Upcoming Event: Total Lunar Eclipse, December 21st 2010

[iceman]

Hi all

I've written an article detailing the upcoming Total Lunar Eclipse, on the 21st December 2010.

The article contains all the information you need including where and when you can view it, and how to photograph the eclipse.

It's a perfect eclipse for our North American members, visible while the Moon is practically overhead. For Australians and New Zealanders, the eclipse will be visible at Moonrise - so the further East you are (and the best Easterly aspect you can get), the more of the eclipse you'll see.

You can read more at:
Total Lunar Eclipse, December 21st 2010 (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-608-0-0-1-0.html)

Please post any questions, and later, observing reports and images!

Cheers

[iceman]

Article uploaded.

[that_guy]

i cant see this cos ill be in korea at that time :(

[Steffen]

Seems like Korea will actually be a slightly better place to watch this.

Cheers
Steffen.

[shelltree]

I'm considering going somewhere near Currumbin on the Gold Coast for this as the moon will be rising in the NE. Does that sound optimal or are there better locations in the Brisbane/coastal areas?

[rat156]

I'm going to be in Hawaii, looks like I'll see the whole eclipse.

I wonder if I could piggyback my DSLR onto one of the scopes there?

Cheers
Stuart

[ManOnTheMoon]

Best to go up the the mountains behind the goldcoast/brisbane etc to get a better view of it.

[BLiTZWiNG]

oooh goody, I live only a few hundred meters from the water and get to see the eerie moon rise quite often now. Looking forward to this one!

[jenchris]

Hi peeps, another newette.
I live on a hill north of Gold Coast so I'm set, but I reckon the best spot would be the top of Mount Warning - best of luck hauling your Dob up there lol
Failing that, top deck of Q1 tower would be spectacular...
There is a little green in a small village on Mount Tamborine called Eagle Heights - has an amazing lookout toward Moonrise. Mind you there's a lot of places up there that are absolutely perfect - pick one!

[that_guy]

haha i didnt know that :lol: well, im taking my ed80 to mount on a camera tripod and i might get some happy snaps done :D:D haha thanks steffen :thumbsup:

cheers,
tony

[Jen]

Im confused about the best way to take these pics :lol::screwy:

On a tripod, piggyback on scope or through scope :screwy:

Dam it i wish i had three camera's :lol:

[erick]

Don't bother with this one, Jen. For us, it rises only partially eclipsed - so partially it will be difficult to see - binoculars will show some shadow. and by the time it gets to a whole 5 deg elevation, it is all over. :sadeyes:

Be patient until Dec 10 2011 when we will have a beauty! Around midnight Dec 10 to 2am Dec 11; Moon up at 32 deg elevation which is its maximum elevation to the North that night; in the vicinity of Orion/Taurus. If skies are clear, this will be great! :clap:

[Analog6]

I might toodle down to Byron - it is the most easterly point, after all. And if the eclipse disappoints I can get some sunset shots from the lighthouse precinct

[Liz]

Just checked stellarium for us, and the totally eclipsed Moon rises about 7pm ;), will still be twilight, but hopefully still Ok to see and take some piccies.
Probably an eclipse cyclone in the area. Oops, shouldnt say that. :help:
PS . Thanks for info Mike.

[iceman]

There were some DST problems in the timings in the article, for Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin.

This has now been corrected.

cheers

[Liz]

Woohoo ... Geminids are over now can concentrate on the total lunar eclipse (for us) woohoo.
Want to take some pics with my new (2nd hand) Gstar ... alas, havent used it successfully yet. Alas, working quite a bit before eclipse, and a Xmas breakup, so not much chance to try ... then there's the weather.
Anyone wanna join me at the beach for the eclipse??? ;)

[h0ughy]

Details Tuesday 12/21/2010
Pleasant with plenty of sunshine
High Temperature: 24°C
RealFeel: 29°C
Details Tuesday Night 12/21/2010
Clear
Low Temperature: 16°C
RealFeel: 14°C
Details

From Accuweather - I am hoping this turns out to be true;)

[shelltree]

In spirit Liz :P On another beach perhaps. If anyone is stuck on where best to view the eclipse from, you could try this http://photoephemeris.com/. Shows the direction of sunrise, sunset and moonrise from any location :)

[mithrandir]

What's you eastern horizon David? In Sydney with nothing blocking the view the moon will have started leaving the earth's shadow before it finishes rising.

[h0ughy]

one possible location where i would get a shot near nobbys lighthouse

[Blue Skies]

Just a reminder to any West Australians wondering about observing this event - we don't get to see it, especially if you're in Perth. It's all over by the time the moon rises.

But don't despair - we get two full total lunar eclipses next year! Looking forward to that!

[mozzie]

heading up to the headland in woolgoolga its a beautiful sight to the east.taking the family some woodfired pizza's and clear weather should be a good night!!!! cant wait...

[Mousehound]

Thanks for the info - I'll stay in and watch re-runs of the cricket!?

[ving]

I'll be near la perouse somewhere... shooting :D

...and there will be a bunch of photographers on the kurnell peninsular.

