Article: Total Lunar Eclipse, 28th August 2007

[iceman]

Hi all

I've written an article about the upcoming Total Lunar Eclipse on the 28th August 2007.

It describes what a Lunar Eclipse is, When and Where you can see it, as well as Viewing Guides and Photography/Imaging Guides.

You can read the article in the IceInSpace Articles (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/?projects) page, or directly by clicking the link below:

Total Lunar Eclipse, 28th August 2007 - Viewing / Imaging Guide (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/?id=63,409,0,0,1,0)

Please use this thread for discussions about the upcoming Lunar Eclipse!

[iceman]

So what are your plans for the eclipse?

[IceAgeComing]

i just hope that its not cloudy!

[erick]

Hide under the bed - scary!!!!! :eyepop:

Actually, being a weeknight, not sure where to go. Thinking of heading up to Macedon Ranges Observatory ( http://www.darksky.net.au/events.html ) and view/image from there. From where I work, that is closer (time wise) than going home!

[Blue Skies]

There has been some discussion here in Perth already as the moon rises just as it enters totality, which affords some unique opportunities to capture the eclipsed moon in the belt of Venus. Some of us are now on the lookout for a site with a good eastern horizon that is not King's Park - and hoping it's not going to be cloudy!

[Papa Oscar]

A very interesting article and explained in terms one can easily inderstand. Well done Mike, I will be looking forward to that event.:)

[southern 40]

Great article Mike , can't wait.Last total i saw was way back in 2000 i think , in the states mid north with crystal clear skies ,hope it's the same this time.Below is a still from a sony handycam taken by a friend and myself on the night.

[iceman]

Thanks for the feedback.

Nice image Bazz. The 2004 total eclipse was an early morning event (5am-ish) and I saw it out of my window to the West while driving to work. I took some binoculars with me and had a look when I arrived at work, but it was difficult to observe.

This upcoming eclipse will be my first where a) I know what's going on, b) It's easy to observe, and c) I have the technology to take pictures of it :)

[Ric]

Great article Mike, very useful. Like you this will be my first where it's at a good time and position and I have all the right equipment as well.

I'm really looking forward to it.

Cheers

[starrynight]

Great Article Mike, I have created a link to it on our website.
We will be at Brunswick Heads to watch the full moon rise and the eclipse to follow shortly after. It will be a public event all are welcome especially those who cant quite grasp this amazing phenomenon. Lets all hope for clear weather. The last one was in between cloud cover in Sydney.
www.starrynight.com.au

[Bobj]

Good article, mate.

I'll be here, on the beach.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w44/BobbyQld/Paradise.jpg

[Miki64]

Thanks a lot for the article!
I am based in Fiji and wander if you have a chart about the visibility of the event here.

[iceman]

Hi Miki.

Fiji is GMT+12, the same as New Zealand, so the whole eclipse should be visible for you, starting just after moonrise.

Good luck and I look forward to your images/reports!

[asterisk]

As we are concerned about the weather for 28 August, I looked up Ken Ring's Almanac for 2007 and have attached his forecast for that date - looks good if he is correct.

[akritc]

looking 4ward 2 da lunar eclipse nxt wik. Hope the weather clears up in Australia for my fellow enthusiasts

[h0ughy]

OK a few questions :help: here,

1. by switching the mount to track in lunar, that will that track the moon and give you star trails with longer exposures for totality, say F10 scope iso 400 or slower?

2. Under partial conditions what do you aim for - the bright section to focus or the "dark section"?

3. What part of the moon is best to focus on, the middle or the edge? Would this change throughout the eclipse?

gee I have taken the pills this morning!!

4. Now for a newbie to autoguiding - can you autoguide on the moon? don't laugh this is serious!!!!!

5. How would you "white balance" A modded DSLR for lunar shots?

6. How many will be throwing nearly all their entire imaging arsenal behind imaging this event?:whistle:

[LX200]

G'day Y'all
Would of thought 1/2000 sec, 1/500 sec, 1/250 sec, 1/125 sec, 1/60 sec combination of the lens aperture and shutter speeds as the shadow progresses will be needed.
A fast shutter speed will use a larger aperture (small F-stop number) to avoid an under-exposed image. A slow shutter speed requires a small aperture (large F-stop number) to avoid over-exposure.

NO star trails from that

[iceman]

Long range forecast for next Tuesday looks good so far (for Sydney, at least :)).

[iceman]

I would doubt it - your exposures are going to be under 4 seconds. You won't notice star trails in that time.


The bright section.


The middle, but honestly it won't matter. The difference of a few hundred kilometres (from middle to edge) at a distance of 400,000 kilometres, won't be noticeable when focusing. Your camera should be set at practically infinity. It shouldn't change during the eclipse, except for the effects of the cooling glass. It might be worth re-focusing every hour or so, and lock focus in-between.


I don't know, but I honestly wouldn't bother. You can readjust using the hand controller if it starts drifting.


I don't know, but take the opportunity later this week/weekend to do some test shots and get it set correctly before next Tuesday.


hehe, mostly. Thought I have to borrow another camera (300D) to do what I want to do. I suppose I could use the digicams in a crunch.

[h0ughy]

Gee I hope there are no "Coastal" anomalies:scared:

[erick]

Guess the only night in the next 15 for which rain is forecast for Melbourne! :mad2:


Let's hope that forecast changes - Melbourne often runs 12-24 hours behind the forecast.

[joshman]

i'll personally be up atop Mt Coot-tha taking my photos of the ecliipse., all are welcome to join assuming they're in brisbane. it's the best site i've found for such an event. lovely views of the moon rise, and clear sailing right up into the sky...now if only we could get all of brisbane to turn off their lights for the 5.5 hours it'll take....

[silvinator]

Hi all,

I'm really looking forward to this as well. It will be my first total eclipse ever.

Mike, your article is really informative. I will be giving the link to BHS members shortly after I finalise the details of the observing event I'm organising for the society. I am hoping to be able to set-up at Regatta Point in Canberra. IIS members are more than welcome to join us on the night :) The more the merrier.

Just a quick question: is it best to catch the very start of the eclipse (ie. the penumbral part) or should I organise the observing to begin just before the partial eclipse starts, or wait until the total eclipse starts? I am just worried that some people (not me of course) would get bored waiting around for the moon to be covered. They may not want to stay for the full duration of the eclipse or maybe they cannot stay for the whole eclipse (due to other committments, work/uni the next day, needing sleep etc). So I was thinking I should start the event at 7pm some time or maybe 7:30pm. Any advice?

Clear skies,
Silvie

[iceman]

Hi Silvie

The penumbral stages are really very subtle in their effect on the moon, so most people won't be able to visually notice any difference - especially because the Moon will be so low anyway.

