Lunar Eclipse, February 20th

[Lambda_drive]

There is going to be a total eclipse on February 20th, starting at about 8:43 PM. I'll try to take a few pictures of it.

[SchwinnStr8]

Funny you bring that up...i was just at the griffith park observatory yesterday and read something about the next lunar eclipse. How do you go about taking a picture of something like that? Really slow shutter speed?

[Lambda_drive]

Originally Posted by SchwinnStr8

Funny you bring that up...i was just at the griffith park observatory yesterday and read something about the next lunar eclipse. How do you go about taking a picture of something like that? Really slow shutter speed?

Its actually pretty easy, you don't really have to worry about shutter speed, the moon should be bright enough that you won't need to take a long exposure, also , its not a very good idea to use a slow shutter speed since the moon is moving it'll be blurred.

What you really have to worry about is if you have a long enough telephoto lens. I've got a canon S2 and its fine, 12X zoom, 436mm max focal length.

Here's what kind of shot I can get with my camera.

[dirtmistress]

Nice shot. Bump this on the 20th!

[kanga]

For those who remember film, the "sunny 16" rule applies to taking direct pics of a full moon (not pics illuminated by a full moon), so you'll need a camera with manual control.

Sunny 16: Set the aperture to f/16 and shutter speed to the nearest reciprocal (in seconds) of the ISO setting. For example, at ISO 100, use shutter speed of 1/100 second (or 1/125 second).

During a total lunar eclipse the brightness will go down significantly, so adjust accordingly... enjoy! And post your results!

[kanga]

Originally Posted by Lambda_drive

There is going to be a total eclipse on February 20th, starting at about 8:43 PM. I'll try to take a few pictures of it.

BTW, that time is EST. For us it will start at 5:43 as a partial, and the time of totality is from 7:01 to 7:51 p.m.

Moon will rise at 5:32 p.m. at an azimuth of 76 degrees (rounded). What rides will give the best view for a lunar eclipse moonrise? Sunset will be at 5:40, and civil twighlight at 6:05 p.m., so there should be some dramatic photo ops....Time to do some research...

[sdyeti]

Bump! Hopefully it'll be clear tonight!! (where's the crossing fingers smiley?)

[SchwinnStr8]

It was clear! Where are the pics?

[RustyIron]

11:11 here, and I had to go outside for a gander. The eclipse is all over, but there's a moon ring that was worth braving the cold for.

[Lambda_drive]

Originally Posted by SchwinnStr8

It was clear! Where are the pics?

I didn't bring my camera with me on the ride, I thought it was going to be cloudy for the whole night, but some how the clouds parted.

[SchwinnStr8]

oh wells...i took a mental picture

[rockinrocker]

oops missed it...there is always 2010

[DBD]

We had cloud cover all night hear so we did not get to see it.

Nice photo LD.

[SSinGA]

Looked good here in GA

[OTHRIDER]

Perfect viewing from Brea. I enjoyed a loooong jaccuzi and occasionaly took a break from my Stone IPA to see the progress of the eclipse. Not as exciting as a night ride, but the IPA made up for it.