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  #1  
Old 13-03-2014, 03:38 PM
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iceman (Mike)
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Exclamation Upcoming Total Lunar Eclipse - April 15th 2014

On the 15th April 2014, we'll (weather pending!) experience our first total lunar eclipse in 2.5 years!

For Australians and New Zealanders, the eclipse will be in progress at Moonrise - approx 5:28pm AEST when the totality phase will have just started. The further east you are, the more of the eclipse you'll see.

For more information about the event, including how and where to see it and photograph it, check out the article on IceInSpace here:

Total Lunar Eclipse - 15th April 2014. Observing / Imaging Guide

(the attached image is from the Dec 2011 total lunar eclipse)
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Last edited by iceman; 14-03-2014 at 06:45 AM.
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Old 14-03-2014, 06:46 AM
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Article uploaded.
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  #3  
Old 14-03-2014, 01:55 PM
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rustigsmed (Russell)
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thanks Mike, good article.
the challenge will be deciding whether to be going telescopic or landscape this time around ...

cheers,

rusty
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Old 15-03-2014, 09:59 AM
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Thank you, Mike. I bookmarked the article. I really look forward to the eclipse and hope that no evil clouds will spoil the event.
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Old 16-03-2014, 12:49 AM
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It will be low on the horizon so a bit of reconnaissance on this weekends full moon might be worth while. Looking forward to it. Might try a bit closer to the coast this time , the moon was really distorted from the lookout at the super moon.

Rick
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Old 17-03-2014, 10:07 PM
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OzEclipse (Joe Cali)
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Difficult to see!

Quote:
Originally Posted by doppler View Post
It will be low on the horizon so a bit of reconnaissance on this weekends full moon might be worth while. Looking forward to it. Might try a bit closer to the coast this time , the moon was really distorted from the lookout at the super moon.

Rick
The totally eclipsed Moon rising during twilight will make the Moon very difficult to see as it rises. Toward the end of totality as it becomes a bright coppery red and twilight begins to take hold, it should be a really pleasing sight. Watching a fully illuminated full moon rise won't be a good visual analogy. I suggest you watch an earth lit new moon set instead.

It's even more in twilight for Rick in Mackay than for us in the south east.

Joe
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Old 17-03-2014, 10:45 PM
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The reconnaissance was needed just to verify where the moon will rise and the lookout looks good, still a few coal ships on the horizon. The hard part will be getting a correctly exposed pic. But I really love these one of events, you have to addlib but sometimes you get lucky.

Cheers Rick
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Old 17-03-2014, 11:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doppler View Post
The reconnaissance was needed just to verify where the moon will rise and the lookout looks good, still a few coal ships on the horizon. The hard part will be getting a correctly exposed pic. But I really love these one of events, you have to addlib but sometimes you get lucky.
I think you'll find the moon will rise about 10 degrees south of where it was yesterday. Fire up your friendly local planetarium software to check.
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Old 18-03-2014, 07:13 AM
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OzEclipse (Joe Cali)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doppler View Post
The reconnaissance was needed just to verify where the moon will rise and the lookout looks good, still a few coal ships on the horizon. The hard part will be getting a correctly exposed pic. But I really love these one of events, you have to addlib but sometimes you get lucky.

Cheers Rick
Rick,
I still don't think there is much value in this approach.

Azimuth at rise
During the equinox, the change in rising azimuth between March and April Full Moon is biggest. Full Moon rises some 17 degrees further south on April 15 than it did on March 16. The moon rises at a much more similar azimuth of 101.5 degrees tomorrow night (Wednesday 19th @ 19:54 in Mackay). On April 15 it rises at 100.5 degrees azimuth at 17:47 but it's highly unlikely to be visible as it rises. Remember, the sun will be setting as the moon rises, the moon will be in totality and extincted by atmosphere. Depending on the brightness of the eclipse, I'd expect the totally eclipsed moon to be visible as a bright coppery colour in a deep blue twilight sky towards the end of totality.

Times and azimuths quoted above are for Mackay.

For observers in the south east of the country, these figures are for Canberra:

............................Moon rise time(DST).................Azimuth
Tuesday 18, March............20:00............. ..................98.5
Wednesday 19, March.......20:36.................. ............103.3

The Moon's rise position during the eclipse is exactly halfway between tonight and tomorrow night's azimuth.

Getting exposure correct

During twilight, you can just expose using the camera's metering with some bracketing. The sky brightness will exceed or be similar to the eclipse brightness. I did this when comet McNaught appeared bright in the sky during twilight in 2007. Towards the end of totality and twilight, transfer to manual exposure control.

cheers

Joe

Last edited by OzEclipse; 18-03-2014 at 07:33 AM. Reason: fixing format of rise table
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Old 19-03-2014, 05:42 PM
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Ive been running through this upcoming eclipse & personal experience tells me it is Not very favourable conditions !