The partial stage is definitely visible and great to see, as the Moon starts getting covered by shadow. So I'd look at getting people together by around 6:30pm, to watch it start at 6:51pm. Of course it will be a fairly slow progression, covering the moon over the hour following.

I hope that "the general public" don't expect something magical to happen before 6:51, and give up in disgust.

Good luck with your get together!

[erick]

Yep, it's changed - now mainly clear :), with wind gusts to over 40 kph :sadeyes:

Better wait another day or two and see what happens! :D


UPDATE Friday:- "partly cloudy" wind forecast has dropped to 22 kph gusts.

[iceman]

Weather is looking fantastic for Tuesday. Looks like there's nothing in the vicinity that will spoil this event, at least weather-wise :)

Gotta go scouting on the weekend for suitable photographic locations!

[h0ughy]

Thought of that but 240V is looking rather good to me. If the weather is clear I will be imaging it from home, I will have both rigs going, the G11 and the 10" LX200R for the first time with the pentax K10D with the ed80 on top and on the other rig the celestron c8 viewing with the ed80 guiding and a side by side mount with the canon 400D and the 200mm F2.8 lens. Set up full dew control with dew straps and put on the radio, bottle of red to mark the occasion (maybe the wife might join me out under the stars for a quaff;)) Hopefully going to borrow a canon 300D to take some wide field shots. Need to white balance the modded camera in case I use that????

will have the 20x80's available with the 10x50's for the kids to have a close up and keep them off the gear;)

LOL all i have to do is get focussed, and watch my settings, and remember to have the empty CF card in the camera:rofl:

[PhilipND]

Hi guys,
New to the forum..... :)

Any ideas on where to go near the SE suburbs of Melbourne to see the lunar eclipse?

Thanks

Philip

[erick]

Hi Philip!

Well, your back yard will be just fine if you have a clear view to the East.
Even photographing from there would be fine. You want to be able to see from 10 deg elevation to about 55 deg elevation to see (from about 6:30 to 11:00).

Jells Park in Wheelers Hill would be good views - the Moon would rise over the Dandenongs, a little south of east.

But if you want darker skies, head on up the Dandenongs - early, to find a clear view to the east from Emerald or Cockatoo or Gembrook. Get on the eastern side of the towns, if you want to avoid having lights in your line of vision.

Now, if you want to stay in town, have company and look through telescopes, the Astronomical Society of Victoria is having a viewing night from Richmond:-

ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WELCOME.
The ASV is running a public open night to view the total eclipse of the Moon on Tuesday 28th August commencing at 6:45pm. The venue is Victoria Gardens Richmond (Ikea shopping centre) with telescopes set up on the car park top deck.
Gold coin admission and parking will be available on lower deck.

See:- http://www.asv.org.au/

Happy viewing! Tell us what you see.


Eric

[Donna Coleman]

Hi eric,
thanks for the information abour viewing the lunar eclipse from the Eastern suburbs. I live in the dandenongs but am worried about the trees obscuring viewing so might join people in the city - will it be dark enough in Richmond?
regards
Donna:shrug:

[sheeny]

The weather forecast for me isn't the best.:sadeyes: Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy depending on the forecast I look at. With westerly winds, I might have to look at going east to get on the other side of the divide...:shrug:

If I could be sure of getting clear sky there I'd go to Kanangra Walls and get the lights of Sydney in shot as well:thumbsup:, but if it's not reliable I can't go significantly east any further. So I might have to look at the Blue Mountains I suppose...

Al.

[erick]

Hi Donna

Certainly the full Moon will be bright enough! I haven't seen a fully eclipsed Moon over a bright city, but maybe, that's the point - it will be so much darker than the full moon. I have no doubt that through binoculars or telescope, the surface features will be seen and to the naked eye, a dark red-brown Moon will be seen.

It shouldn't be too hard to find a spot in the Dandenongs with a fairly clear view to the East (hint - Gembrook Sports Ground - but don't tell anyone - that's one of my secret observing locations! - but you need to go well to the South side to avoid trees?)

I'll be:-

1) lying on my bed crying if all Victoria is clouded over

2) driving as far north as I can to clear the cloud if it's only coastal

3) if clear, maybe heading for Gembrook, or

4) heading for another secret location north of Melbourne!

I'm sure the ASV at Richmond will be a fun gathering.

Eric

[wasyoungonce]

I was over at Overclockers Australia and saw that someone had linked the posts about the eclipse to the ICE in space How to's :

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=63,409,0,0,1,0

Good the see iceinspace getting some some Internet "Air time" also quoting the site as a good source of data. Congrats to iceman.

[iceman]

Thanks for the feedback. I noticed in the IIS stats that overclockers had linked to the article. A lot of other sites have as well.

If you search for "lunar eclipse" and "lunar eclipse 2007" in Google (worldwide), IceInSpace is ranked #2 and #1!!

It's great that people are going to be getting outside and looking at this event.. hopefully it will trigger more interest in Astronomy.

[Dennis]

Hi Mike

Great article and great website information for this exciting event – well done to you and the IIS team!

Here is a simulated view garnered from Starry Night Pro V6. I exported 18 screen captures at 15 min intervals and assembled them in a 6:30pm to 10:45pm sequence using Layers in Photoshop CS3.

Camera, lens and focal length details are on the composite image. Simulated FOV approx 39° wide x 56° high.

Cheers

Dennis

PS - Note that the Lunar disc in the simulated view below is NOT to scale. Starry Night Pro "inflates" the Moon’s size for pictorial purposes when viewing at wide fields. See later post for scale views.

[impopia]

I have a new camera and have always loved astronomy as a kid... so this is how I found this forum after reading about the upcoming eclipse -- good ol' Google! Wondering is anyone else from Townsville here?

Loved the page done here about it - very concise, simple and comprehensive down to photography hints too, wow. With the best flowering season for mangoes since 1979 (apparently) I plan to try some night shots tonight as a practice, run, stars again mango flowers, that is paradise (almost, hehe)

Glad to be here! Cheers, Donni

[iceman]

Hi Donni, :welcome: to IceInSpace!

There's a few here from FNQ. Good luck with the eclipse and I look forward to seeing your shots.

[Dennis]

Here is a rather poor single, multi-exposure 35mm frame that I took of the total lunar eclipse of 16th July 2000. It was my very first, total lunar eclipse. Technical details are as follows:

Pentax KM 35mm film camera
400mm f5.6 Sigma telephoto lens set to f11 for partial phases and f8 for totality.
Camera and lens mounted on Vixen GP GEM tracking at sidereal rate
Film was Kodak Gold 100ASA colour print film.
Full penumbra phase (1st and last images) 1/60 second at f11
Penumbra/Umbra phase (2nd and 6th images) 1/30 second at f11
Crescent phase (3rd and 5th images) ¼ second at f11
Mid-totality 3 minutes at f8

You can see the changing position of the Moon on the single negative, as the GP mount was tracking at the sidereal rate (as evidenced by pinpoint stars on the original negative). This is because the Moon actually moves from West to East against the backdrop of stars at a rate of about 13 degrees in 24 hours.

