How the spectacular ‘diamond ring’ formed over Sant Ramon hermitage

The photograph over Sant Ramon hermitage looks like a diamond ring suspended above the landmark. Its creator says the image resulted from a deliberate change of plan before the eclipse on August 12.

He had initially intended to travel to another location where he could experience 16 seconds of totality. But the intense public interest, traffic, work commitments and the possibility of crowds made that plan stressful. He chose Sant Ramon instead, a familiar landmark near Sant Boi del Llobregat that could be reached without traffic and prepared from in advance.

The location also gave him time to set up his equipment, test the composition and adjust the camera. The hermitage had already been photographed in daylight, at night, under moonlight and sunlight, and during dawn and dusk. An eclipse offered a new kind of light, and he saw the image as a possible gift for friends in Sant Boi.

The photographer also explains that the image does not show a true diamond-ring phase. That effect occurs immediately before totality, or after the first ray of light returns, when the last or first ray from the photosphere shines like a diamond.

The hermitage and the shooting position, five kilometres from the landmark, reached 99.89% coverage, just short of totality. That allowed the camera to capture photospheric flashes similar to Baily’s beads. The result can therefore be described as a pseudo-diamond-ring effect, or a Baily flash.