Hats off to the 2010 Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse!

[Kathryn]

What a beautiful, magical, mystical event! My husband and I really enjoyed staying up last night to witness this natural phenomenom, which is very rare. The last winter solstice total lunar eclipse visible from the Midwest was in 1638 -- the next one won't be until 2094.

Here's a photo I took during the eclipse. I wish it was clearer, but I think that would have required a much more expensive camera than the one I own!



Peace to each of you and your families during this sacred season.

 

[Reptillian]

I stayed up too and also took a couple pictures. Did you take this picture with a digital camera? When taking astronomical photos, you can adjust your camera settings manually to get good pictures. I'll post a couple of the pics I took later today. I should have pulled out my telescope and driven out of town to take some better ones with more detail, but it was pretty cold and windy last night so I doubt they would have turned out well anyway.

 

[Klaufi_Wodensson]

Over here on the East Coast it happened around 3 pm. It just so happened that the sky was blocked out with clouds, and it was snowing. So I missed the eclipse

 

[Shadow Wolf]

:sad4::sad4:It was too cloudy for me to see any of it.:sad4::sad4:

 

[Reptillian]

Here are the eclipse pictures I took, I posted them on my blog too.

 

[Kathryn]

Here are the eclipse pictures I took, I posted them on my blog too.

Those are AWESOME!

Yes, I did use a digital camera, and actually not a cheapo one either - but it IS new and I haven't really worked out how to use all the features. Plus - I was so groggy from trying to stay up!

I really need to get that manual out and figure out more about my camera. You've inspired me!

By the way, my husband doesn't know this yet, but I bought him a telescope for Christmas. Woooohoo! He's been eyeing it (no pun intended) so I mortgaged the farm and got it for him.

 

[Reptillian]

Those are AWESOME!

Yes, I did use a digital camera, and actually not a cheapo one either - but it IS new and I haven't really worked out how to use all the features. Plus - I was so groggy from trying to stay up!

I really need to get that manual out and figure out more about my camera. You've inspired me!

By the way, my husband doesn't know this yet, but I bought him a telescope for Christmas. Woooohoo! He's been eyeing it (no pun intended) so I mortgaged the farm and got it for him.

Yeah, its mainly a matter of playing around with the camera settings. I do have an unfair advantage as a physicist in figuring out the settings, since I've taken a class in optics. For nighttime sky objects I set the focal length at infinity, and since the moon was bright I had to reduce the time the shutter was open to several hundredths of a second. Usually when you're taking pictures of stars you have to make the shutter time fairly long while trying to keep the camera still.

Thats great that you bought your husband a telescope! What type is it? (Newtonian, Cassigran, Refracting) Do you know what its focal length is? Eyepieces? Interesting attachments?

 

[Kathryn]

What type is it? (Newtonian, Cassigran, Refracting) Do you know what its focal length is? Eyepieces? Interesting attachments?

I don't really know that much about telescopes. It has no attachments. It was described to me as suitable for home use, but not really lab equipment!

One clue that it's not a serious piece of equipment is that it's a replica of a 17th century instrument. It's brass and the base is wood with brass fittings. It's beautiful but not all that powerful.

If he really uses it, I wouldn't mind getting a more powerful one - we are building a big patio in the backyard and we have a great view of the sky. I think it would be cool to have one mounted on one of the posts. Any suggestions?

 

[Reptillian]

I don't really know that much about telescopes. It has no attachments. It was described to me as suitable for home use, but not really lab equipment!

One clue that it's not a serious piece of equipment is that it's a replica of a 17th century instrument. It's brass and the base is wood with brass fittings. It's beautiful but not all that powerful.

If he really uses it, I wouldn't mind getting a more powerful one - we are building a big patio in the backyard and we have a great view of the sky. I think it would be cool to have one mounted on one of the posts. Any suggestions?

Sounds like a gorgeous piece of equipment, I'm envious. Sure it probably isn't the most powerful instrument, since its a replica of something from the 17th century, but it'll probably be good for lunar observations. I have both a Newtonian and a refracting telescope. I have a solar filter for my refracting telescope, so I use it to make observations of the Sun without frying my eyes.

Two things are important with telescope design, width and focal length. Wider telescopes gather more light and produce more detail, and focal length determines how much magnification you can get with your eyepieces. Newtonian reflecting telescopes are generally big, so if mobility is what you're looking for in a telescope I wouldn't recommend one. Cassigrans are generally good, they're like a combination refracting and Newtonian reflecting telescope...best of both worlds, mobility and power. Could be mounted on a post, but I wouldn't recommend exposing it to the weather...not good for a telescope to heat up during the day, get cold at night etc...would warp the lens/mirrors and make the images blurry.

 

[TheQueenCat]

woww awesome!

 

[Christian Gnosis]

Too cloudy here as well