Next time, at totality, I’ll try to avoid kicking the tripod, á la H0ughy….

Cheers

Dennis

PS – some of the stars could be dust specks from the scanning process…

[h0ughy]

thanks for that INfo Dennis:P, nice pic too. here are some of my own predictions. I predict that I will be using the Pentax k10D with the Meade Lx200R 10" and a celestron f6.3 focal reducer, and the Vixen R200SS with the Canon400D. Interestingly the ED80 and the Vixen almost have the same field of view, so the vixen wins out with a faster F ratio and resolution. I am looking forward to the results with the meade.:D

[Dennis]

Hi Dave

Wow – that is an impressive array of ‘scopes, mounts and sensors! As you well know, things can go wrong on these occasions. :whistle:

Make sure that you have notes on each ‘scope/mount/sensor combo and what you want to achieve with it.
Jot down the types of images and image sequences you want to record.
Note details of optimum exposure times, etc. based on previous results.
Check that everything is working.
Make sure that sensors are in focus and check on a regular basis.
Ensure you have the necessary remote releases, etc.

It will be quite a challenge operating multiple systems so follow a written plan and operating procedures to minimise potential problems.

Good luck mate!

Cheers

Dennis

PS - declare the zone around tripods off-limits to avoid a repeat of your tragic Duckadang experience, and don't forget to check focus, and then check it again!

[h0ughy]

:D

I love a challenge - right up until it fails:D:P

Only me operating the scopes. Imaging everything from home. I will be keeping the moon centred in all shots, I know my limitations:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: :whistle:;), well OK maybe not:D but I am willing to give it a good try.

We are forecast for clear "warm" skies on Tuesday, setting the scopes up and drift aligning as best I can Monday night/Tuesday morning and doing some test shots. I have only just bought DSLR focus and as yet not used it (better learn damn quick methinks) on either the canon or the Pentax - it wont work with the 400D though. Could use imaged plus there, but haven't used that either. Aah such a computer software Virgin;):lol::rofl:.

No I will be leaving the tricky shots to the seasoned Paparazzi such as you and Mike - to get the money shots;):P:whistle:

Just have to remember to set the mounts on Lunar:D:)

NOW all I need is to get a crash course on using K3cccdtool to get the polar alignment right on each scope (might be cheaper to fly Paul down for the hour or two to get it right:lol:) and go from there. the 240 Volt advantage will be needed, the dew here tonight is horrendous - fog expected in the morning and similar conditions right through until Wednesday. the dew heaters will be working overtime:help:

[mill]

I will be using my security cam.
Everything is automatic and i just record the whole eclips.:thumbsup:
Here is one of the single shots out of an avi.
Fills up the frame with my 70mm refractor.

[erick]

:eyepop: How big is your four hour .avi file going to be?

[mill]

Erick i have 1/2 Tb of hd space and my program can capture to dvd and cd.
I can also compress the data while capturing.
So i am not too worried about file size :P
Just worried about the weather :(

[erick]

:thumbsup: Here's hoping then that you don't get four hours of cloud patterns!

[Dennis]

Hi Dave

My horizon is blocked all the way up to 30 degrees in the East, so I won't get any creative or fancy images this time round. I'll probably just set up in the back garden and grab a few souvenir type photos with the Pentax *ist DS and the Vixen 4".

I’ll consider this a practice run for the 2011 total lunar eclipse.:lol:

Cheers

Dennis

[RB]

Great image Dennis, I've done the same thing on my SN v5 to get an idea of what to expect.
I just want to ask, in your simulated shot (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=30948&d=1187952462), did you have the "enlarge moon" option selected in SN?

Cheers

[Dennis]

Good pick up RB – here is the scale version (6:30, 8:30 and 10:30pm) showing the correct size of the Moon for this focal length (22mm).

Cheers

Dennis

[erick]

Moon? I can see a fat wandering star, with variable colour? :D

I'm going 300mm and put the images together later, everything permitting.

ps. Dennis, many thanks for the earlier plot - that's just what I wanted to plan my timing.

[Sharnbrook]

Hi Guys,

Here is a link to a useful site that gives angular fields of view for an array of lenses using various camera bodies. Might be useful.

http://www.acapixus.dk/photography/angle_of_view.htm

I haven't tried it in practice, so the usual caveats.

[h0ughy]

testing out the Meade LX200R and the Pentax K10d and a celestron f6.3 focal reducer. if I can get good enough focus then this is a winner. all on a G11

[iceman]

They look nice Dave, great field of view. I'd add a bit more exposure - check your histogram after the shot. It's a tad on the dim side. Nothing that couldn't be adjusted in PP though.

[h0ughy]

I knew they were but after I set up the scopes for real tonight I will hone the shots (and learn to use DSLR focus):whistle:

[Garyh]

thats a nice fit Houghy!...:thumbsup: what focal length does that come out at in mm?

I shall be doing a widefield composite with the miss`s camera while doing closeups with the newt. Moons a bit small with the newt but with a 2x teleconverter its a real tight fit, so will stick with prime focus and a faster shutter speed.
Shall stay at home and do it on the back lawn where I have a better view of the horizon as from the half finished observatory I can`t see the lower 20 degrees of the sky.
Done some test shots last night to get the widefield shot in the best spot between the trees..should just clear the trees when the preumbral stage starts..:thumbsup:
forecasts still looking good!!..:D
cheers

[RB]

Guys, check out the new thread I just posted about a lunar exposure calculator, quite useful.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=246536#post246536

[h0ughy]

mmm have to work that one out, scope was f10 - then went to f6.3 with the focal reducer, the FL at f10 2540mm

could be 1600mm but I could be very wrong:help::shrug:

[Garyh]

thanks houghy! its a 10" f/10...yep 1600mm sounds right.
:thumbsup:
I have some old tables from the good old film days for a lunar eclipse.
If anyones interested I shall scan them and post them....
cheers

[RB]

Yes please do Gary !

[h0ughy]

what ^^^^^^^^^ he said..

be good to look at Gary:thumbsup:

[Garyh]

No probs Andrew..and Houghy!
should help to get close to the right exposure...:thumbsup:
cheers Gary

[erick]

Yes please, I have film locked and loaded! Now what to set the knobs and dials to! :confuse3:

Edit:- You beat my enter key! Many thanks Gary - Gulp! 32sec at totality! Hmmmm? a bit of new planning needed here

[h0ughy]

fantastic Gary!

