Total Lunar Eclipse February 20th

So get out your cameras, telescopes, binoculars and enjoy it.

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/obser.../12886312.html

The latest from Sky and Telescope:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/obser.../15357796.html

I'm ready for it. If only the weather cooperates...

Thanks for the reminder Speed. I hope the eclips is closer to the horizon. I went out to shoot the moon twice this week, and it has been almost directly overhead. Makes getting under my tripod very difficult. I took this one tonight in the freezing cold. Pretty much lying on my back with my tripod spread out over me in. I hope the sky is clear on the 20th.

Speed, for us novices who might like to try and gather some images of this lunar eclipse, do you have any insight/suggestions on the kinds of exposures, time, ISO, etc that one could use to get some reasonable images? What types of lens/lenses are good to use. I have a Canon 5D with a 100-400 L IS and a 24-105 L IS, plus a set of Kenko extension tubes. Any insight you would care to provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

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Originally Posted by WesternGuy

Speed, for us novices who might like to try and gather some images of this lunar eclipse, do you have any insight/suggestions on the kinds of exposures, time, ISO, etc that one could use to get some reasonable images? What types of lens/lenses are good to use. I have a Canon 5D with a 100-400 L IS and a 24-105 L IS, plus a set of Kenko extension tubes. Any insight you would care to provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

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General guidelines: Use the 100-400mm @ 400mm. ISO - 400, and use the sunny f16 rule. Piece of cake. Take a few practice shots in the nights leading up to the 20th.

Here's a link with more detailed information on photographing lunar eclipses:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto...y/3304036.html

Good luck on the 20th!

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Originally Posted by mjs1973

Thanks for the reminder Speed. I hope the eclips is closer to the horizon. I went out to shoot the moon twice this week, and it has been almost directly overhead. Makes getting under my tripod very difficult. I took this one tonight in the freezing cold. Pretty much lying on my back with my tripod spread out over me in. I hope the sky is clear on the 20th.

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Unfortanely, totality occurs around 10 pm on the east coast. So grab a ground pad and be prepared to get low.

Great shot there Michael. Looks like you're ready for the 20th. Now if the weather will just cooperate. I missed the last two lunar eclipses due to weather, so I'm due some clear skies this time!

:-)

Is the big night, so get ready!

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/obser.../15357796.html

I'm ready!! I hope the weather cooperates.

Early morning of the 21st they say for the UK ?
That's a whole 30 hours away.
Can that be right?

Me too buddy!

Me too.

Right now the forecast is for "partly cloudy" with a 0% chance of rain here in NC.

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Originally Posted by SmartWombat

Early morning of the 21st they say for the UK ?
That's a whole 30 hours away.
Can that be right?

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Yes it can.

"Earth’s shadow will totally engulf the Moon from 10:00 to 10:52 p.m. Eastern Standard Time,"

The UK is five hours ahead of us, so totality will hit there around 3 am. The show actually begins about an hour and 15 minutes before that. How late do you want to stay up?

North America doesn't get another full eclipse for quite a while after this one.

I went out to try to catch a sunrise shot this morning and the moon was low on the horizon, reddish, and looking large. Of course its been nice and clear for two or three nights but will be cloudy by tomorrow night and probably raining.

Sorry to hear that. The weather got me on the last two eclipses, and I got shut out halfway through the one before that. I figure I'm due some good weather for this one.

Not sure I'll stay up, or go to bed early and set the alarm.
I might have to give it a miss, considering it'll be minus something in degC and I'm recovering from walking pneumonia. Depends on the weather.

Stay in bed man!

There will be other eclipses.

Hope you get well soon!

"The Next Eclipses"

"After three total lunar eclipses in less than a year, we face a dry spell. Partial ones occur for Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia on August 16, 2008, and December 31, 2009. The Americas get a partial one on the morning of June 26, 2010. But not until the night of December 20–21, 2010, does the next total lunar eclipse happen. That night the Americas will once again be favored."

It's supposed to be sunny and clear tomorrow hear. At least during the day. It was like that all day today, and then started to cloud up as the sun was setting. I'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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Originally Posted by mjs1973

It's supposed to be sunny and clear tomorrow hear. At least during the day. It was like that all day today, and then started to cloud up as the sun was setting. I'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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It is clear and sunny here in NC. I hope it holds...

Suppose to be mostly cloudy and a feel like temp of 4f here at about 10pm. looks like i won't be going out.

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Originally Posted by Dylan8i

Suppose to be mostly cloudy and a feel like temp of 4f here at about 10pm. looks like i won't be going out.

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Sorry to hear that. And I don't blame you. I don't think I'd go out when it is 4 degrees either.

Next total lunar eclipse for North American is December 20th, 2010. In case you want to mark your calender...

;-)

Looks pretty good here so far. They predict a high temp of around 5 with the wind chill in the minus teens. If it's clear tonight, I will brave the cold!

It's a blustry 65 here in Phoenix but... cloudy skies! Drat!