Let me explain : Going through photos and Planetary software, the last total lunar eclipse I captured was back in June 16th 2011 - moon setting in the west as sun rose in east, the moon had eclipsed about an hour & 15mins before sunrise when the sky was rather dark'ish and I captured some nice shots with the ED80 of the Red Moon - but as twilight began, I actually lost sight of the moon about 20mins before sunrise and was flatout bringing up the moon in photoshop with a 3second exposure during twilight, any longer and the sky would blow-out !

See Attached Photos, 1st with ED80 with moon at approx 25deg Alt, 8secs tracking.
2nd taken @ 80mm lens F5 iso400 at approx 10deg alt and fading fast as twilight strengthens ?

This coming eclipse has the moon rising 5:30pm (East) in totality as the sun sets (5:30pm)- so, a very bright sky indeed ?
It is not untill approx 6:10pm that totality finishes, by then the moon is still only aprrox 13degs altitude and a waning twilight sky. Guestimate - just dark enough to capture slightly ? as similar in 2nd attached pic, maybe a smidge betterra ? So, 10 - 15 minute window whilst about 10deg alt or smidge higher.

Anywhich way, I truely doubt seeing much If Any, when eclipsed moon is rising at see level ? ?

Just my thoughts, so, if the weather is clear, Im thinking of captureing a wide angle composite shot closer to the coast with some Highrise Gold Coast building/s in the foreground, when moon at 10deg alt or somewhere abouts, say, the Q1 building or the Soel Building, maybe reflection on the Nerang River, hopefully with the end of Totality and through the Partial & Penumbral stages ? ?

I Guess, see how it pans out when the time comes
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Old 19-03-2014, 09:58 PM
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Should still be an interesting evening visually even if it is somewhat challenging photography wise. The sun setting, the sky getting darker and then a coppery red moon slowly appearing out of the twilight glow 10 degrees above the horizon.

Rick
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Old 22-03-2014, 08:45 PM
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Agree Rick, yes, visually good, and seeing/photoíng the later part of totality & waning Penumbral stages.
Just around my traps, some thinking of a bright red moon rising out of the ocean - maybe a little dissapointed !
Tho, you have me thinking actually, could be very possible to capture a nice widefield red reflection in a smooth water when at 10degs'ish
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Old 22-03-2014, 09:24 PM
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Now you have me thinking about a new location. The local surf club is on the western side of a small bay, less wind and smoother water. The best part is that tuesday is my RDO and I have lots of time to set up. The biggest if, is as always the weather.

Rick
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  #14  
Old 23-03-2014, 06:50 AM
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I am still looking forward to it... It lasts for over 70 minutes, so when the sky is darker it should be fine. It would be my first eclipse through a telescope. But the weather is so crazy here that nothing is certain.
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Old 24-03-2014, 10:04 AM
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Apparently the further east you are, the more you will see. I am fortunate to be about half hour drive from Byron Bay, the eastern most point in australia. There is a lighthouse which has a large carpark ontop of a huge hill. Very high elevation. Thats where I will be. weather permitting of course.
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Old 24-03-2014, 11:05 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JJDOBBER79 View Post
Apparently the further east you are, the more you will see. I am fortunate to be about half hour drive from Byron Bay, the eastern most point in australia. There is a lighthouse which has a large carpark ontop of a huge hill. Very high elevation. Thats where I will be. weather permitting of course.
What a great idea!
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Old 30-03-2014, 07:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JJDOBBER79 View Post
Apparently the further east you are, the more you will see.
Yes, indeed!

If anyone from Western Australia is wondering what they'll see the answer is almost nothing! It's just about all over by the time it rises over Perth and if you know what you're looking for you might just see a bit of darkish grey penumbral shadow on the top side just after it rises, but that's it. Better to forget this one and mark the calendar on the evening of 8th October instead.
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Old 02-04-2014, 03:37 PM
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I have just realised I previously posted this question in the wrong section. Can anyone offer an answer - see below:

"I was just asked this question and I wasn't sure myself so I am throwing this out to everyone for a quick and hopefully better answer.

The lunar eclipse is scheduled for the 15th of April in our hemisphere - however, will one also occur over the US on the same day (their time) or would it occur on the 16th (for example) or would they not experience one at all in the Northern hemisphere? "
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Old 02-04-2014, 03:41 PM
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BTW - I ask this question as I have a colleague in the US who is almost 90 and has never seen one before (or much of astronomy) so I want to make sure there would be something for him to see if he tries to observe it.
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  #20  
Old 02-04-2014, 06:44 PM
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I think it is the same day but we in eastern Australia see the eclipse as the moon rises (just on sunset), in the us the eclipse is around midnight in central and eastern parts of North America but will be in the later hours of the morning the further east you are in that part of the world.

Last edited by doppler; 03-04-2014 at 08:04 AM.
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