[iceman]

32 seconds? Why would you use such a long f/ratio?

It looks about what I expected - at approximately f/4-f/5, and at approx ISO400, it will be a 2-4s exposure.

I won't have tracking though so even at 2-4 seconds it's going to be a challenge. Hmm, might need to re-think something.

[Garyh]

No probs everyone,..:thumbsup:
Here is a pic I took back in the late 80s when I had a old classic C8. Its only a handful of images I took back then that came out nicely..
ektachrome 400 slide film about 8-10 sec at f/10. Can`t remember the exact time but something like that.
cheers Gary

[h0ughy]

OMG I just noticed the 1972 dating on those Gary! the big question is directly relating the ASA the the ISO digital cameras?

[h0ughy]

lets say the ISO is 400, then the totality shot with a f6.3 would be 6 seconds? with my F4 vixen it would be 2 or 3 seconds.

When half and half It would be still 1/1000 sec shot, my shots I posted were iso 200 at 1/750 and 1/1000 so there is a benefit of having a slightly higher ISO setting, but would this be at the expense of more grainier images?

[[1ponders]]

You might mate if the postie gets his finger out. Put it in the post this morning ;)

[iceman]

hmm, thanks Paul will check the P.O tomorrow arvo.

[WadeH]

I dont think that I will need to worry about how to take any pictures. Its looking like we will be lucky to just see the eclipse over here.

Overcast now, and the forcast is cloudy with some showers as far as the eye can see. :(

Might be my turn to watch the pics posted from elsewere.

[andrew]

I'll probably be attending the ASV get together, although it seems like it will be very popular no doubt.

Really looking forward to this eclipse, never seen a total lunar before :) Any tips for photographing with my 400D+10" Scope?

[jjjnettie]

Recomendations from the book Astrophotography by H.J.P. Arnold.
During totality
ISO 400 8secs @ f8
4secs @ f5.6
1sec @ f2.8
But they do stress that this is a basic guide.

[[1ponders]]

Yep it is confusing when Covington gives from 5 sec and between 1 and 3 minutes for the same settings but different conditions. 5sec for a light totality (?) and 1-3 min for a dark totality (?) :screwy:

[DJDD]

Hi all,

I was thinking about heading to the ASV public viewing with some friends at Ikea so that I can speak with people about their equipment and perhaps look through a few scopes, as well as take a few photos plus testing out my new binoculars.

I will be taking our Nikon D80 (with 18-200mm lens) and my camera tripod but have not decided what shot(s) to take. The moon will not look very large in the 200mm lens so though to take some sort of "time-lapse" "wide field" photos.

Some questions, though:
- What sort of foreground is viewable from the Ikea site? Obviously not the nice tropical island that the MrEclipse site has...
- I believe there is a large fluorescent sign nearby, perhaps to the East. is that going to cause any problems?

cheers,
DJDD

[DJDD]

Hi again,

perhaps a silly question...

Most of the comments in this thread detail using ISO 400 for the eclipse.
is there reason not to use ISO 800 and reduce exposure times?

Using the Nikon D80 I have taken some great shots at ISO 800+ of things other than the moon with very little noise, although I have never had an exposure time of 1-2 seconds.

Of course, i will have to test it out for myself but any info before the night would be appreciated.

cheers,
DJDD

[joshman]

try some noise reduction as those sorts of ISO speeds. you camera should have some that you can activate through the menu system., i find it does a pretty darn good job

[feezicles]

Just saying hello

looking forward to the lunar eclipse tomorrow

from feezicles

[DJDD]

yes, it does have noise reduction- thanks for the pointer- and I will probably turn it on for any shots at ISO 800, probably on High, based upon a dpreview article.

thanks for the reply.

cheers,
DJDD

[BOBBY]

Hey Wade H
Have faith Im just around the corner from you, get your gear set up we will be OK

[iceman]

Hey feezicles, :welcome: to IceInSpace! Hope you get some nice weather up in Brissie!

[iceman]

Hey guys, thought I'd show you this article that appeared in the local Central Coast "Express Advocate" on Wednesday the 15th August.

Pretty funny seeing myself in the local paper. A few people at Karate came up to me and said they saw me in the paper :)

The local ABC (92.5 central coast) saw the article and rang me on the Friday to interview me on air about the eclipse. It's definitely helped get some more Central Coast locals on IceInSpace! :)

[Dennis]

Hi Guys

In the very dark lunar eclipse of 16th July 2000, the Moon passed through the centre of the Earth’s shadow and at mid-totality, I exposed for 3 mins at f8 on Kodak Gold 100 ASA colour print film.

See photo in Msg 38 (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=246122&postcount=38)in this thread.

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

Hmm, congratulations for spreading the word and well done Mike. :thumbsup:

Not sure who is the biggest media tart now – you or H0ughy. :lol::lol:

Cheers

Dennis

[iceman]

Houghy is on KO-FM tomorrow morning, but I was on Star 1045 FM this arvo (to be played tomorrow).. it's probably even :lol:

[jjjnettie]

I found this on the Courier Mail website.
A very nice multimedia presentation by Dr Nick Lomb, curator of Astronomy at Sydney Observatory.
http://media01.couriermail.com.au/multimedia/mediaplayer/index.html?id=321

Mike, did they actually ask you if you believe in aliens? LOLOLOL

[iceman]

lol yes Jeanette.. he was obviously after a catchy headline :)

[wavelandscott]

Maybe we should change Iceman's name to "King of all Media"...while not quite as "exposed" as Howard Stern in the US, he is gaining fast! What is next the movie?! ;)...seriously, that is really cool!

[astroAJ]

Yep what can i say?
Lunar eclipse can’t wait
I’m a first timer so it will be a great site

Cool article :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:;)

[swannies1983]

This should be in the equipment section but given that it relates to tomorrow's eclipse, I thought it would be best in here.

I have an EQ6 with the DA1 handcontroller and I was just wondering if it was possible to lunar track with this controller. There is no specific "lunar" track option but I can increase or decrease the sidereal rate in steps of 0.039X. Am I simple able to adjust this setting to be able to track the moon? If so, does anybody know the rough tracking rate I need to type in?

[nic.m]

I may be a little late here, but can anyone tell me a good viewing point for the eclipse in Perth? I'm totally new to astronomy and can't think of a spot with a good eastern view.

Thanks in advance!

[iceman]

Hi Nic, :welcome: to IceInSpace.

I'm not a Perth local so can't help you directly, but hopefully some of the other Perth locals will jump in.

In WA, totality is already underway when the Moon rises for you, so you'll want a good Easterly horizon to catch it while it's still low.

