paulastro

Rob, I'm glad you saw it, even if it was from the M27. I know the area very well, I was at university in Southampton from 1982 to 1985 and stayed in the area for some years afterwards. I used to go to the New Forest frequently to watch and photograph the wild deer. I last went back just over a year ago. I love the area, wouldn't mind going back there but I'd have to leave the wife - mmm, now there's a thought........🤔

I wanted to have another session before new Moon, but had little expectation for this morning. I looked at all the weather sites I usually look at yesterday evening (AccuWeather, Clear Outside, BBC Weather app, Met Interactive Weather Map) and all indicated just about 100% cloudy for the narrow period I had to catch the Moon before doom. Of course, ever the optimist, I set the alarm for 6.00 am this morning. I didn't even look through the window before I got up, I fully expected it to be cloudy but had decided the night before to get up anyway just in case there was a small hole in the cloud. Went up the steps out the back of the house with the scope not even glancing up. I couldn't believe it when I set the scope down, glanced up - to see a perfectly clear sky with a slender crescent Moon just about six degrees above the SE horizon !! I have to say though, the seeing was really pretty bad, not surprising really with the low temperature and the low altitude. Having said that, the seeing didn't detract from how beautiful it looked, and even more so as the Moon rose a little bit when I could see Mars about 8 degrees to the right and a degree below the Moon. As the dawn started to break the azure blue just above the horizon made it all an outstanding spectacle. I took numerous snaps before packing up at about 7.40, hoping I would be lucky and that one of the shutter releases would coincide with a micro-moment of better seeing. The only pic I obtained I could do anything with is below. Taken at 7.79 am, SW 80ED, AZ5, Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/80 sec at 400 asa. Have a look at the limbs of either version and you will see how bad the seeing still was. Very pleased to have added one to my sequence. One more opportunity tomorrow morning, but not according to the weather forecasts. I'll be up anyway just in case and I'll know then how many times I've taken pics and observed during the lunation. Very pleased with the opportunities I've had however it turns out tomorrow.

Lee said How addictive will it be when the new moon comes? If you've done almost a whole month, why not keep going... two months... a year...😅 Good work on the streak though especially with the cloud. To be honest Lee, I'm looking forward to the new Moon, since full Moon having to get up in the early hours every day virtually has worn me out. 🌜

Out this morning at 6.00 am in completely cloudy conditions to try and observe the Moon. You might wonder why anyone would be so daft - perhaps apart from anyone who knows me very well that is. The reason is that a couple of days after the last new Moon ( on Dec 26th) I had a good run of successive days of taking a pic and observing the Moon - from the 28th Dec until January 8th. By this time I made my mind up to see how many observations I could do in the lunar month until the next new Moon on January 24th. I was out in cloudy sky this morning as I want get in as many more sessions as I can manage before this period is up - and desperate measures are called for! I won't let on yet how many days I'm up to until after the new Moon, but this may have been the last I'll be able to manage. Anyway, just so you know, I'm not completely crazy - honest! Amazingly there was some slight thinning of the cloud this morning before I packed up just before 7.30am and I did get some frames 'in the can' as they say. The frame below was taken at 6.59 am with the SW 80ED, AZ5 and Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/5 second at 400 asa. I had to use a low shutter speed as the cloud only thinned so the image was rather dimmed, I never had a clear view I'm afraid. Having said that, it did look rather beautiful as it occasionally slipped through the lighter cloud layers.

Looks like a great grab and go and travel scope. 😀

Well, it wasn't underwater, but it looked like it. Atrocious seeing when I went out with the 120ED at 5.48 am. I couldn't get anywhere near focus with the Olympus attached. Replaced the 120ED with the 80ED from indoors which was much better. It still was very poor seeing but the reduced aperture enabled me to at least get near to a focus and attempt a few snaps. I also managed some visual observations with the binoviewer which was at least worthwhile. Finally gave up at 7.10 am, when presumably one of my neighbours heating system started up, as the view instantly deteriorated so that it really did look like it was at the bottom of a fast flowing stream. An enjoyable session though, in bracing conditions, -2 degrees. The pic below was taken with the 80ED and Olympus at 6.53 am, 1/100 sec at 400 asa. A shadow filled Copernicus near the terminator.

