[aslyfox]

Rare Lunar Eclipse Will Be Last Until 2021

January 20, 2019


Rare Lunar Eclipse Will Be Last Until 2021

it's a " blood moon aka full wolf moon "

" Walter Freeman, assistant teaching professor in the Physics Department at New York’s Syracuse University, said people wanting to see the lunar eclipse should start looking from around 10.35 p.m. ET. “At that time, the Earth's shadow will begin to pass in front of the Moon, blocking almost all of the Sun's light from reaching it,” he said in a statement.

“Observers will see the Moon appear to be progressively 'swallowed up' starting from the lower left. This process will end at 11:40 p.m., when the Earth's shadow covers the whole of the Moon's surface; this is the beginning of 'totality.' This will last until around 12:40 a.m., when the motion of the Earth's shadow will carry it past the Moon, and the Moon will gradually again be lit by the Sun. At 1:45 a.m., the Moon will be fully visible again.”

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any one got hints for those of us who don't usually try to photograph the moon ?

[boriscleto]

Ironic that the information comes from a SU professor, it will probably be cloudy here...

[FreeSpirit9]

Manual focus. Take your time and play with the setting until you feel happy with the result. SOmeone else might have some setting to suggest I forgot. It might be something line ISO 100. apperture 8 speed 1/60 but not sure

[Bob 256]

Partial phases will require about the same exposure as if you are taking a daytime photo here on earth since the crescent will be fully illuminated by the sun. You can practice on the moon prior to the eclipse and the exposure will change very little. When totality starts, it's a bit of a guessing game for exposure based on your lens setting and the degree of totality. Fortunately, with digital cameras, you can immediately get feedback on your exposure and make corrections as needed. The nice thing is, totality for the moon lasts much longer than for the sun so one can take time to compose a shot.

Tracking isn't required for the partial phases since shutter speed can be relatively fast, but at totality, slower exposures may need it. If you have a tracking mount for star work, it will work fine for the moon since the difference in motion is insignificant for the length of exposure we're looking at.

To get in close, you'll need a 500mm lens or better for a FF camera but some good shots can be had by including the moon as part of a landscape shot - still a longer focal length lens will be better if you want the moon to be of any significant size in the shot. Long shots with a longer focal length will produce a "bigger" moon relative to any earthbound scenery and they require shorter exposure time to prevent smearing. It may be necessary to combine long and short exposures for landscape shots and tracking can't be used when including any landscape.

Don't overlook HDR if you have that capability.

[Docrwm]

Partial phases will require about the same exposure as if you are taking a daytime photo here on earth since the crescent will be fully illuminated by the sun. You can practice on the moon prior to the eclipse and the exposure will change very little. When totality starts, it's a bit of a guessing game for exposure based on your lens setting and the degree of totality. Fortunately, with digital cameras, you can immediately get feedback on your exposure and make corrections as needed. The nice thing is, totality for the moon lasts much longer than for the sun so one can take time to compose a shot.

Tracking isn't required for the partial phases since shutter speed can be relatively fast, but at totality, slower exposures may need it. If you have a tracking mount for star work, it will work fine for the moon since the difference in motion is insignificant for the length of exposure we're looking at.

To get in close, you'll need a 500mm lens or better for a FF camera but some good shots can be had by including the moon as part of a landscape shot - still a longer focal length lens will be better if you want the moon to be of any significant size in the shot. Long shots with a longer focal length will produce a "bigger" moon relative to any earthbound scenery and they require shorter exposure time to prevent smearing. It may be necessary to combine long and short exposures for landscape shots and tracking can't be used when including any landscape.

Don't overlook HDR if you have that capability.

Ah, but with the Q all I need is a 50mm lens Well, not quite that short but still......

[Just1MoreDave]

Because you have time, you can use a lot of different equipment. For one lunar eclipse, I set up one camera with a 50mm, one with a 200mm and one with 400mm. A wide angle lens will capture the star field not normally visible with a full moon. Various online resources can tell you where the eclipse will be, and you can see the moon now so you can pick a shooting location. Although the moon won't be that big in the frame with your DA* 300/4, you can always crop.

[aslyfox]

not sure if I am personally going to try any photos

but the advice is great for anyone checking the thread out

please keep it coming

[Riggomatic]

I concur with @FreeSpirit9

F8, ISO 100, 1/80 does it for me. My longest lense is the K-300mm, and it works fine on my K-5.

Use a sturdy tripod, and liveview to focus. Also a 2second delay just to be sure.

My picture isn't an eclipse, just an example of the equipment and settings above

[k1man]

are you using manual focus ? as on auto unless the moon is dead center the k1 wont focus, ian

[photoptimist]

HDR and bracketing is your friend!

The uneclipsed part of the moon is in full sun and is best exposed with the Lunny f/11 rule. That that means that if you use f/11, then the proper shutter speed is one over the ISO such as f/11, ISO 100, 1/100 sec. If you want to open the lens a stop or to, then the shutter speed needs to be faster by a stop or two (f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/400 second)

But the eclipsed part of the moon is like shooting landscapes not long after sunset -- the moon being lit by post-sunset horizon light scattered and refracted around the day-night line. It is much much darker! Exactly how much darker varies from eclipse to eclipse both due to how close the moon passes to the center of the Earth's shadow and due to the variations in clouds and dust around the Earth.

[Sandy Hancock]

Unfortunately it will be a total fizzer in Australia this time.
Totality can be very dark indeed. This was shot at ISO 25600 1/60 f/4.0 with the DA*300 on the KP

[robgski]

Ironic that the information comes from a SU professor, it will probably be cloudy here...

I know the feeling. I love living here, but we often have cloudy skies on the nights when eclipses or meteor showers occur

[aslyfox]

just checked my local forecast for the night of January 21, 2019 ( yeah, I know how accurate can it be ?? ) but currently it calls for mostly cloudy skies around Topeka, temperatures in low 20's ( F ) with " feel like " temperatures about 10 degrees colder

[photoptimist]

Unfortunately it will be a total fizzer in Australia this time.
Totality can be very dark indeed. This was shot at ISO 25600 1/60 f/4.0 with the DA*300 on the KP

Nice shot!

That exposure is almost 12-stops darker than Lunny f/11 rule for exposing the uneclipsed moon.

[robgski]

Since PF has members from the northern and southern hemispheres, it's interesting to see how much our views of the moon vary.