[DJDD]

From BOM, for Melbourne:
:rain:
Forecast for Tuesday
A partly cloudy day with a shower or two developing later afternoon or evening.
Strong northwesterly wind, moderating and shifting westerly early morning then
south to southwesterly later.

Precis: Late shower.
City: Max 18

that's a bit sad... :(

DJDD

[iceman]

From looking at other Totality images during the March total eclipse that the US and Europe had, it does look like quite a long exposure will be needed - especially if it's a "deep"/dark eclipse - which this one should be, given that the moon passes quite deep into the Earth's shadow (it's not just a graze).

So undriven (no tracking) images during totality will be quite difficult - especially if you were (like me) planning on doing afocal handheld shots through the scope. Exposures of up 10-30s may be needed, perhaps even more. That's simply not in the realm of handheld or no tracking.

I wasn't planning on taking my mount (I was going to use the newt on the dob base), but now i'll take the mount and put the other camera on it with the 300mm lens, and use that for the tracked images. The image scale won't be as good and it won't be as sharp, but it'll be ok for a lower-res animation or similar.

I really need an ED80 and adapters for my DSLR.

[OneOfOne]

Wait for the 10:40 update, I am sure they will change their mind...they always do!

[Dennis]

I think that the true Lunar Rate varies in both RA and DEC in a non-linear manner. I think that the Gemini controller (a la Losmandy) re-calculates the Moon position in real time every hour and that’s how it manages to track the Moon.

Cheers

Dennis

[iceman]

A guy at work here just came in and said that the Triple J morning show (Mif, Jay and the Doctor) were just talking about the Lunar Eclipse and were reading information quoting IceInSpace at the source!!! :D

[rmcpb]

I was amazed last night with my little Cub pack. I asked what was special about tomorrow night and they all whipped up their hands and told me (or really shouted) "an eclipse". Looks like the schools have really got into action on this one.

Anyway we had a good talk about it, including that a lunar eclipse will not burn your eyes out, and I handed out the printed article from Iceinspace, they all ran off home bugging thier parent about the article and where they can view from :)

[Dennis]

Hey Mike

Your fame is spreading far and wide. Better get yourself an agent, a media consultant, stylist, fashion adviser, paparazzi contacts, etc.:lol::lol::lol:

Cheers

Dennis

[iceman]

That's great to hear Rob, I think a lot of Scout groups are getting into it.

My son's Cub group is getting together tonight for the eclipse. I think they'll earn their "space badge" for viewing it.

[iceman]

LOL thanks Dennis, lucky I got a haircut on the weekend :lol:

[h0ughy]

:thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

yes he has a wonderful head and has the looks for radio:whistle:

[erick]

Hope so or I'm getting on the road - heading north!

[jjjnettie]

Hello to everyone reading this from Mt Kilcoy Primary, Kilcoy Primary and Kilcoy High Schools.:hi::)

[Dennis]

Well hello Teachers, Helpers and Children - I hope Jeanette has ensured that you are all as enthused as we are about tonight's total lunar eclipse. It promises to be a spectacular event and I hope you all get to see it.

Cheers

Dennis

[erick]

Kilcoy Rules! OK!!

Have a great evening!

[swannies1983]

Thanks for that. I found this:

RA tracking speed adjustment: Enables fine adjustment of RA speed. It is useful for observing Moon and Sun, which are moving accross the sky not exactly in sidereal speed.

from this web site

http://www.pk3.org/Astro/index.htm?astrophoto_mount_da1.htm

Perhaps I can simply adjust the RA rate? :shrug:

[Dennis]

Something else to try if you have the HW and SW capability.

Just guessing here, but I would assume that if you can connect your mount to a computer running a planetarium program such as SkyTools, Starry Night Pro or The Sky, then the tracking commands sent to the mount are likely to be accurate positional data based upon real time calculations?

They probably wouldn’t account for refraction, etc?

Cheers

Dennis

[swannies1983]

hhmmm...I'll have a look into it. Just in regards to your first reply, I found this:

Because the Moon orbits the Earth, its RA and Dec change during the course of the night. The lunar tracking rate compensates for the RA component of that change; there is no compensation for the changes in Dec. While sidereal rate can certainly be used for visual lunar observing, the lunar rate will do a better job keeping the Moon centered in the telescope' s field of view. Since the Moon is relatively near the Earth, even the location on Earth where you are observing must be taken into account. The lunar tracking rate therefore takes the parallax into account by calculating topocentric instead of geocentric positions. Gemini computes the tracking rates by calculating the current position of the Sun or Moon and the position one hour later.

http://www.visionwebhosting.net/australian-web-hosting/AustralianGeminiGuide0028.htm

[DJDD]

Weather for melbourne: the outlook is better than it was this morning. The 16:05 update will be interesting, especially if the current weather holds.

From BOM:

Forecast for Tuesday
A brief shower or two developing this afternoon. A partly cloudy day with a
moderate westerly wind tending southwesterly.

Precis: Late shower.
City: Max 20



cheers,
DJDD

[mickoking]

Me and some of my students may go down to the river to see the eclipse tonight. I just hope its not too cloudy, It has been overcast in Yangshuo over the last couple of days.

[h0ughy]

bit of high cloud here so far, hope it leaves. heaps of cloud off the coast though

[neB]

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Queensland

Brisbane Forecast
Issued at 11:10 am EST on Tuesday 28 August 2007

Warning Summary
Nil.

Forecast for Tuesday
Fine. Light winds and an afternoon NE seabreeze.

Precis: Fine
City: Max 25
Bayside: Max 24
UV Index: 6 [High]

Forecast for Wednesday
Fine. Light winds and an afternoon NE seabreeze.

Precis: Fine
City: Min 11 Max 25
Bayside: Min 9 Max 23

Thursday Fine Min 11 Max 24
Friday Fine Min 11 Max 24
Saturday Fine Min 12 Max 23
Sunday Fine Min 12 Max 23
Monday Fine Min 12 Max 24



The forecast for Paradise is perfect as usual.....though there is some light cloud around at the moment. But I'm sure that'll clear later in the day!!

Good work Mike. I'll be keeping my 3yo twins up for the evening's display - well at least some of it. Bub's first full lunar!

[DougAdams]

Hopefully once the westerly kicks in, it will break things up. At this stage, it looks like it's going to be patchy from Melbourne.

[JimmyH155]

HEY If you have bought astro gear today, take it back to the shop IMMEDIATELY this afternoon:eyepop:Yesterday not a cloud in the sky. Today, the big day, in Brissie lunch time sky three quarters cloud. AAAAAGGGGHH:mad2:

[Liz]

Hi all .. looking promising here in Townsville with mostly clear skies, tho pretty windy. Will be ready and waiting for tonight, Luv the exact times in the side bar for eclipse . Good luck all.

