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Lunar Eclipse On May 15-16

Posted by timothy on from the mark-your-lunar-calendars dept.

Sayten241 writes "MSNBC reports that on the night of May 15-16 skywatchers in the U.S., Europe and Africa will be able to witness the moon be completely eclipsed by the Earth's shadow. The show starts at 9:45 pm ET but starts getting good around 10:03 pm ET. The next Lunar eclipse will be on Nov 8-9 this year."

20 comments

  1. Coincidence? by digerata · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is it coincidence that the Matrix Reloaded is coming to theatres on the 15th? I think not!

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    1;
    1. Re:Coincidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "We know that it was *us* who scorched the moon. It was believed that they would be unable to survive without an energy source as abundant as moonlight."

  2. May 15th? by calumr · · Score: 1

    I think most of us will be doing something else on the 15th

  3. When photographing a lunar eclipse . . . by aoteoroa · · Score: 5, Informative

    remember that you do not need a long exposure time. Of course you will need a really long lens.

    The first time I photographed the moon I tried long exposure times, in the range of 2-8 seconds when the film returned the moon was a bright white blob with no detail. The moon is basically a rock that is being hit by direct sunlight and to get a good exposure you need to expose your film as if you were shooting a snapshot on a bright sunny day.

    One guideline I find helpful is the "Sunny 16 rule": For a subject in direct sunlight set your f-stop to 16, and your shutter speed to closely match the speed of your film. Eg ISO 200 and shutter speed of 1/250.

    1. Re:When photographing a lunar eclipse . . . by PD · · Score: 2, Informative

      Remember that the moon's color is very very dark. It reflects less light than a black chalkboard. Think about how bright it looks, and realize just how bright sunlight is in space.

      I've taken eclipse exposures, and I can concur with the other article. You don't need long exposures, but you do need a nice long lens if you've got it.

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      If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
  4. Truly... by Tuxinatorium · · Score: 3, Funny

    Truly, this must be a sign from Allah condemning the wicked infidel movie Matrix Reloaded. Keanu Reeves should be hit with shoes! -- Iraqi Information Minister, Mohammed Saeed Al-Sahaf

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    Repeal the DMCA!
    1. Re:Truly... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      funny

  5. More Information by FreeMath · · Score: 4, Informative

    More information, including a map of where the eclipse is visible, can be found here
    It also has details for future eclipses.

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    1. Re:More Information by Negadecimal · · Score: 1

      More information, including a map of where the eclipse is visible

      i.e. it's visible pretty much everywhere where it's dark around 10pm ET.

  6. Double exposure by mlush · · Score: 2, Informative
    One guideline I find helpful (for photographing the moon)is the "Sunny 16 rule": For a subject in direct sunlight set your f-stop to 16, and your shutter speed to closely match the speed of your film. Eg ISO 200 and shutter speed of 1/250.

    There is also the loony f4 rule for shooting fullmoon lit landscapes. Set the aperture to f/4 and open the shutter for 1/ASA days. ie 100 speed film =1/100*24*60 ~ 15 minutes. Shoot a landscape 1/3rd + 2/3rds sky without the moon, then double expose with the eclipsed moon somewhere in the sky

  7. The truth... by mraymer · · Score: 3, Funny

    There is no moon! ;)

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    "To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit." -Stephen Hawking

  8. Cultural Bias? by pythorlh · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Why is it that Africa and Europe are mentioned, when all of Europe and most of Africa will only be able to see part of the eclipse, at moon-set; but South America is not mentioned at all, when most of South America will be able to see the entire eclipse, weather permitting?

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    Do not confuse duty with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different.Duty is a debt you owe to yourself.
    1. Re:Cultural Bias? by damiangerous · · Score: 1
      The second sentence of the article itself actually reads, "...skywatchers across most of the Americas, Europe and Africa..."

      It goes on later to say, "The total phase of the upcoming event will be visible across much of North America, all of South America, as well as central and western Europe and most of Africa (except the extreme eastern part)."

      The submitter is merely an idiot.

    2. Re:Cultural Bias? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      plus when thay said "the Americas" thay probly didn't mean all fifty of them

  9. Inconstant Moon by Caractacus+Potts · · Score: 1

    The phrase "inconstant moon" appears next to the picture in the linked article. If you've read the classic Asimov short story with the same title, this is the last thing you'd want to see. Go read it.