[jjjnettie]

I'll be imaging this one from my front yard now.
LOL I've got butterflies!

[Outbackmanyep]

The moon won't be that contrasty being so close to the horizon would it?
It ain't gonna be a real "red" moon!

[Liz]

Alas, no, by the looks. It will still be light at totality up here, then as sky darkens, Earths shadow moves away.
Still be good though, as long as skies stay clear in that little area of the east. :question: Not holding out high hopes though. :sadeyes:

[mswhin63]

This will be great especially the December one :cool: I hope to use the June one for testing capture methods.

[Outbackmanyep]

Thanks Liz,
It will still be worth watching anyways!

Cheers!

[h0ughy]

did a little searching for a spot yesterday afternoon before i got my C11 delivery ;) . here is the view i could get from my secret location from King Edward Park in Newcastle. with some framing and postioning i hope to get a postcard shot timelapse showing the ocean baths and the moonrise:question: directions taken from the alignment shown from the photographers ephemeris

[ving]

yup, i am hoping for maybe bear island and moonage... we will see. being close to the horizon the moon may already have a red-prangish ting, yes?

[Analog6]

What time does the moon actually rise for us, this site (http://www.thelunartimes.com/Australia/Point_Danger,_Australia_.aspx) says 18:54 for Point danger but I suspect it is not taking in DST?

[h0ughy]

just add the hour -best bet is sunset ;)

[Stu Ward]

Looking at Stellarium I reckon even us on the East Coast are going to miss the fun
By the time it gets above the horizon its over half gone

[Liz]

Not a chance here unless something miraculous happens to htose clouds. :xmas:

[swannies1983]

Lol...silly 7pm Project said that this event will be visible from Australia.

[Liz]

Ha, yes, the Brisbane ch 10 news said it was a total eclipse for Brissy. :shrug:

[erick]

I made no plans to observe - much better opportunities in 2011

[NickontheCoast]

A great view from Lennox Head ... some cloud on the horizon hid things for a few minutes then a charp clear sickle with the rest of disc opaque with a hint of light. Lucky to be able to watch it from an elevated position as more of the moon was exposed... A spectacular sight.

[BLiTZWiNG]

It's looking great here now that it cleared the clouds!

[seanliddelow]

I'm thinking I might go to Kings Park for the December lunar eclipse, which has 'totality' at 10:30 pm. The one in July is in the early hours of the morning and with winter weather may be a no-show.

[Heath]

Cloud in Melbourne. NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo

[jjjnettie]

I had a beaut time showing local kids Jupiter while waiting for the Moon to clear clouds and trees.
Got some images to share later.:D

[CometGuy]

Quick image from tonight, showing the moon rising through a cloud deck.

[ballaratdragons]

Moon just rose here and the Eclipse is practically finished!

Bummer. :(

Nice looking Moon though. Nice to see a bit of sky for a change!

[Kevnool]

Nice moon here only caught the very edge but its huge anyways.
Sorry for the clouded out peeps who didnt get to witness it.

Cheers Kev.

[cookie8]

Didn't expect to see anything but in for a bit of surprise. Saw the last bit of partial here right through my front door. Very clear here apart from some clouds near the horizon. :)

[h0ughy]

managed to get a few bad happy snaps - RB was with me - had a great evening - but bugger the cloud:mad2:

[ChrissieBee]

Just thought i'd share. As viewed from Brisbane.

Cheers!

Chris

[Suzy]

It was nice and clear here, so I got to enjoy that beautiful sight once it reached 10 deg. and a little walk down the road. :D.

David, those pictures are amazing! :)

[mozzie]

taken my oldest son up to the headland to see the eclipse..
slight cloud on horizon first sight was about 2 deg of horizon with a slither of moon light and some very light cloud running through it great sight at it rose there was a little reddness for a short time. all in all a lovely evening and good to see families out and about enjoying it....

[Allan_L]

There was a good crowd up at Crachneck Lookout.
Mainly general public but about 8 Central Coast IIS regulars with binos and scopes.

The SkyScout came in handy to be able to tell everyone where the moon will first appear. And it was pretty spot on (and a long way from where most were expecting).

The IIS guys had a great time sharing views with the public.
Many OOH!s and AHH!s.
And I think we made a few new recruits.

And if that wasn't enough, Rick then turned his scope to Jupiter and wowed 'em again.

Great night!

[iceman]

I was out at Avoca down on the beach near the rock pool, with a friend from Karate.

I had my two 40D's - one on the tripod for wider field stuff, and one on the EQ6/ED80. The EQ6/ED80 attracted a lot of attention and we had a lot of people come down to the beach to see what it was all about.

All in all a fairly good show for an eclipse that was more than half over by the time it rose.

[iceman]

Really nice shots h0ughy! They're great!

[Liz]

Glad all went well for you all!! Too cloudy here.
Great pics Chris and David. :thumbsup:

[firstlight]

Went up to Mt Coot-tha to view the eclipse despite cloud being around most of the day. I was clear above but in the east the cloud bank ensured that we would not see the totality. Here is one of the shots as it was rising above the bank.

