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Full Lunar Eclipse for the Americas on Wednesday
KingArthur10 writes "It will be the last lunar eclipse until December 2010, and it should be spectacular. Shades of turquoise and red will pour over the moon's surface as it moves into the Earth's shadow around 8:43pm EST. As NASA reports: 'Transiting the shadow's core takes about an hour. The first hints of red appear around 10 pm EST (7 pm PST), heralding a profusion of coppery hues that roll across the Moon's surface enveloping every crater, mountain and moon rock, only to fade away again after 11 pm EST (8 pm PST). No special filter or telescope is required to see this spectacular event. It is a bright and leisurely display visible from cities and countryside alike. While you're watching, be alert for another color: turquoise. Observers of several recent lunar eclipses have reported a flash of turquoise bracketing the red of totality ... The source of the turquoise is ozone.' So, all of you amateur astronomers need to get out there and take pictures. It might be worthwhile sharing them on sites like SpaceWeather or Flickr so that our Asian, European, African, and Australian brethren can witness the sight as well."
It'll just a bit later in the night here.
Reading comprehension FTW! It takes about 3 hours for the entire eclipse to pass, and the middle hour is the period of total eclipse, referred to in TFA as "Transiting the shadow's core".
> Editor's note: This story is written for an American audience, but not only
> Americans can see the eclipse. People in Europe and western Africa are also
> favored. International maps and timetables may be found here.
If the answer is war, you are asking the wrong question
Alas, the forecast thus far for the San Francisco Bay Area is currently "mostly cloudy" for Wednesday as well. However, should we get a lucky break with any moments of clear sky, the Astronomy department at City College of San Francisco will host anyone who care to venture to the roof of the Science Building for a view of the event. We'll have telescopes set up for folks who'd want a closer look at the craters and maria.
The Science Building is at the main campus at 50 Phelan Avenue. It is the only one on the hill with a dome on the roof - you can't miss it. Don't be to startled at all the construction and landscaping work going on. It wouldn't affect your enjoyment of the moon.
Stay sentient. Don't drink bad milk.
Ah, but didja know why?
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meteor
NASA has the scoop on everything, including pretty pictures and charts of when you can see what based on timezone :)
It could be that the only purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others.
Plenty of eclipses before 2010, just not total ones.
The eclipse lasts over 3 hours (8:43pm to 12:09am). It's totality, when the moon passes through the umbra (i.e. the core of the shadow as the summary quotes), that lasts for an hour lasts from 10pm to 11pm. More info on lunar eclipses at http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html
Forecast says that there will be clear open skies down here in South Florida. But, regarding the virgins, I don't think I will be able to find any. I live in Miami for god's sake! I never seen a virgin in my whole life! Even geeks here got some crazed mami willing to do us. And the kind of virgins Dick Cheney asked for, they haven't ever existed in Miami...
Use a long lens. A telescope is handy; 300mm will be about right to shoot the Moon rising through the trees or other scenery, as it will be doing here during the eclipse. Real closeups will need 1000 to 2000mm focal length.
Bracket heavily. During the last good eclipse I shot from 1/2 to 10 seconds during totality at f/8.
Enjoy. The weather forecast here (Vancouver) is not favourable. The eclipse last August was almost completely clouded out too. Sigh.
...laura
i too shot the last eclipse, and just wanted to add my thoughts (this was my first time shooting an eclipse). I shot ASA100, F4 (wide open on my longest lens, around 350mm). During the beginning of the eclipse (the first faint sliver of black appearing) I was shooting 1/320th. During the "red" period (where the moon was totally eclipsed) I was shooting as long as 8 second exposures. I was less than pleased with the resulting sharpness. My offhand guess is that anything over 1-2seconds is too long to get a sharp image, given the rotation of the earth, etc. This would be exacerbated by even longer focal lengths. In retrospect, I wish I'd shot ASA400 or 800 to ensure I could expose for 1 second or less. Ideally i'd like to expose for no more than 1/30th.. but that is.. idealistic. Also, keep in mind the earth is rotating, and if you're using a standard tripod (and not special rotatonal compensating astology type of tripod), you'll need to reframe several times, unless you frame the scene VERY wide. Also, I was shooting in suburban Los Angeles.. which was clear sky, but of course the worst possible Bortle rating for sky brightness. I am tempted to try and shoot this one with a longer lens (800mm) at ASA400 from the desert in Heseperia or somewhere similarly brighter. But.. with traffic being what it is in LA, I don't think this is worth a 3-4hr (each way!) drive, nor the hour (or more) hike into the desert.
The sun is a mass of incandescent gas, it's a gigantic nuclear furnace where hydrogen is built into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.