Thanks Mike, you're very kind.

Out from 5.25 am to 7.10 am. After taking a few pics observed visually, Maginus, Clavius, Deslandres and Moretus were particularly well placed. The seeing was poor in the freezing temperature but the views were still good at times. Used the SW 120ED, Ercole Mount amd Olympus E-M5 Mk11. The single frame (and crops taken from it) was taken at 6.25.09 am, 1/125 sec at 400 asa.

Alarm on at 5.30 am. Set up in observatory by 5.48 am. Grabbed some photos 5.48 am to 5.55 am. Fitted binoviewer 5.56 am. 5.57 am, hurriedly shut observatory roof at commencement of near (unexpected) torrential rain. 7.05 am, rain stopped and I hurriedly carried equipment back indoors. Just a typical West Yorkshire observing session in fact 😄. Pic below a single frame, SW 120ED, Ercole Mount, Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/100 sec at 400 asa. Taken at 5.50 am. Crops are taken from the same single frame, showing: 1 Apennines, Imbrium. 2 Hipparchus and S to Werner/Allacensis (both filled with shadow) 3 Deslandres/Walther and S to Maginus.

Another early morning foray. Clear from 5.20 to 5.35 am while I took some snaps, but started to cloud up as I started visual observing. Still had time for some nice views of Theophilus, Cyrillus and Catherina. Single frame taken at 5.30 am. SW 120ED, Ercole mount, Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/320 sec at 400 asa.

The only thing I'd add is about having persistence. Like everyone else who was out this morning, for me the seeing was not good (pretty awful in fact). But with the Moon and planets it's always worth spending a few minutes at the eyepiece. Even in the worse seeing there can be the merest brief moments of better seeing - but if you've just had a quick glance in the eyepiece and gone straight back to bed, you'll miss them of course. I did have the odd moments of good seeing, you just have to be ready and make the most of them. I took a quick snap of the Moon at 3.20 am this morning, and for the 1/320 sec the shutter was open it wasn't so bad. (I admit I took many more snaps in the hope of getting lucky and grabbing a better moment). Here's a link I posted in Lunar Imaging with the pic I'm talking about.

Up at 2.30 am, in observatory to shelter from the worst of Storm Brendan with the SW 120ED on Ercole mount, The photo is a single frame taken with the Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 3.19 am, 1/320 sec at 400 asa. Crops are taken from the same frame. It was a bit windy even in the observatory, but at least the rain had passed through by then. The seeing was not very good, but I persisted as Janssen was particularly well placed on the terminator. After taking some pics, had a visual session until 4 am when the cloud started to increase again until the Moon was mostly obscured. At times I could see a wealth of detail using the binoviewer, x150 (24mm Orthos) and x214 (16.8 Orthos) in Janssen. Just a shame the seeing wasn't better as I had to use the lower power most of the time. Great detail non the less, and as usual better than the photos show.

Many thanks Mike. I never really thought about this at the time. I wish now I'd put the 16.8s in the binoviewer for a closer look. In actual fact of course we have a great window at the moment - this morning when I got up at 7.30 am the Moon was still just about observable in the East. So, we could have a good breakfast and then go out and observe the Moon 🌜.

Up at 3.00 am to see the waning gibbous Moon still high in the SE. Took the single frame below at 3.26 am, SW 120ED, Ercole Mount, Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/800 sec at 400 asa. The sun was setting over the W area o fMare Crisium, and also Cleomedes on the N edge of Crisium. I've attached a crop of this area, and also one to include Janssen and the area N to Wrottesley. Great detail using the binoviewer and 24mm Orthos giving x150. Didn't use more as the seeing was not great as clouds were passing over or close to the Moon. Stayed out until about 4.30 am.