86919

[firstlight]

One showing the non shadowed part. It was a good night despite the early cloud. I had about a dozen people take photos of the laptop :lol:.

86921

[h0ughy]

great shots tony

[h0ughy]

Thanks Mike - i am disappointed in them, I expected to get better shots than I did. See was not good and well nearly everyone on the coast knows about the cloud…..however RB and I did manage to attract a Camera crew LOL. Paul Lobb who now fronts NBN news dropped by quite unexpected – I think the laptop screens and the camera setup attracted them. I was interviewed while RB munched on a cucumber ;) not a pleasant experience answering questions off the cuff….

[iceman]

2 moderators there.. I would've expected at least 5 mentions of IceInSpace during the interview? :)

[jjjnettie]

:rofl: I'm sure you've got them well trained Mike.
I'm thinking IIS business cards would be the go. I'm tired of writing out the website addy on bits of paper.

[GTB_an_Owl]

funny you should say that Jeanette - we could have done with a few last nite

geoff

[GTB_an_Owl]

Mike

maybe an "official" flyer we can print out from the website when we do these public events

geoff

[michaellxv]

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who captured images of this event. I am enjoying looking at your work. :thumbsup:

I know you are all a bit disappointed about the partial cloud cover, but from an artistic view point the pictures look great. If you tried to plan these conditions you could wait for years to make it all come together at your location.

[iceman]

Hey Geoff

There is one (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/download.php?e036a5408757e3f31feb58 f859f523ca) (available in the files section), but it's quite old now.

Time to get a new one done I think! Will be better prepared for next June's eclipse!

[GTB_an_Owl]

yes - well

that prints out allright Mike

now if we can only remember to print some out before we go - or don't print them out and leave them behind :lol:

geoff

[Jeeps]

I managed a GREAT view, not a cloud in sight and it was awesome. Too bad i was at work and could only spare a few 10 second views ;)


cheers

[Allan_L]

Doesn't it always go that way Sam ! :)

[Jen]

:thumbsup::thumbsup: great stuff Allan :thumbsup:

nice pics guys :D

[h0ughy]

LOL well while i was being grilled RB was throwing over the web address quite often:rofl:

[h0ughy]

ok here is something that i have just thrown together (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMJcW2KYh5Q) i had a few small glitches when taking them - talking to people LOL so there are a few dropped shots

[jjjnettie]

I enjoyed that, thanks Dave.

[h0ughy]

thanks JJJ

[steve000]

Hi All,

Thought id share some pics of the night taken from North Brisbane.

Thankfully the clouds dissapeared.

Canon 400d through a 6" reflector.

Links are hosted on my website http://steve000.dyndns.org
Its hosted from home so it can be slow. uptime is 90% of the day.
each pic takes around 30 seconds to load. straight from camera. not resized

Eclipse 1
http://steve000.dyndns.org/images/img_5281.jpg
Over expose
http://steve000.dyndns.org/images/img_5314.jpg
Extremes
http://steve000.dyndns.org/images/img_5317.jpg
Eclipse 2
http://steve000.dyndns.org/images/img_5318.jpg
Eclipse 3
http://steve000.dyndns.org/images/img_5337.jpg
Full Moon.
http://steve000.dyndns.org/images/img_5449.jpg
First attempt at M42. Manually guided by "feel" 15 second
http://steve000.dyndns.org/images/img_5236.jpg

[h0ughy]

hey mike, nbn has finally put up the news item

http://www.nbntv.com.au/index.php/category/features/

[Protiotype]

Some of the clearer shots from my old point 'n shoot camera - attached to a Gorillapod - also from Mt Coot-tha, Brisbane: http://www.flickr.com/photos/protiotype/archives/date-posted/2010/12/24/detail/

My personal favourite is the 5s over-exposure of the moon, Orion and the Hubble Space Telescope. :)

[iceman]

LOL nice one Dave! Great interview.

IISAC shirt makes a minor cameo :)

RB should've been shouting out in the background.. IceInSpace! :)

[xstream]

He probably could of if he took that stogie out of his mouth. :P

[h0ughy]

it was with teeth clenching speech through a cucumber Eh RB - constantly saying www.iceinspace.com.au LOL:thumbsup:

[jjjnettie]

Coolies Dave.
You make me feel inadequate, I only had 2 cameras, one tripod, one mount and one scope set up.:lol:

[h0ughy]

i had the two tripods, but i also had the gorilla mount (no it wasnt RB), but a also had the two astrotrac there but becasue it was so windy i didnt get them out - opted for the still timelapse that didnt work LOL

[steve000]

LOL! same I capped the same satellite. was watching it then it clicked to me why the hell aren't i capping it!@ frantically move the scope around and wait for it :P

http://steve000.dyndns.org/images/astropics/IMG_5311.JPG (http://steve000.dyndns.org/images/astropics/IMG_5311.JPG)

[h0ughy]

OK i have a small amount of time to redo some stuff - here is a slightly faster version of the nights events (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xfu0AYOz5s)

[UniPol]

Can't wait.