years.  

On The previous evening just 90 minutes after I went to bed, I got up again in the middle
of the night.  The sky was clear, and I began to drive toward the observatory in the mountains. 
As I approached the destination, it began to snow.  I had to come home disappointed.

On the next night, March 18, I drove up the mountain again.  Fortunately the sky was
exceptionally clear.  Before the dawn, Comet Hale-Bopp began to rise above the horizon
with the Milky Way.  I put the Milky Way across the frame and photographed the comet. 
With a 300mm lens which I borrowed from my brother, I took a close-up picture of the comet, too. 
In the white dust tail, synchronic band, which is peculiar to a giant comet, was seen, and together
with the blue ion tail, the comet formed a V-shape.  Both pictures won prizes in a contest
sponsored by Nishiwaki City.

 
05. A Shooting Star Inspires a Girl
(Big shooting star, 1998)

On November 18, 1998, I took a photo of one of the big shooting stars of the Leonids
meteor shower.  It is not easy to record a shooting star on a film even if it’s visible with
your naked eye; they are so faint and move too fast.  This shooting star, however, was
so big that everything around me was illuminated as brightly as in broad daylight.  
The star shot through the big triangle of winter, leaving something like a trail of smoke
for nearly a minute.  This photo was published in the Sankei newspaper.  I also used this
photo for my new year's card, and a daughter of my college classmate happened to see it.  
At that time, she was reluctant to go back to her Japanese high school after coming back
from her stay in Australia, but somehow this photo inspired her.

My wife was a school nurse, and when she looked at the girl in a photo, she said,
"A girl with such a good smile cannot be a dropout or in a school phobia."  
I knew later that my wife's comment was a great encouragement to her mother.

She quitted high school, got a qualification to apply for college through correspondence course,
succeeded in college entrance examination, studied one year at Cambridge when she was a
sophomore, and a few years ago she got happily married.  Her father says that this photo made
a turning point for his daughter.  Her wish on the star may have come true.


06. When My Wife Came to See the Stars
(Comet Hyakutake)
(Leonid shower)

My wife hardly ever had a chance to come with me to observe the stars, because she
was busy with her work as a school nurse and with bringing up two daughters of ours.

On March 28, 1996, however, she and our daughters came with me.  Newly discovered
comet Hyakutake was rapidly approaching the earth, and in the city it was seen only as
a small comet.  When we reached the observation spot in the mountains, which is 700
meters high, and stepped out of the car, we were stunned!  “Who left a broomstick in the sky?”
I cried to myself.  In the dark sky, the tail of Comet Hyakutake stretched half way across the sky! 
It was the very comet I had been longing to see, since I missed seeing Comet Ikeya-Seki
in my high school days.

I used a diagonal fisheye lens, whose view is 180 degrees wide.  So, the tail of the comet
is about 100 degrees long, stretching from Polaris, through the Big Dipper and almost reaching
the constellation of Coma.

Another time when she came with me was on November 18, 2001, when Leonid shower was
predicted.  Just as British astronomer David Asher predicted, thousands of shooting stars were seen. 
Though it was freezing cold in the mountains, the sky was clear and there was no wind. 
Toward the morning, everything was covered with frost, but many people kept on shouting every
time a shooting star went across the sky.  My second daughter was with us, too, and on the
following day she was late for school; the only case where she was late for school for other reasons
than illness.

 
07. “Recovery from Disappointment”
(Great Prominence 1999)

 On August 11, 1999, Dr. Demiya came to Iran with me to see the total solar eclipse for the
first time in his life.  He was a 79 year old physician for a small town with many people depending
on him, so he never left Japan except for WWII where he was an army doctor. His son, also a physician,
began to help him at his clinic and at last he had some spare time to go abroad. He brought his
telescope and camera all the way to Iran, but he couldn’t take a single picture of the eclipse. 
Somehow, his camera was set on automatic focus, the camera continued seeking, but failed to find
the right focus, all through the darkness of the three minute eclipse.  In the confusion Dr. Demiya
didn’t even see the eclipse. His camera was complicated with automatic focus he realize sometimes
its just better to have a simple camera.

