Lunar Eclipse tonight! (Sat. March 3rd!)

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This Saturday night (3 March) the Earth will move between the sun and the moon. The Earth will cast its shadow on the moon, leaving our largest natural satellite to bask only in refracted Earthlight, which it reflects back to us in all its bloody glory.

The actual colour of the reflected Earthlight depends on the condition of the Earth's atmosphere, particularly its dust content. It can be anything from a deep coppery red to a dull grey.

Proceedings begin shortly after 8pm, when the moon moves into our planet's penumbral shadow. It takes a little over an hour for it to move into the darker umbra, but this stage should begin by half past nine, and reach totality by a quarter to eleven.

The eclipse will last for around 75 minutes, finishing two minutes before midnight. The moon will be totally out of our shadow by half past two in the morning.

Exciting!

― Slumpman, Saturday, 3 March 2007 20:27 (eighteen years ago)

Dammit, the local paper says it'll only be a dull copper grey.

I want my blood moon!

― kingfish, Saturday, 3 March 2007 20:30 (eighteen years ago)

I don't think i've ever seen a lunar eclipse. maybe it will be a little bit red.

― Slumpman, Saturday, 3 March 2007 20:44 (eighteen years ago)

this would be fucking awesome but i think it's gonna be too cloudy to see

― gabbneb, Saturday, 3 March 2007 20:52 (eighteen years ago)

wow, a dull grey moon! i cant wait

― and what, Saturday, 3 March 2007 20:54 (eighteen years ago)

PEOPLE, the moon is going out for some hours. Is no one else excited?

― Slumpman, Saturday, 3 March 2007 20:55 (eighteen years ago)

it's probably going to be too cloudy here to watch, but I'll try. It's the Earth's shadow!

― Lingbert, Saturday, 3 March 2007 21:05 (eighteen years ago)

Moon still white and visible so far... I hope it goes red. But I'm not sure I can stay awake until 10.45.

― Archel, Saturday, 3 March 2007 21:05 (eighteen years ago)

Nice and clear tonight and the moon is just clearing the trees in the garden. Time to get the tripod out!

― Michael Jones, Saturday, 3 March 2007 21:38 (eighteen years ago)

Fucking weather.

― Laurel, Saturday, 3 March 2007 21:39 (eighteen years ago)

Can't see nowt here. Hmph.

― .stet., Saturday, 3 March 2007 22:09 (eighteen years ago)

not cloudy here. perfect view

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Saturday, 3 March 2007 22:15 (eighteen years ago)

Poor Laurel and stet!

Oh, for a 300mm lens tonight. With a max focal length of 55mm, I'm getting basically a dot which blows up to a pixelly blob. I've come inside to get a jacket. 19min to totality. It's looking sort of grey so far - no nice red hue.

― Michael Jones, Saturday, 3 March 2007 22:25 (eighteen years ago)

it's a very dim veiled red here save for the slightest cream tip. just been out to try and take a few pics.

― blueski, Saturday, 3 March 2007 23:01 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, it did go a bit red in the end. Camera battery is charging after the exertions of many long exposures but will Flickr the best soon (and that won't be very good)...

― Michael Jones, Saturday, 3 March 2007 23:03 (eighteen years ago)

Blood moon! Blood moon! Amusingly I got a bulletin on Myspace from the nice people at Andrew Maxwell's Full Mooners to remind me about this. Even more amusingly, while walking the dogs around the estate and looking up at the moon, I met six people, and none of them were looking at it. I told them to and they did. Who the hell walks around on a lovely clear night like this in a housing estate in the countryside and doesn't look up at the sky?

― accentmonkey, Saturday, 3 March 2007 23:06 (eighteen years ago)

I'm not sure I'll be able to see any of it -- it's still sunny here and the moon is only barely starting to rise.

― Rock Hardy, Saturday, 3 March 2007 23:24 (eighteen years ago)

Taken from the carport, ducking below the fence to avoid the glare of the streetlamps (everything I took from the garden has bloody branches in the way!):

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/45/409229781_4262be41b1_o.jpg

― Michael Jones, Saturday, 3 March 2007 23:24 (eighteen years ago)

went to roof could not see

― jh0shea, Saturday, 3 March 2007 23:38 (eighteen years ago)

Had a terrific view here. Looked great. My dad's camera wasn't powerful enough to get good pics I don't think. Will have a look in the morning and see if any turned out.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Saturday, 3 March 2007 23:54 (eighteen years ago)

Was great... Myself and AlexT saw it start and finish. Well cool. I can see it finishing out my window, right now.

