Camera Obscura

First Appearance and Context

Recalled by avout as a box with a pinhole and a white sheet used to view a past total eclipse without eye damage, the camera obscura is next seen in practice when Suur Ala and Suur Tulia set up a darkened maintenance room beneath the bells at the Concent of Saunt Edhar. They noticed sunlight leaking through an old boarded opening, sealed it except for a neat pinhole, and pinned a blank leaf to a plank as a screen. In darkness the pinhole projected a faint, perfectly circular image of the sun that had to be followed as it drifted with the sky.

Description and Use

A camera obscura is a dark space with a small aperture (a pinhole) that projects an inverted image of the outside scene onto a surface opposite the hole. It requires no lens or mirror; the image is faint and best seen in a room darkened to exclude stray light. For solar viewing, the observer watches only the projected image—safe for the eyes—and repositions the screen as needed to keep the sun on it.

Notable Observations

With Fraa Erasmas present, Ala and Tulia used the projection to record brief, bright bluish “sparks” appearing near and across the sun’s image. The points flared quickly and faded slowly, recurring roughly once per second. Using a stick‑pin they pricked the paper at each sighting and then outlined the edge of the solar disk to anchor the record. The series of marks formed a line aimed toward the sun and seemed to curve over time; the sparks ceased abruptly after the track passed beyond the disk. The time of the sequence was noted by the striking of the clock, allowing correlation with the sun’s position for subsequent searches.

Relationships and Associations

• Practitioners: Most prominently used here by Suur Ala with Suur Tulia; their work provided a simple, intramuros method for solar observation while other routes aloft were restricted.
• Related observers: Sammann has been seen staring at the sun through heavy protective goggles, a separate practice mentioned as context for noticing similar blue flashes.
• Context: Discussion of cautious solar observing and what may be inferred from it occurs alongside concerns that drew scrutiny to Fraa Orolo earlier; the pinhole method offered a low‑tech alternative requiring only a dark room and paper.