11 minutes past 8 yesterday evening and the bright full moon had risen above the roof tops
When I went to bed I set the alarm because I really didn't want to sleep through the eclipse in case this one was a good one. I wasn't disappointed. By 2 a.m. the moon was dazzlingly bright and the garden was bathed in light. The earth's shadow was just beginning to creep onto the top left area of the moon
I slept for a little while - woke and took several very poor photos as the shadow crept further across the moon. I think the extreme contrasts of light and dark were confusing my camera and the camera was trying to compensate - I didn't want it to do that but I didn't know how to stop it. I'm still using auto - which is usually fine but not in this situation. By the time I was able to take a decent photo the moon was mostly in shadow and I didn't manage to catch much of the red effect. It was challenging to get the camera to focus on the decreasing slip of silver
By 3.15 a.m. the moon was in shadow and I went back to bed for a while. I set the alarm for 4 a.m. but woke before then. The moon was still in shadow - I was surprised how long the shadow lasted for. I couldn't get the camera to focus properly for a while but by 4.23 a.m. a tiny portion of the moon was glowing again and I was able to take some more photos
It didn't take long for the glowing crescent to increase as the earth's shadow rolled across the moon
I found it interesting to notice how the moon seemed distorted while only a small amount was showing properly - a bit like an eyeball shape with a bulge at the lens
The moon had lost its bulge by 4.44 a.m.
4.59 a.m.
and finally - 5.40 a.m. This photo was taken a little before the early morning mist engulfed the moon as it set
I didn't get much sleep last night and I know I will suffer for it today but some things are worth it. I'm very glad I've seen a proper eclipse at last
Thank you very much for joining me
You may be tired today Angela, but it's worth it when you see your photos. I woke up just after 4am, and looked out the window thinking it would all be over, but was lucky enough to see a bright crescent moon, with the rest of it in shadow. I think I was expecting the bit in shadow to be a brighter red, it was quite dark, but it may have been my sleepy head playing tricks!
ReplyDeleteNo - probably not your sleepy head playing tricks - it didn't look as red as I expected either Cath - apparently the atmosphere can affect how red it looks - and it can look brown or grey
DeleteWell done for getting these - they're great! I did wake about 2 something but couldn't see the moon, and I don't think it was cloudy..oh well, only another 30 years to wait for the next one...! Hope you got some rest today.
ReplyDeleteThank you Helen. I'm very lucky the rooms at the back of the house faced the right way for this one so not far to go for a good view.
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