Lunar eclipse tonight

[AndrewWG]

For those who aren't being dumped on by snow (like we are ) get out your cameras! Of course this is happening in the middle of the night (in the U.S.). Info is at the site below:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/12/solstice-lunar-eclipse/

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Yeah, I'm totally bummed out that it is snowing outside right now. I'm going to venture out around the time of the eclipse and see if maybe I catch a break and have a gap in the clouds.

 

[rmdavis]

unfortunately it's cloudy here too Hoping for a break in the clouds. Saw something about this was suppose to e an extradorinary eclipse due to falling on the equinox moon so hopefully we will get atleast a glimpse.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Mostly cloudy and foggy here tonight. I've seen lunar eclipses before. Even if it was clear, I'd have a hard time getting out of bed for it. For some reason it just doesn't get me excited.

 

[boBQuincy]

Clear (and cold) in NC tonight so I plan to get up at 3:00am and photograph the eclipse at it's peak. The 21st is the 3rd birthday of a friend of mine (who we just took to WDW) and she might like to see how the moon looked that night.

My camera is out in the garage getting acclimated to the cooler weather, I am indoors!

 

[rtphokie]

I'm going to be up all night shooting the eclipse. I'll post results. I'm using a 300mm lens. My telescope will be used for other star gazing tonight, not photographing the eclipse, just too tricky and too close in.

Here are some sites with tips:

http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2010...ign=how-to-photography-tonights-lunar-eclipse

http://www.examiner.com/photography...tal-lunar-eclipse-with-a-cheap-digital-camera

http://www.examiner.com/photography-in-cleveland/dennis-bodzash

http://www.examiner.com/photography...t-s-total-lunar-eclipse-with-your-digital-slr

 

[AndrewWG]

Clear (and cold) in NC tonight so I plan to get up at 3:00am and photograph the eclipse at it's peak. The 21st is the 3rd birthday of a friend of mine (who we just took to WDW) and she might like to see how the moon looked that night.

My camera is out in the garage getting acclimated to the cooler weather, I am indoors!

Good luck with that! I hope to see some pics! Keep the battery indoors. Don't want to get up in the middle of the night to a dead battery.

 

[budmonster]

I plan on heading off to bed and then getting up around 3:00am also. I'm not sure why though my moon picks don't usually turn out very well. Anyone have any advice on shooting the moon.

ps I have a canon 50D

 

[rtphokie]

The most interesting part is when the moon enters the umbra. Head out around 2:30 am ET and plan to stay for 30 minutes (dress warm).

If anyone is up tonight, swing by my local astronomy club's IRC chat, there will be volunteers there to answer questions:

http://rtpnet.org/~chaos/chat.html

 

[boBQuincy]

Good luck with that! I hope to see some pics! Keep the battery indoors. Don't want to get up in the middle of the night to a dead battery.

I might put the spare battery in before I go outside but it should be ok, it's about 45 in the garage. I guess I am spoiled by Southern "cold", it's going down to 25 tonight which a lot of the country would probably be glad to have.

 

[budmonster]

I'm going to be up all night shooting the eclipse. I'll post results. I'm using a 300mm lens. My telescope will be used for other star gazing tonight, not photographing the eclipse, just too tricky and too close in.

Here are some sites with tips:

http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2010...ign=how-to-photography-tonights-lunar-eclipse

http://www.examiner.com/photography...tal-lunar-eclipse-with-a-cheap-digital-camera

http://www.examiner.com/photography-in-cleveland/dennis-bodzash

http://www.examiner.com/photography...t-s-total-lunar-eclipse-with-your-digital-slr

Thanks the first one is really helpful.

 

[rtphokie]

I plan on heading off to bed and then getting up around 3:00am also. I'm not sure why though my moon picks don't usually turn out very well. Anyone have any advice on shooting the moon.

ps I have a canon 50D

A full moon is really really bright. So bright that many astronomers don't bother going out to observer on a full moon night.

I just shot this a few minutes ago, testing how bad the high clouds are tonight:

The camera is set at ISO 100 and the shutter speed was 1/1250 sec. I dont shoot daylight that fast sometimes. But to get the detail in the lunar surface you've got to reduce the shutter speed. It's much easier to get detail any time other than a full moon because the craters will cast shadows then, but not when the sunlight is straight on during a full moon.

Also, if use a tripod if you have it and use the timer if you can to reduce vibration.

 

[Groucho]

I might put the spare battery in before I go outside but it should be ok, it's about 45 in the garage. I guess I am spoiled by Southern "cold", it's going down to 25 tonight which a lot of the country would probably be glad to have.

Heh, I was going to give you a hard time about that but 25' is pretty cold. We'll hit 19' tonight and snow - I will stay warm inside in bed, thank you very much!

My sister-in-law just got into town yesterday from Chapel Hill; after a few years of college there, she is acclimated to much warmer weather and gets pretty chilly during her winter visits!

 

[rtphokie]

Heh, I was going to give you a hard time about that but 25' is pretty cold. We'll hit 19' tonight and snow - I will stay warm inside in bed, thank you very much!

My sister-in-law just got into town yesterday from Chapel Hill; after a few years of college there, she is acclimated to much warmer weather and gets pretty chilly during her winter visits!

You can tell her its currently 32 in Chapel Hill and is forecasted to get down to 24 tonight.

 

[Marlton Mom]

Ok, here is my crappy attempt at photographing the eclipse. It's 27 degrees outside and windy here in Marvelous Marlton NJ.

I'm thinking I was supposed to leave my lens (only) outside so it could acclimatize itself to the cold, while keeping the camera body indoors so the camera wouldn't freeze up. This didn't happen. I ran out side, set the camera up took some pictures, said the heck with it and ran back inside. Why do these things always happen in the winter when it is as cold as all get out?

I used a tripod and a remote release with a 190mm 4 sec F5.6 exposure on auto because it was to dang cold to do any thing else!

The moon was turning a nice orange color when I went out at 2:54 am. The exif time stamp is not adjusted for daylight savings time.

Here is a artsy fartsy/spooky shot of the moon through tree branches


Moon eclipse 2 dec 2010 by Marlton Mom, on Flickr


Here is just the moon and the stars, no artsy fartsy.


Moon eclipse1 dec 2010 by Marlton Mom, on Flickr

I can't feel my feet.
I'm taking one last peep, minus the camera and defrosting in my nice warm bed.

Marlton Mom
PS. FINALLY it wasn't cloudy for an interesting celestial event!

 

[rtphokie]

Ugh, clouds clouds clouds. Everything I shot was through at least a thin upper layer of clouds. leading up to totality, I had to find holes in the lower, thicker clouds. But at least I got some. We did have a clearing of the low clouds just as totality occurred and stayed relatively clear for 45 minutes.

I think this is going to be my desktop for a while:

 

[Nancy F]

Well worth standing out on my cold deck at 3:00 Am LOL.
Nancy

 

[boBQuincy]

I went out from 2:45 to 3:15 and got some decent photos with a Canon 70-200 and 1.4x extender. There was a little haze but not bad and then it seems to have gotten cloudy shortly after 3:30. The eclipse was impressive but no druids dancing around a bonfire for the solstice, disappointing...

I can't post photos from work so those will have to wait until 5:00.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

With the moon in the shadow of the earth, I think some fill flash would have been helpful.

 

[ThurlFan]

Cloudy at my house, which was a real bummer. Thanks to those who posted pics, the images are great!