[monoxide]

completely clouded in here, doesn't look like its going to disappear in a hurry either

[swannies1983]

Be positive! It's clearing a little down south at the moment :)

[h0ughy]

high cloud still in newcastle with some clear spots

Just been and got a new sensor lead for the cooled camera after the cord wrap at Duckadang and last night both the illuminated reticled batteried died, matched wit hthe high cloud and a full moon = no drift alignment - will have to do a quick one before 6 50pm on both mounts. All I need is at least 60 seconds of no star trails and I will be a happy man!!

so for me I have a normal canon 400D on the vixen R200SS, an ed80 for viewing strapped to the top, the G11 mount will have the meade 10 LX200R with a 6.3 focal reducer and the cooled canon 350D on top with a 200MM f2.8 lens. no guiding. I will try to upload images when I get a chance for those who might miss out down south.

[Portmac]

Patchy cloud here in Port Macquarie NSW, looks like thicker clouds coming in from the west and only a slight breeze at the moment.

[IceAgeComing]

cloud loves to ruin every astronomical event for me

[HawaiiBill]

We are lucky in Puna on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Madame Pele is kicking up her heels with a fresh lava flow about 15 miles from us but trade winds are blowing the fumes away. Very thin clouds and the moon is bright and visible beyond. Jupiter is near the zenith and extremely bright in an unclouded section of our sky. Looks like a very good eclipse viewing tonight.

[swannies1983]

Still pretty cloudy here in Adelaide. Forecast is for clouds to clear during the evening. Latest satellite imagery looks promising :)

[Jarrod]

set the 'scope up an hour a ago, a few clouds but nothing too bad. went outside 1/2 an hour ago to check on things and looked up: COMPLETLY CLOUDED!!!! not a blue patch of sky visible!

did someone in the geelong/melbourne area just buy a new and VERY expensive telescope?!?!

[Universal]

:mad2: What's with all these clouds?!?!? :mad2:
I've been looking forward to this for months! :(
*cries in the corner*

[duncan]

Yep you certainly are not alone. Nothing but complete cloud cover up here.:(

[avandonk]

The sky in Melbourne Eltham looks like the total Solar eclipse of 1976!
I am not even going to set up as there is a chance of rain.

Bert

[bathurst77]

17:13 EST, sun setting in west, not a cloud in the sky.
Temp in low-mid 20s C
Just about to light the bbq, beers in the fridge, got a 60mm Newt and 10" dobs set up ready to play!

How good is this? Let the games begin!
:thumbsup:

[ballaratdragons]

Looking reasonable here. What cloud there is, is breaking up and we only have about 2kph wind :)

[bathurst77]

Kens almanac...Snake oil
Does he use a crystal ball or entrails of chickens?

Ken says, "eclipse visable all along the east coast as no rain for anyone except sydney, which will be overcast, light showers.
"light showers on central tablelands nsW, ..blue mountains NSW"

Sydney the central tablelands and blue mountains are 100% clear today (hasnt rained since friday-ish). The other cities are mostly overcast r rainy.
SO besides being 100% out... he's pretty close.

[Sentinel]

Just started to rain here, has been very overcast all day, with very few clear patches.

Going to be a stop start event here in Auckland.

[DJDD]

i am in Clayton.
the sky looks patchy to the east but not completely clouded over.
heading down to Ikea now. hopefully a few people will still be there from the ASV

DJDD

[jjjnettie]

469 people online right now. I reckon we might have a record breaker here tonight.

[jjjnettie]

494 online now, Record broken.

[Liz]

few clouds rolling in. but pretty light stuff, sounds like a few clouds might be causing some problems down south. Missed out on Comet NcNaught cos of clouds :( but think tonight will be Ok. BBQ at Blue Mountains sounds the go.

[Liz]

wow, 520 online :)

[JandG]

Any recommendations. I am gonna record with my High Definition Video camera and see how it turns out.

Thinking about taking snapshots for 10 sec every 2 minutes,

Cheers and enjoy

[Jarrod]

what was the last astronomical event to draw a record amount of members online?

[Sentinel]

575 Now. Well and truly smashed.

[IceAgeComing]

comet mcnaught? (i missed that one too lol)

[Portmac]

Clouds are braking up quick here, breeze has stopped, moon is up now.
And for some unknown reason my scope thinks its the 27th..time to fix it quick and re-align.

654 online now.

[Liz]

Yes, was 1/7/1007 0645 for the comet, that I missed too :(

[Sentinel]

Well these goes the P1 contact.

[mickkk]

Damn cloud!

[Jarrod]

clouds are clearing! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

i was camping under pitch black skies the first time i saw mcnaught.

[Sentinel]

No real stress yet, not much happening for the next hour. Then the fun begins.

[Jarrod]

im more excited now then i was for mcnaught!

[mickkk]

Link to latest sat pic for Vic and other places.

http://realtime2.bsch.au.com/vis_sat.html?region=vic&loop=no&images=&allday=&start=&stop=

[IceAgeComing]

the moon is disappearing at a slow rate! I wanna see! :P but yea, thick cloud thats not going anywhere fast :o

[bathurst77]

Beautiful full moon hanging on east horizon. Not acloud in sight.Jupiter at zenith.. Perfect night. No sign of sladow. Moon slightly obscured by trees.

More to .follow

[OCULUS]

skies have gone to perfectly clear, no clouds I repeat no clouds, houston we good to go........

south island NZ
:)

[IceAgeComing]

your enthusiasm makes me sad

[Jarrod]

i would like to congradulate whoever set up the eclipse timer on the left of the page, very well done!

[Blue Skies]

*grumblegrumblegrumble* and its overcast with light rain showers about and no signs of clearing here in Perth :mad2: :sadeyes:

[Weinor dogg man]

Some Cloud at Brisbane:( but all is good Congrats on the site builder and all the best looking forward

Great site:party2::party2:

[charlie_lee]

the timer on the page is unreal the night is clear in Tumut and looking good :eyepop::2thumbs:

[mickkk]

What sort of cloud do you want, I got it all here:

High
Low
Scattered
Thick
Thin

Im just waiting for drizzle to fall! It was perfect last night for my dry run.

Big thanks to the neighbour who has turned on all his outside lights.

However we have not yet begun to fight!!! All is ready, I just need 30 seconds of total Huey, thats not much to ask surely!

[Tucky]

in wollongong there isnt a cloud in the sky or a breath of wind...only the moon to see!

[Tamtarn]

Totally clouded in here in the Yarra Valley and looks like it's not going to clear. Melbourne looks the same.

[Jarrod]

got an alright view for about a minute, but now the clouds have moved back in and ruined it. maybe if we all go outside with our leaf-blowers to get rid of those damn clouds.

