Total Eclipse Of The Moon - A Great View!

[cloudsweeper]

Stroke of luck re conditions - just after 4am, it was clear, still, and mild here in NW England.  I was a bit late off the blocks, as when I first saw the Moon (4.17) it was about 66% in shadow.  The shadow had an orange hue to it, especially to the south, and showed just a little variation in contrast across the regions.  The light/dark boundary was not very distinct, and got less so as the eclipse progressed.

The ED80 was nearer the house than my usual observing position, because the Moon was sinking behind large trees to the west.  The apparition was very stable however - seeing very good.  (And the lack of CA was most pleasing compared with the ST120!)

I was using x24 which framed the Moon nicely in a field of about 3.4 degrees.  As totality approached, the light/dark boundary was harder to discern.  By 4.48 totality had probably been achieved, although it seemed there was just a tad more general brightness at the NE limb.  Minutes later, the shade was more even, but twigs and branches were starting to obscure the view.  And a general cover of thin cloud had enveloped the proceedings.  Not long after that, fog descended!

I was glad to have successfully witnessed this relatively rare phenomenon, with a window of clarity at just the required time.  Fascinating to think that the Moon (about 240 thousand miles away in one direction) and the Sun (about 93 million miles away in the opposite direction) were precisely in line with the Earth!

Doug.

 

[dweller25]

Great report Doug.

5:55 - I just looked out of my west facing window to see the red moon just coming out of total eclipse with a bright white limb at the top - a really nice view ?

[cloudsweeper]

2 hours ago, dweller25 said:

Great report Doug.

5:55 - I just looked out of my west facing window to see the red moon just coming out of total eclipse with a bright white limb at the top - a really nice view ?

Thanks David - I missed the very start, and definitely the finish, but had a fabulous 3/4 hour anyway.  The conditions were excellent when needed most!

Doug.

[Stu]

Nice report Doug, glad you got a lucky break. Not much doong here, cloud came in pretty around 50% fully eclipsed. Not a hint of red for me.

The ED80 is an ideal tool for the job, nice to see the moon framed with a decent amount of sky to put it in context.

[cloudsweeper]

Thanks Stu!  I long pondered about getting a better frac (than the ST120), but I'm really glad I went for the 80 rather than a 120ED (with longer focus than the ST).  It's a fine 'scope - so easy to handle, smooth focus, pinpoint stars, no CA, and oh those wide views!

Doug.

[Astro Imp]

Hi Doug,
Pleased you struck lucky weatherwise, seems you had a fun time.
No luck here in Lincs. and it's still wet and windy.