I agree with you Nadeem, I think the ED72 is excellent.

No not looking good. No chance of observing today so my run will end. Not complaining though. I'm delighted it lasted until full Moon 😀.

Many thanks Stu, yes I was clouded out at 6.04pm.

Well done Fozzie, sounds as if you we were interrupted by the same cloud as me. Not surprising really as we are near-neighbours

Well done Stu. I'm pleased you had a good view, and pics!! It's funny, after me saying how easy it was to see, on this occasion it really wasn't obvious at all, visually you could be forgiven for not noticing it if you didn't know it was happening. Likewise my pics didn't show it to any extent. Mind you, I saw what I saw and I only did minimalist processing to get the pictures as it actually looked. Sky conditions played a part of course. Still enjoyed it though, it was what it was and it was good fun. Here's a link to my obs I put on Lunar Imaging: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/346687-january-10th-penumbral-eclipse-in-yorkshire/

Lucky to have seen some of the event. Out from before the eclipse started until 8.30 with a few breaks. In my location, I picked up the Moon when it first cleared some haze at 5.10 and watched it in reasonable, but not great, conditions until 6.04 continuously, with a little hazy cloud at times. After this it remained mostly cloudy, though I had a view for five minutes or so through cloud at 7.40. After that I only saw the glow it was making through the cloud occasionally. Still, delighted to have seen anything at all. As well as taking pics though the SW 80ED on an AZ5 and with the Olympus E-M5 Mk11 I observed with my Nikon 10x50 binoculars. At times I thought I could see the extent of the shadow, though it really just looked duller in the eclipsed portion than it would on a usual full Moon. In the picture below (a colour and mono version of the same frame) according to Sly Safari 6 Pro the portion in eclipse was below a little to the north of Aristarchus that went diagonally just about through the centre of the Moon to the opposite side, bottom right. Of course the line is slightly curved and isn't straight. I only did minimum processing to reproduced what it actually looked like in my binoculars, and the coloured version is pretty much what it looked like to my eyes. The eclipsed portion certainly didn't look at all obvious as it does in some pictures others have taken. The whole Moon in fact looked more subdued than the full Moon usually looks. Delighted also just to get my 14th day in a row managing to obtain a pic of the Moon, going back to Dec 28th. The picture is a single frame taken at 5.57 pm, 1/640 at 400 asa.

Thanks Pete, you are very kind.

I rather like penumbral eclipses, though some people are a bit sniffy about them. They are a good visual reminder of the dynamic nature of the solar system to me. I find the penumbral phase, quite easy to see, especially as it progresses. Binocs certainly show the changing light on the full Moon as the shadow crosses the various features, especially if you're used to looking at un-eclipsed Moon at full. It's easy to pick up using a DSLR or similar. In the digital age it's easy to just adjust the exposure until it becomes visible. Here in West Yorkshire it had just recently clouded over mostly, but I'm still fiarly optimistic about catching a view or two in the fours hours it's in eclipse. After all, a bright Moon will often show through on occasion, even on the cloudiest of nights. It's just a matter of being committed to keep a look out - if you don't, you may miss it when it does pop out. After all, if you don't buy a ticket, you're not going to win the raffle 😃 Good luck everyone.

I like to seek out the more elusive features of the Moon near the terminator, a few hours before full Moon. The image was taken at 01.45 am this morning. I've cropped parts of the limb from the same single frame. SW80ED, Ercole Mount and Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/1000 sec at 400 asa. Keeping my fingers crossed I see something of the partial eclipse in a couple of hours or so.

That looks like two pelicans standing bill to bill 😃.

I certainly won't be entering it in any of the SGL photo competitions Luke, unless there's a booby prize of course 🌝