[Dennis]

Hi Guys

Well, we’re clouded out in Brisbane right now, so here is an image I prepared earlier. This is a 4 panel mosaic from last night (Monday 27th August) when I went for a drive along the lunar terminator. I almost fell off the edge!

Warning: 1600 pixels wide! Takahashi Mewlon 180 F12 DK, Vixen x2 Barlow, DMK 21AF04.AS ccd camera.

Cheers

Dennis

[Tamtarn]

Totally clouded in here in the Yarra Valley and looks like it's not going to clear. Melbourne looks the same. :(

[Shawn]

Raining in the tropical north, :(

[Weinor dogg man]

Same as Brisbane :( = Stacks of clouds :(

GO AWAY :cloudy:

[Sentinel]

Not yet totally gone, but the eclipsed portion of the moon is a very dark copper colour.

[Stevo69]

Cloudy in Sunbury :( at 1945 hrs :mad2:

[IceAgeComing]

THICK cloud ruined the party as it was getting interesting.

[danielsun]

DOOOHHHHH!!:( All clouded over here at the moment with a dim haze of the moon just trying to break through.
I actually had a fathers day night at my sons kinder tonight and it was good to see many of the parents and kids talking about and keen to go outside to see the eclipse .
A shame it is cloudy considering last night was perfect.

[Stevo69]

(I'm trying to "correct" to a friend here who thinks the eclipse is finished in NZ because they are 2 hours ahead):ashamed:

It just poking through clouds, damn these teasing heavenly bodies!

[Universal]

Beautiful view from Tasmania! It's a very dark orange/red colour at the moment.
I feel sympathy for the people who are clouded over. :(

[Sentinel]

I would have to say this lunar eclipse is a bright one on the Danjon scale. I'll stick my neck out and say it an L4 on the Danjon scale.

[jjjnettie]

Flipping awesome.
I'm getting images from the Powershot and the camcorder.
It was "Obscured by Clouds" to start off with, but the "Eclipse" in totality is cloud free.
Any guesses as to which music I'm listening to while watching.

[Taylor Team]

All clear in Grantham, Qld. Beautiful view, no city lights.

[Tragedies]

Hey guys, just joined (first reply)!

Anyway, I'm here in Clayton in Melbourne, been trying to look at the eclipse for a while. Currently at 8:22 here its a very very faint red. Thick cloud is blocking it. I have some questions for the smart people out there;

1) I remember a few years back when driving home from school I looked up into the sky and I saw the full moon orange, not knowing what it was at the time it facinated me. Now what I find strange with this eclipse at the time was that every now and then I see the full moon extra extra large. Why is this?

Most of the time when I look at the full moon its very small, but rarely its very, very large (the eclipise at the time was very interesting to look at, it being extra large and all).

It may be a stupid question, but Im wondering. Why is the full moon sometimes HUGE and sometimes small?

Edit: I just looked outside again and the area in the sky where I saw a light, light, light orange is now gone. For all I know, I'm looking in the wrong area. Anyone around Melbourne (around Clayton, maybe?) able to see it?

[Dojo89]

ahhh man, i eny all the people who can see the eclipse fully. well i cant see it now.. due to too many lights in my area... you can hardly see anything ><and whats worse is the the park whih is the most darkest place, has its bloody lights turned on....making it even brighter =[

[Tragedies]

For all those who cant see it (it just appeared for me):

http://www.discoverychannel.com.au/eclipse/index.shtml

[Dennis]

:lol::lol: I guess this is too easy, so you won’t be offering a lavish prize for the correct answer, which is of course, Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd.

Cheers

Dennis

[pdennis_au]

Awesome viewing here in Tassy. Cloud free .. unobscured viewing from the beginning.
Paul

[mungoman_c]

im in dalby qld and iv finally found a good side of drought...no clouds to ruin tonight :)

[Stevo69]

Finally, clear skies in Sunbury, Vic :)

[Portmac]

The conditions here in Port Macquarie have gone bad (not that they started good), so much dew I will need to wring out the scope when I am done. So much smoke from peoples fire places and some high clouds, I can see the moon brighten and darken as the clouds move by. In fact as I type this I can barely see the moon....

[Tragedies]

Can anyone please answer my question a few posts down?

[iluvsaturn]

Spectacular in Kariong!

[Alchemy]

no luck in the hills here cloudy fom the meridian to the east . Next time maybee

[Tamtarn]

Managed a brief visual for a few minutes, so we at least saw something. :thumbsup:

[Jaala]

It has been pretty clear in Wagga and we've had a mostly unobstructed view of the eclipse which was handy!

[danielsun]

:) All clearing up here and an awesome view, getting some good shots too... well i think so, until i process them anyway.
Got to get back out there!!

[mill]

Awesom now and very clear whoohoo!!

[thorsdad]

Nice views now in Skye vic. At about 21:15 we saw a shooting star just below the moon, had a tail and everything, awesome. I hope someone got a shot of that. Coool.:eyepop:

[bathurst77]

Really great viewing here. The moon is just coming out now a sliver of silver some blue some still red. Was amozing to see the milky way and dark sky and full moon. Through the scopes many stars could be seen right next to tle moon. Had a friend visit who isn't into astronomy he was really into it, looking through the scopes etc. A top night couldn't have been better here. Got a small white crescent now.

[Dave47tuc]

Awsome views here:eyepop:

Nice an dark eclipse, the kids thought it was cool:thumbsup:
My phone would not stop buzzing with txt's, Main ? whats up with the Moon being so red:rolleyes:

I'm just happy to share the eclipse with my family.:)

Hope you all got share it with someone special in your lives.

[Jaala]

My boy is a bit too young to appreciate it yet. (only 16mths old)

[Greg Bryant]

A great evening in suburban Sydney. People all over the street were out to observe the eclipse. It was a party atmosphere.

Already looking ahead to the next one in a few years time.

If you've taken some superb images, please send them in to me at Australian Sky & Telescope magazine (contributions@austskyandtel.com.au ). We'll be selecting a few to appear in the next issue (Nov/Dec).

Details for image submitting can be found here:
http://www.astmag.com.au/image_submit.htm

[yarael]

wasn't looking too good for the Northern Rivers at first .. but we were very lucky that the skies cleared for most of totality ... it was absolutely beautiful :-)

[Dennis]

We ended up eyeballing through the Vixen 30x125 giant binos and it was an awesome sight. Using both eyes enhanced an already 3-D looking Moon deep in totality whilst we watched stars suddenly appear at the limb, before they slowly drifted away - just fantastic!