It's raining in "Sunny" SoCal today and isn't supposed to clear up until Sat or Sun.. Looks like I'll likely miss this one. The real bummer is that I'll miss the one eclipse that happens early in the evening... The ONE that doesn't make me stay up until the wee hours to watch.. LOL

Thanks for the heads up Speed!

its cloudy here.. :-( its supposed to be somewhat breaky in cloud coverage though. Hope I get some good shots.. I missed the last one..

Great! Now I have a lens capable of getting a shot there's thick fog outside! :cryin:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23184927/?GT1=10856

And I let all my friends at PR know about it nearly two weeks ago!

See, you are on the cutting edge of astrophotography events thanks to Speed.

You are braver than I am my friend!

Good luck and bundle up.

"cloudy skies! Drat!"

Oh man! And here I was hoping for some Velvia shots from you!

If it clears, I want photo's!!!

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Originally Posted by Kokopeli

It's raining in "Sunny" SoCal today and isn't supposed to clear up until Sat or Sun.. Looks like I'll likely miss this one. The real bummer is that I'll miss the one eclipse that happens early in the evening... The ONE that doesn't make me stay up until the wee hours to watch.. LOL

Thanks for the heads up Speed!

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Maybe you'll get a break in the clouds buddy. It happens.

Always glad to give my photography buddies a heads up on interesting astronomy stuff.

"there's thick fog outside!" :cryin:

Don't give up! It could clear. Keep an eye on the weather and be prepared to go into action should you get the chance.

Good luck!

Hey Speed.. Quick question.. If someone wanted to get a telescope and an adapter for a camera body, where would they begin their search?

Feel free to reply here or PM me.

Thanks Buddy!

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Originally Posted by SpeedingSphere

its cloudy here.. :-( its supposed to be somewhat breaky in cloud coverage though. Hope I get some good shots.. I missed the last one..

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Hopefully you'll get those breaks in the clouds. It's starting to cloud up here, but I'm still hoping for the best.

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Originally Posted by Kokopeli

Hey Speed.. Quick question.. If someone wanted to get a telescope and an adapter for a camera body, where would they begin their search?

Feel free to reply here or PM me.

Thanks Buddy!

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For buying gear, start with Orion Telescopes:

www.telescope.com

I bought my telescope off an internet action, but I knew what I wanted and what I was getting. I've bought several things from Orion (solar filters, T-Rings, Camera Adapters, etc) and I've been happy with the products and service.

Here's an article on buying your first telescope:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/equip.../12511616.html

Here's a Help Guide within the above article:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/equip...s/3303926.html

I own a Celestron, and I've been very happy with it. Orion carries several Celestron models. You can get more information about their telescopes at:

www.celestron.com

Meade also makes telescopes, and they are Celestron's only real competitor. Orion also carries Meades. Their website:

www.meade.com

Don't get overwhelmed. Start with the buying your first telescope article and take it from there. A few pointers:

One - Size matters. The bigger your objective lens or mirror, the more light the telescope will gather and the more objects you will be able to see. Weigh this against cost and overall size (think storage here).

Two - Get a sturdy (stable) tripod. Just like in photography, stability counts. A cheap, light tripod will frustrate you. While I'm on the stability point, I would recommend an equatorial mount over a fork mount. It is much more stable.

Three - If you want to do astrophotography, get a mount with a guide motor.

Four - Seriously consider getting a "Go To" telescope. It will make getting around the sky, (finding objects) much easier. Getting a slightly smaller telescope with this feature will be worth the tradeoff.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. You can email me, PM me, or give me a shout here on Viewfinder.

this is what im looking at right now.. not one single break in the entire sky.. eesh.. i hope it clears!! :-(

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v3...t=IMG_7752.jpg

God bless you my child! Thanks for all the helpful 411!!!

well great.. now its snowing.. enjoy the eclipse for me those of you who see it.. :-P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WesternGuy

Speed, for us novices who might like to try and gather some images of this lunar eclipse, do you have any insight/suggestions on the kinds of exposures, time, ISO, etc that one could use to get some reasonable images? What types of lens/lenses are good to use. I have a Canon 5D with a 100-400 L IS and a 24-105 L IS, plus a set of Kenko extension tubes. Any insight you would care to provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

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http://www.mreclipse.com/LEphoto/LEphoto.html

Still clear skies here, but I'm so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. I knew getting up at 3:45 this morning was going to make staying up for the eclipse a challenge. I'm going to stick it out though. Once I get outside, the cold should perk me up. :)

the skies just opened up and i can see everything perfect.

and so it starts! heres a pic to get you guys excited!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...e/IMG_7788.jpg

Just clouded over here :(
Got almost nothing :(
Tripod seemed terribly unstable with 600mm (300 & 2x TC) but was probably me.

Sky was clear as can be!! I sat outside with my camera and watched it for an hour and a half. The thermometer says that it is 2 F outside. I'm a bit chilled and tired so my pics will have to wait till tomorrow, after work.