His yearning for the sun grew so great that he bought an expensive Coronado filter to see the
prominence of the sun.  In January, 2001, I asked him to bring the telescope to our monthly astronomy
club meeting.  It was a snowy day, but sometimes the sun broke through the clouds.  At first a small
red prominence was seen on the edge of the sun, but two hours later, I was amazed to find that it had
grown into a giant arch prominence! Thanks to his persistence in photographing the sun daily, Dr. Demiya
quickly photographed the prominence, and it was awarded the best picture of the month in an astronomy
magazine “Tenmon Guide”.  The commentator said that the picture would be recorded in the history of
amateur astronomy, and he wished he had been  there with us to witness this very rare phenomenon.

 
08. Special Birthday Present
(Jupiter and its satellites)

On April 11, 2004, Mr. Fujita came to visit me with his 15cm refractor telescope. 
He was afraid that his telescope was not well collimated.  He sent it back to the maker,
Borg Co., and had it collimated again, but he still though that it may be out of collimation.

In my backyard, I aimed the telescope at Jupiter, and I was amazed.  The seeing (the stability
of the air) was exceptionally good, and I could see the details of Jupiter.  I put a web camera
(Philips ToUcam Pro) to the telescope at once, and began to take the images.  Pictures
were taken every five minutes, and for every picture, 1500 frames of images were stacked and processed. 

Satellites and their shadows were seen going around Jupiter.  The great red spot appeared
and the rotation of Jupiter was clearly visible.  I proved that Mr. Fujita’s telescope was very
excellent, and it was also a special present for my 57th birthday.

 
09. Dr. Demiya Saves My Life
(Diamond Ring and Corona, 2009)

On March 27, 2006, Dr. Demiya and I were in the same room of a hotel in Tripoli, Libya. 
We were scheduled to see the total solar eclipse in the desert two days later. 
Unfortunately, however, I suddenly had a heart attack and fell down.  As a doctor,
he quickly took necessary procedures and my life was saved.  I was hospitalized in Libya
for two weeks and managed to come home safely.

On July 22, 2009, I was on board a ship called the “Fuji-maru”, with Dr. Demiya. 
On the deck of the ship, we successfully observed the longest total solar eclipse in
the 21st century.  Through binoculars, the white corona of the sun revealed its very
fine structures. 

On November 14, 2012, I was on a hotel veranda in Cairns, Australia with Mr. Demiya
to see another total solar eclipse, but the view was prevented by clouds.
Dr. Demiya is 92 years old now, and he is looking forward to seeing yet another eclipse.


10. Dawn and Dusk at the Same Time
(Total Solar Eclipse in the Pacific, 2009)

On July 22, 2009, during the total solar eclipse, I took this 360-degrees photo of the sky. 
In the middle of the day, night suddenly came, and all around the horizon, one could see
dawn and dusk at the same time.  Though it was night where I was standing, it was day
one hundred kilometers away.

In order to obtain the fine gradation of light on the horizon, I used a large format film,
4x5(10x12.5cm).  I used a fish eye lens of Pentax 6x7 camera; focal length 35mm, focal ratio4.5. 
I made the camera box myself with a wooden board.  I used the finest grain film, Fuji Velvia
transparency film.  I boarded a ship at Himeji Port near Kobe, we sailed for two days,
arriving at the best spot to observe near Iwo-jima Island.  Even though ships are unstable,
they can move and evade obstructing clouds.

In order to see 360 degrees of the horizon, I had to be on the top deck of the ship, which is
usually forbidden for passengers.  Light can leak through my hand made camera, so I set the
film holder during the totality of the eclipse.  Two sheets of film can be loaded on either side
of the holder.  After I made 1-second exposure on one film, I turned over the holder, and made
two-second exposure on the other film.  I removed the lens cap as the shutter.

On the two-second exposure film, I captured the corona of the sun’s eclipse in the center
of the photograph, with Venus to the right, Mercury to the left and Sirius to to the south. 
One can also see in the photo the fine gradation of dawn and dusk in the 360-degree horizon. 
In the photo one can see twilight to the east (left) while at the same time on the lower right
of the photo dawn.  Usually this is impossible to see.