No photos, but a lot of deep, memorable and lasting impressions of a spectacular event. My wife stayed outdoors for the entire session and we had a ball. I got the murmured seal of approval for all my previous astronomy purchases – “well worth the expense and effort dear, just to see the eclipse tonight”

Cheers

Dennis

[Jarrod]

ended up with a great view in geelong! the beggining was cloudy and we only saw through the gaps in the clouds, but it cleared just before totality. a friend came over to watch the eclipse. he described it as "what mars would look like close up" or even better "an orange getting peeled". after the height of the eclipse i moved the 'scope around to jupiter, then alpha centauri (but all he could see was a smudge). then we went back to the moon to watch the sunlight spread back across the surface.

[IceAgeComing]

i ended up getting a fair view. It was very nice when the white reemerged as the slightest of crescents from the copper moon

[cattikins]

Awesome view here, clouded for partial, then the total hit and the clouds ran away, perfect!
Saw the shooting star as well, made the night!

[jjjnettie]

Jarrod,
thats exactly what I thought. This is what it would be like if Mars were closer.
That white polar cap, and dark shadows on a ruddy landscape.

[jjjnettie]

Tragedies,
The latest issue of Sky and Telescope has an article that can answer your question.
The moon only "looks" large. Its an optical illusion.
You'll notice that it only happens when the moon is close to the horizon.

[earthlight]

what a night! :D Really thought all day we'd miss out. But thankfully it was clear enough to see it from start to finish and really clear from mid eclipse. The camera's still downloading but I can't wait to see what we've got. I took some film shots and hopefully I'll get a couple of nice ones too.

___________________________
earthlight

[alice]

I saw it. First eclipse for me, and it was amazing.

[ballaratdragons]

We had a fantastic night here in Snake Valley. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

It was certainly a breathtaking sight!!!!!! :)

The public turned up to see the event and ask heaps of questions and they brought their cameras along to image thru the Eyepice of my 12" Dob.

I grabbed a few pics but not very good with the little digital.

[Ric]

What a great sight, I was on a fire-fighting course but the organisers allowed for a 15 minute break at 8:30 so we all managed a to get a good look at the eclipse.

The skies were crystal clear down here, cant wait until the next one.

Cheers

[andrew]

Great night at the ASV get together, really a great experience, luckily the clouds mostly cleared when the real action got started :)

Although I found photographing the event a bit difficult :(

[moochelli]

That was wonderful! A friend walked me out to my car this evening close to 9pm & she did a double-take, pointed frantically at the sky & yelled out "What's up with the moon?". Of course .... the eclipse! Earlier in the evening there was cloud cover & I thought we wouldn't see anything. Although we were standing in suburban Lake Macquarie with a big street light in front of us we still had a magnificent view. It must have been totally stunning away from city lights ... and I left my camera at home. But it certainly made my night I tell you. It's been over 30 years since I've had any real interest in astronomy and I think my passion has just been re-ignited!!

[iceman]

Brilliant!

What a brilliant night. I had a beautiful sunset looking over Tuggerah Lake, but what made the sunset beautiful made the start of the eclipse frustrating.

High patchy clouds ruined the first half of the partial phase, but they cleared by about 7:45pm and the rest of the night was crystal clear - and not a drop of dew, which was very fortunate due to all the lenses I had pointed in the air.

I didn't really have the equipment I needed/wanted to take the photographs I dreamed of, but I'm sure there's something I can salvage out of what I did take. You have to do the best with the equipment you've got. I got some lovely sunset shots though ;)

Totality was brilliant. Awe-inspiring. Breath-taking. To see stars next to the full moon, to see the milky way, to see meteors zipping around - all at full moon, man what a buzz.

It was great to share it with my family who came along for a few hours, and also one of the Berkeley Vale locals (Ash) who kept me company . He enjoyed the sight through my 12" dob while we talked about astronomy.

The event was much better and more exciting than I'd hoped for. I wish there was another one sooner, but I guess if they were more common they wouldn't quite as exciting.

Thanks to all the new members for signing up and posting your experiences and photos.

[glenc]

Last Sunday I arranged to take my 10" Dob to the Casino motor home village for the eclipse, but nearly didn't go last night because it was 90% cloudy at 6:30pm. Luckily I decided not to cancel, because it cleared up to about 10% cloud. I showed the lunar eclipse, Jupiter and some bright deep sky objects to more than 20 people all told at four different locations. After the motor home village I set up at McDonald's then a taxi rank in town and finally at a teacher's place near where I live. The lights in town were a problem but people enjoyed it anyway.

[iceman]

Well done Glen! It was a great event to share.

[rmcpb]

Perfect night in the mountains. A fair size froup from WSAAG was at Linden with a few blowins :) Seeing was brilliant and we saw the whole event with no clouds or any other interuptions. It was amazing to watch the orange/red full moon occultating faint stars which are normally not visible.

Fantastic night!!

[Liz]

Started a little cloudy, then moon disappeared for about an hour under a heavier cover, then suddenly, it was clear and beautiful. A 3 dimentional red orb hanging in a star studded sky, and it lasted for ages. Best eclipse I have seen :), 4 years until the next, and 2012 for total solar eclipse in FNQ!!

[mickoking]

We couldn't see much of the eclipse in Yangshuo. There was a spectacular tropical thunderstorm that made up for it though :thumbsup:

[Sentinel]

Ken,

So you had good clear skies for the eclipse while many in Melbourne had cloud.

How many did you get out to Snake Valley?

[ballaratdragons]

Approx 50.

To the City folk, that probably doesn't sound like many people attending, but when you think that our population is only 250, that means 1/5th of the population came along!!!

Can City folk say that :lol:

I also got phone calls from other locals asking which direction to look. So I think most of the town was watching it from thier own location :thumbsup:

[Sentinel]

Ken,

My hat goes off to you...not literately but you know what I mean.

To get that many people motivated with such a small population, is indeed an excellent effort.

When I come across to Melbourne, in the future, I would love to come out to Snake Valley.

All the best.

[neB]

We had a great night also. Light cloud until about totality then clear and beautiful.

I have a question for you boffins though. A mate of mine who is colour blind couldn't see the "red" in the eclipse - it went from black to grey as the shadow came across. However, when he saw a picture of the eclipse he could see the colour in it (what he knows as "red"). His wife, who he asked what colour the moon had gone (when viewing by naked eye), said the picture was the same colour as the real thing.

How does that work? Is it the low light levels or something to do with the frequency of "red" produced during the eclipse?

Anyone heard of this before??

[glenc]

I thought it looked like a paper sphere with glowing coals in it.

[CoombellKid]

Good description Glen, it gave me a similar feeling.

Pitty I hadn't known of you sidewalk mission, I could of come in and given
you a hand.

regards,CS

[glenc]

The sidewalk thing was a last minute idea on the way home.