Total Lunar Eclipse Saturday March 3rd 2007

Here's hoping for a clear night that night. We're due a cloudless full total lunar eclipse...



,...oops! Did I just jinx it!

The last one was in May 4th 2004, we had a big storm at the time with 70mph wind and intermittent rain with some gaps in the clouds.

I remember that one. I spent most of the night in the lee of a clump of trees scanning the sky for a break in the clouds but didn't get as much as a glimpse.

Dave,

Although we all pray and wish for perfect weather for such events, adverse weather can produce some very dramatic results .... and your photo is such an example. Very nice!

Nice shot Dave.

A total lunar eclipse gives an indication of the amount of particulates in the earths atmosphere. The darker the colour of the moon, the more particulates (pollution) in the earths atmosphere. A nice coppery or red colour indicates a 'cleaner' atmosphere. Note that this does not give earth a clean pollution free bill of health. Most dark eclipses occur during times of high volcanic activity, meaning that the particulates have to be massive in size. A red moon could occur even though the atmosphere is heavily contaminated by gaseous pollution. It's just one part of the jigsaw.

Heres hoping for clear skies on 3rd.

Hi Everyone
Just wondering about the upcoming lunar eclipse on March 3rd and if anyone on the forum has used a camcorder fitted to a standard tripod to record previous lunar events? (Sorry, I don’t have a telescope / ancillary equipment just at the moment ).
I am presuming that the analogue tape of the event could then be possibly digitised and enhanced by software, e.g., Photoshop or RegiStax on a PC! Anyone tried this setup?
Hoping for clear skies!

All the best
Mike

Mike,

Your asking for a lot there.
For starters the moon will look quite small in your shots, unless it's a high end camcorder with good optical zoom - don't bother with digital zoom. Use manual focus. Most camcorders have an output to play back to TV etc, and this is usually the means that you would transfer to PC, but you'll need a frame grabber board, and associated software to create a movie, preferably AVI. If you do manage to get an AVI produced, you still won't end up with a very good picture after registax, because without a tracking mount the moon will be moving across your field of view constantly and any manual adjustments will introduce shake and jitters, especially if your using full optical zoom.

My advice is use a pair of binoculars and sit back and enjoy the show - weather permitting.