Total Lunar Eclipse on the 10th December 2011

On December 10th 2011 there's an excellent celestial event - a Total Lunar Eclipse. It's where the shadow of the Earth is cast upon the Moon, and the moon turns red! It's completely safe to observe and easy to photograph.

The eclipse is visible in its entirety from all of Australia and New Zealand, and Asia. For North Americans, the eclipse is in progress as the Moon sets, while observers in Europe and Africa will miss the early stages of the eclipse as it will be in progress as the Moon rises. South America misses this eclipse entirely.

For Australians and New Zealanders this will be a well-placed eclipse. The partial stages start just before midnight on the 10th December (depending on your timezone) heading into totality in the early hours of the 11th December. It's quite a short eclipse, with totality lasting 51 minutes (the Total Lunar Eclipse in June 2011 lasted 100 minutes!).

To find out what a Total Lunar Eclipse is and how it happens, how to view it and photograph it, and times for your location, check out the article I wrote:

Total Lunar Eclipse, December 10th 2011

If you live outside Australia and New Zealand, you can also check the link for times of a city nearest you.

If you've got any questions, feel free to post on the IceInSpace Forum. We've got a forum thread specifically for lunar eclipse discussions, or head to our IceInSpace Facebook page, Like our page and post on our wall.

Good luck, we'd love to see your reports and images!

2012 Yearbook and Calendar stocks still available

Getting stuck thinking of xmas gifts? The Astronomy 2012 Australia Yearbook and the Astronomy/Australian Sky 2012 Calendars are a perfect gift! I still have stock left and now's the time to get your order in.

The Astronomy 2012 Australia Yearbook is must-have yearly almanac with star charts, dates for astro events and tonnes more info about observing the night sky in 2012. It's suitable for beginners and advanced alike, whether you use your naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. The price is AU$27 which includes postage within Australia ($6 extra for postage overseas), helps and supports IceInSpace, and IceInSpace stickers are included free with every order (while stocks last). You'll also receive a 10% discount if you order 2 or more.

Buy Astronomy 2012 Yearbook Online

The Astronomy and Australian Sky 2012 Calendars are a perfect gift - affordable, informative, beautiful and useful. Delivered to your door (within Australia) for only $19, and a massive 20% discount if you order 2 or more.

Buy Astronomy and Australian Sky 2012 Calendars Online

IISAC2011 Wrap

The IceInSpace AstroCamp 2011 was held just over a week ago, over 3 nights in the beautiful hunter valley.  The forecast leading up to the event wasn't fantastic, which unfortunately meant the camp numbers were down, however fortunately for those of us there, the forecasts were wrong!

After a cloudy and drizzly Thursday, it cleared at 9pm for a stunning clear sky that lasted all night. Friday was warm and sunny during the day, and we were treated to many fly-overs by some fighter jets from the nearby Williamtown RAAF Base. The night was a mix of patchy, hazy and clear. It would've been frustrating for the astrophotographers, but for the visual observers there was always an area of sky that was clear. I headed up to the top of a nearby mountain to get internet reception on Saturday morning, and the forecast was terrible! It threatened storms and rain, and was enough to prompt some people to pack up and go home. Fortunately again, it was wrong! The sky cleared at 5pm for a beautiful night. We could see lightening off in the distance behind the hills, but the sky above us was beautifully clear with the exception of about 30-40 minutes of cloud that came across.

The guest speakers were very interesting, the company was fantastic, and the skies were dark and clear! It doesn't get much better than that.

You can read more reports and see some photos (including the group photo, above) on IceInSpace. Start from this post and go forward or back a page or two to see the rest.

Book Review - "The Transit of Venus: 1631 to the Present"

Having just written an article for IceInSpace on how to observe and photograph the Transit of Venus in June 2012, I was excited to receive the opportunity to review this book, "The Transit of Venus: 1631 to the Present", written by Dr Nick Lomb, the Curator of Astronomy at the Sydney Observatory.

Published by NewSouth Publishing in association with Powerhouse Publishing, the book is a large hardcover book (240 x 235mm), 228 pages long and contains a great balance of text, with beautiful black and white and full colour illustrations and photographs.

Read my full review including pictures at:

The Transit of Venus: 1631 to the Present

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