TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE - Jan 20/21st ( Sunday/Monday) and Weather Prospects

[Scooot]

Very lucky here, went out at 3:50 and it was mostly clear until about 5:50 when thick cloud set in. ?

[paulastro]

3 hours ago, Alan White said:

@paulastro so pleased that you got a clear patch and saw it, I really felt for you when it looked like you would miss it.

From the cloud maps shown I was very lucky, just scraped clear sky on the very SE Essex and got to see the action too, but only from the bedroom window.

But another Lunar Eclipse seen and much enjoyed by eye, I feel very lucky indeed.

 

Many thanks for your kind words Alan, I'm delighted you had a view as well.  It sort of feels better when you're not expecting to be successful doesn't it

 

[geoflewis]

4 hours ago, paulastro said:

Well, ! can't believe it.  I went to bed around 2am and set the alarm at 3am to get up and try and get a glimpse of the moon if the clouds thin at all - without any real expectation.  Went out at 3.15 and the moon was bright with only some light cloud and the sky was largely clear!!    Apart from a few minutes of totality when cloud hid the moon it was largely clear from this time until the total phase was finished.  There was some haze at times, and the telescope became covered it ice - as did the lens before I finished taking photos, but I really couldn't have asked for a much better view.  Then at 5.50 had a nice view of Venus at around 6 degrees altitude in the E with Jupiter 4 degrees below it and slightly to the right.

Really pleased not to have to wait to see the next eclipse in 2028!

Here are a few of my pics, all taken with my SW 72ED and an Olympus E-M11.

  

 

     

 

  

 

 

Well done Paul, that's cracking set of images, very pleased for you. Unfortunately I had no such luck. I set the alarm for 3:45 and saw the partial eclipse through the window, but by the time I'd got dressed and taken the camera outside I just had time to watch the clouds roll over, with not a single picture taken. Hung around until 6am by when totality was over, then gave up and went back to bed. Roll on 2028....!!

[paulastro]

Many thanks Geof that's appreciated.  I can imagine how you felt as the cloud rolled in before totality, it can be very frustrating.  I think I used up my luck for a bit.  I couldn't believe when I went out that it was clear and felt certain it would cloud up before totality arrived.  I was tense for every minute before it became clear (about two minutes before totality) to me that cloud couldn't reached the moon before totality started.  And then, with only about five minutes of totality lost due to brief cloud cover, it was clear until after totality.

[mcrowle]

The weather forecasts for me were mixed, with the Met Office showing clear skies until 6am and then partly cloudy; Clear Outside forecast 99% cloud from 4am. Luckily, the Met Office forecast turned out to be the most accurate, with more or less unbroken clear sky from when I got up at 3:30 and when I left my observing spot sometime after 6am. From then on there was a fair amount of cloud, but still allowing frequent glimpses of the Moon.

What a beautiful sight with the naked eye, and with 7 x 50s binoculars! The sky gradually filling with stars as the Moon faded was amazing, too - not sure I'd noticed that so much during the last lunar eclipse.

This photo is the result of stacking 5 frames to reduce noise. Each was 0.4 seconds long, F/5.6 and ISO 1600, taken with an EOS 7D and 70-300mm.

Regards, Mike.

[paulastro]

That's a very nice image Mike, I'm delighted you had such clear skies.  I agree with you, it was nice to have so many background stars, I was using 10x50s for visual observations.  Thanks for posting.

[DaveS]

Long time to post.

Was awake this morning, so had a look, and could see the Partially eclipsed moon through breaks in the cloud. Eventually hauled myself out of my nice warm bed and staggered outside in only a dressing gown. Brrrr...it was nippy, but I did catch totallity, and a chill, too . Last time I saw a good eclipse was in Ruislip, but the sky was darker.

[mikeDnight]

On 21/01/2019 at 07:50, paulastro said:

Well, ! can't believe it.  I went to bed around 2am and set the alarm at 3am to get up and try and get a glimpse of the moon if the clouds thin at all - without any real expectation.  Went out at 3.15 and the moon was bright with only some light cloud and the sky was largely clear!!    Apart from a few minutes of totality when cloud hid the moon it was largely clear from this time until the total phase was finished.  There was some haze at times, and the telescope became covered it ice - as did the lens before I finished taking photos, but I really couldn't have asked for a much better view.  Then at 5.50 had a nice view of Venus at around 6 degrees altitude in the E with Jupiter 4 degrees below it and slightly to the right.

Really pleased not to have to wait to see the next eclipse in 2028!

Here are a few of my pics, all taken with my SW 72ED and an Olympus E-M5 Mk11.

  

 

     

 

  

 

 

Very nice pics Paul. Now that you're an accomplished astro photographer you'll not want to speak to the  likes of me anymore, will you! 

[paulastro]

Thank you Mike.  But, as you know, I only do any astro photography when I can do it quickly so it won't take too much time away from proper astronomy (visual observing) and when there is no electricity involved apart from the batteries for my torch and camera.

I have to admit though, it is nice to have a momento of a really nice eclipse .

[paulastro]

I've just posted some more images in a new thread under Imaging - Lunar, showing the progress for the eclipse from seven minutes before the start of totality to eight minutes after totality finished.

 

 

[Pete Presland]

Good to hear that quite a few members got a decent view. I didn't manage anything myself, 

[Fraunhoffer]

Just found some time to sort this out - my timeline from Monday.
aka. standing about in a freezing cold field in Kent for hours whilst my hat got deployed as a dew shield between shots.

[Davey-T]

4 minutes ago, Fraunhoffer said:

Just found some time to sort this out - my timeline from Monday.
aka. standing about in a freezing cold field in Kent for hours whilst my hat got deployed as a dew shield between shots.

Nicely done, still haven't sorted mine 

Dave

[Unklewhale]

Using the 'Clear Outside' weather App for days ahead suggested I would have no chance - wasn't wrong unfortunately !

[SIDO]

"Stars really did start popping out of the sky when the moon hit totality"

Really stunning to use an eyepatch then move it to the other eye at totality from a dark site, this was the one in four recent lunar eclipses that was without cloud at my location so I am just thrilled with it and can't seem to shake the feeling...Awesome Eclipse ?