Total Lunar Eclipse Sequence and Static Progression

[iceman]

Hi all

Finally I got around to processing my images from Tuesday night. While i'm happy enough with the results, they're not exactly the images I'd been hoping for.

For the eclipse sequence, I just don't have the right equipment to get the shots I had in my minds eye. The 12" focal length was too long, the 300mm on the camera was too short. In the end, this sequence is a combination of both.

The partial phases were taken with the 12" newt (dob base) + 32mm eyepiece, with a Canon 300D + 28mm lens, afocal handheld up to the eyepiece.
The totality phase was taken with the 300D + 75-300mm lens @ 300mm, tracked on my EQ6.
The images were resized and combined to make the sequence composite. I've presented them in a diagonal and horizontal orientation.. simply because I don't know which one I prefer best :)


The widefield static progression sequence was captured with my 350D + Sigma 17-70mm lens @ 17mm on a fixed tripod. I had my watch repeating a countdown timer every 7mm to go and take a shot.
Unfortunately the early phases of the eclipse were clouded out, so the sequence starts further up than I would've liked. I also ran out of FOV, so I wasn't able to capture the last parts of the eclipse.
The foreground (water/wharf) was captured with a 20s exposure (ISO200) which was lit by the low full moon. The stars were captured with a 25s exposure (ISO1600) just after totality had finished.
The individual moon captures were varying exposures @ ISO200 or ISO400.
The images were combined in Photoshop.

It's no Fred Espanek, but it was a learning experience.


The last image is me with my equipment on the night :)

Anyway I've really enjoyed seeing people's images. Next time I'll have an ED80 or similar on a tracking mount, with adapters for my DSLR to get the type of images I wanted.

Thanks for looking.

[h0ughy]

nice montages Mike, but I don't recognise the mug with the camera near your scope?

[RB]

Mike they're wonderful, you've done an excellent job on those.
I love the jetty sequence and the self portrait looks great too.

It certainly was a learning experience for most of us, haven't had much practice in lunar eclipses.

Well done mate.

[sheeny]

Nice work Mike!:thumbsup:

I fully understand what you mean by a learning experience. I too realised I didn't quite have the right gear, but I also underestimated how dark the umbral phase was going to be and the problems that would create for my choice of gear. Still, it was fun!:thumbsup:

Al.

[iceman]

Yes, that was my problem too. I did come to that conclusion before the eclipse, but by then it was too late to go and buy an ED80 and adapters for my DSLR :)

I was expecting to be able to use the old afocal method throughout. I didn't realise the exposure time required during totality - which ruled out a) the dob with no tracking, and b) hand-holding the DSLR.

[Dietmar]

hi Mike,

these are marvelous images!
terrific results!
#3 is great! #4 is very nice! the master himself and his beloved "babies" (-:
APOD APOD APOD!

[rumples riot]

My under estimation too. Blurring occurred to quickly and tracking was a must. Dragging my mount across town did not appeal either. Nor was the full eclipse visible from my place.

Nice images though all the same Mike. Just chalk it up to experience.

[Garyh]

Very nice Mike!!
You have done a great job with the gear at hand!
cheers :thumbsup:

[sheeny]

Yeah I knew I'd be pushed for time to setup the scope before it started, but didn't think through the need for tracking...:rolleyes:.

Al.

[2020BC]

That's a really great seaside shot! and very good sequences.

[anthony.tony]

I wish I could do things like that.Image 1808 was my first shot at about 6.41 pm.shutter speed 1/1000 of a second ISO-800 .I did a bit of processing on this one.The others are as they were.Tony

[Phil]

stunning work Mike well done mate love the wide feild shot with the jetty. Love all the shots.
Phil

[Portmac]

Very nice pics Mike, that third one is a ripper :)

[Dennis]

Wow - more Salway masterpieces. The pier shot is outstanding - my favourite of the bunch, but all are beauties. Your pre-planning and hard work certainly paid off Mike, despite the hiccoughs on the night.

Cheers

Dennis

[John K]

very nice work Mike, excellent composition. Looks also like it was very handy having two DSLR's!!

[seeker372011]

i really like your jetty shot-clever composition as always

[middy]

Really great shots Mike. :thumbsup:

Can I ask how you stack the shots in Photoshop. I tried that with my wide angle sequence, but I couldn't find a way to straight add the layers. All I could do was have the layers on 'Normal' and set the opacity to 50% so as not to block the background, but then you just end up with very faint moons. I don't know :shrug:

[Tamtarn]

All great Mike ........... "The Path to Totality" our favourite :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[iceman]

Many thanks for all your nice comments. I wasn't sure how my images would turn out as on the night it didn't "feel" that great.
Your reactions are very kind and make me look at them in a new light.


Thanks John, and also thanks to Rocket Boy, who leant me his Canon 300D so I had 2 DSLR's and could do more of what I wanted to do on the night.


Hi Andrew

I layered all the images in photoshop, and then simply "cut" the moon out of each layer. That is, select the moon using the magic wand, inverse selection, and delete. So it deletes the rest of that layer leaving only the moon.


Thanks again.

[thampson]

Really nice work Mike. :thumbsup::thumbsup: Gives me something to aspire to for the next one :)

BTW is that tuggarah lake with The entrance in the background ?

cya
-todd-

[iceman]

Thanks Todd, and yep it is. I was on the shores of Tuggerah Lake near Berkeley Vale.

[davidpretorius]

Like I just mentioned in Andrew's thread, the diagonal presentation really hits a note with me.

I really like the pathway to totality.

These are really great Mike... congrats heaps

[Astroman]

Nice series of images Mike, you have done well..

[spacezebra]

Well done Mike -excellent mosaic!!!

We are currently in the UK and did not get to see a thing :-(.

Cheers Petra

[saraheaston]

great images Mike, particularly love 'the path to totality'; captures the event so well.:thumbsup:

[BenK]

Great images Mike,

just a point on dobsonians, I have a 10" skywatcher and trying to take images through it of anything other than the moon was tricky...

I recently built an equatorial platform for it, and once i figured just how far true north is from magnetic north (almost 15 degrees to the west here) I've been really pleased with the result.
exposures of up to 10 seconds are no problem at all especially of the moon at low power.

I did take a few images of the eclipse, only using a little digi cam, so my images also were not exactly what I was hoping for..

The plans I based my platform on were from the ATM site by Chuck Shaw, I've used a cable driven system though.

well it's only a few more years to the next one!:)

[iceman]

Thanks Dave, Andrew, Petra, Sara and Ben.

Ben - EQ platforms are great. Congrats on building your own. I considered building my own (when I had a 10" dob) but my woodworking skills just aren't in the ballpark, plus I don't have the required tools either.

I ended up buying one from www.roundtableplatforms.com. It served me well for over a year and allowed me to do hi-res planetary/lunar imaging with my webcams.

I now have a 12" newt on an EQ6, but I still have the dob base for the 12", which is what I used on the eclispe night.

Feel free to start a new thread and post your images! I'd love to see them.

[BenK]

Thanks Mike,

I'll try and post a few photos...
not really sure how or where though! ha ha I need a big "L" plate!

cheers

(I'll put them with the atm diy stuff...)