Eclipse was a hit
Sounds like plenty of Marylanders got a look at last night's eclipse, and many have left their impressions as comments on last night's post.
I was as surprised and delighted as anyone when I spotted the full moon on my drive home last night. Somehow there were still some flakes in the air, but the the clouds had cleared out beautifully, providing us with one of the best nights for a lunar eclipse that many of us can remember. Except for the 22-degree cold.
Baltimore's Streetcorner Astronomer Herman Heyn was on station in Charles Village. He reports something close to 100 people stopped by to see the eclipse through a friend's telescope, and Saturn through his. "People were thrilled by both," he said. "It revived my enthusiasm about lunar eclipses." After a series of them obscured by clouds here, "I'd sort of given up on them."
That's stargazing for you. You have to put up with clouds, and cold, and no-show meteor showers. But when everything aligns, as they did last night, the show is spectacular and unforgettable. I hope lots of kids got to see the eclipse last night. Mine are in their 30s now, and they both remember me waking them up one night when they were little, and shooing them to the back door to see a lunar eclipse. Spooky and exciting.
Anyway, here's a photo shot last night by Hal Laurent from East Baltimore as the eclipse got underway. If anyone else has any good shots, send them to me and I'll post them.
In the meantime, here's a gallery of eclipse photos from around the world.
Here's a shot of the eclipse by Alin Tolea. He used a Canon 40D camera with a 70mm Meade refractor telescope, and shot from Charles Village in Baltimore.
And here's what the sidewalk on St. Paul Street looked like as Streetcorner Astronomer Herman Heyn introduced visitors to Saturn. Thanks to Jessica Leibler for the photo.
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Comments
As I stood out on the driveway and watched my neighbours come and go from their cars and their houses, how very few people took the time to look up. I felt bad, and had to remind these people, who were most grateful after being pointed out.
This was the view from Newmarket Ontario, Canada with a special bonus of Saturn in the lower left hand side.
http://realworldnumbers.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/lunar-eclipse-photos-feb-20-2008-newmarket-ontario-canada/
Here's the trick to taking a great photo of the moon:
1. "Tv" (Shutter Speed priority) of 1/60
2. ISO 100 (for better sensitivity to light)
3. Manual focus to infinity
4. A good and sturdy base to cradle at the desired angle
5. Only use optical zoom, not the digital zoom.
6. Use 2 or 10 second delay (to remove the vibration from the motion of pressing the shutter button).
Posted by: Patrick Best | February 21, 2008 11:41 AM
Frank- I posted a few quick-look photos of last night's eclipse on my web site:
http://monroe.20m.com/feb08eclipse.htm
Hopefully I got some better ones with my film camera through the telescope.
Posted by: Monroe Harden | February 21, 2008 1:45 PM
Cooool!!!!!!!!!! Coooool!!! COOOOL!!!
Cooler!! Coolest!!
Posted by: Maddison | February 21, 2008 2:52 PM
In case anyone wants the gory details, my photo above was taken with a Nikon D80, 200mm, ISO 1600, f5.6, 0.77 seconds.
The camera was on a slightly-undersized tripod, and I used a cable release.
Posted by: Hal Laurent | February 21, 2008 3:54 PM
:) that was my first Lunar Eclipse ever!:)
:) and it was pretty cool! :)
Posted by: Emily | February 21, 2008 4:33 PM
As I stood outside in the freezing cold winter night, staring up at the night sky, I came to a profound realization. Even though science clearly explains the cause of a lunar eclipse, it can never explain away the mystery and awe of experiencing one. Watching the moon slowly being overcome by the shadow of the Earth briefly reminded me of just how small we are. We go about our days, consumed with our worries and cares as if they were the center of the universe. I think it is good to be reminded that our little stories are a part of a much larger story. On a heart level, it gives us a different vantage point (if only for a moment) from which to view our existence.
View some fantastic photos of the lunar eclipse from around the world!
http://eteaching101.blogspot.com
Posted by: Odysseus | February 21, 2008 7:38 PM