― Keith, Sunday, 4 March 2007 01:09 (eighteen years ago)

Great photo Michael!

― Trayce, Sunday, 4 March 2007 01:30 (eighteen years ago)

RED MOON. AWESOME.

OMEN!

― Slumpman, Sunday, 4 March 2007 02:24 (eighteen years ago)

I was shocked at the amount of people who had no knowledge of the eclipse. To the extent that i travelled around the pub telling people to go outside and look at it. Maybe it's because i'm young and haven;t seen one before, or because i am more excited than i should be, but really; shouldn't this be more widely anticipated?

ECLIPSE YO

― Slumpman, Sunday, 4 March 2007 02:27 (eighteen years ago)

Another excellent photo from Michael Jones. Michael, can I put your photo on my blog instead of the crappy white-dot-with-a-bit-out-straggling-across-the-frame photos that I took? My photo skills suxor.

― accentmonkey, Sunday, 4 March 2007 08:07 (eighteen years ago)

Didn't we just have a [partial] lunar eclipse like a year ago? Or so?

― Casuistry, Sunday, 4 March 2007 09:51 (eighteen years ago)

There'll be another one in August too - this time visible in Aus :) I might invest in a long range lens for my SLR and have a go at some night photography.

― Trayce, Sunday, 4 March 2007 10:12 (eighteen years ago)

None of my photos were anywhere near as good as Michael's, but I did get a few fuzzy representations of the different stages it went though...they're here.

― JimD, Sunday, 4 March 2007 10:12 (eighteen years ago)

agh fuck I missed this

― Curt1s Stephens, Sunday, 4 March 2007 10:12 (eighteen years ago)

Jim, those are pretty good too. Srsly mine look like a street lamp. Fuck it.

― accentmonkey, Sunday, 4 March 2007 10:21 (eighteen years ago)

It was pretty good, the moon went sorta light purple and raspberry red!

I put a tea cosy on my head and pretended I was a druid.

― jel --, Sunday, 4 March 2007 10:54 (eighteen years ago)

I stayed awake! Got a perfect view, although the experience was slightly spoilt by the drunken students in neighbouring gardens going 'is that that eclipse then?' and getting astronony wrong.

Wonderful photo MJ! i think the best thing about the eclipse wasn't so much the colour but the way it really made the moon seem 3d rather than the disc it usually appears.

― Archel, Sunday, 4 March 2007 11:00 (eighteen years ago)

Accentmonkey - yes, you can use my pic if you like. Glad you like it.

Flickr was deluged with lunar eclipse pics last night - at one point three out of four thumbnails in the random "Everyone's pictures" just-uploaded stream was moony. You should see what people with proper gear (300mm lenses, equatorial mounts, etc) managed; makes mine look like a blob. And who knew focusing on the moon would be so tricky? You'd think infinity would do it - you know, it is 240,000 miles away - but no.

― Michael Jones, Sunday, 4 March 2007 14:59 (eighteen years ago)

my dad called in the midst of it. i was walking east and only a block or two from the river but there were still too many buildings and clouds and lights to see anything. he sent these pics though (from the must more astronomer-friendly south carolina):

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/410286845_4481b89eac.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/410286844_925709b89f.jpg?v=0

not nearly as awesome as m jones' photo though!

― tehresa, Sunday, 4 March 2007 19:34 (eighteen years ago)

We had a great view from Fife. Hard to get a long exposure cause of course everything's moving. Got a few nice shots though.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fremsley/410522104/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/410522104_798c2f03f6.jpg" width="431" height="500" alt="Total Eclipse Of The Moon" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fremsley/410522374/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/410522374_21a984e631.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Pink Moon" /></a>

― cheasyweasel, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:34 (eighteen years ago)

Damn, how shameful.

― cheasyweasel, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:35 (eighteen years ago)

ihttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/410522374_21a984e631.jpg

ihttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/410522104_798c2f03f6.jpg

― cheasyweasel, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:38 (eighteen years ago)

and again I am an idiot. how do you post images to ilx2?

― cheasyweasel, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:38 (eighteen years ago)

[Removed Illegal Image]

― cheasyweasel, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:41 (eighteen years ago)

see below the text entry box

― Ed, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:41 (eighteen years ago)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/410522374_21a984e631.jpg

― cheasyweasel, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:43 (eighteen years ago)

Thanks Ed, I realised that after. As I said I am an idiot

― cheasyweasel, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:44 (eighteen years ago)

nice shot of it

― Ed, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:45 (eighteen years ago)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/410522104_798c2f03f6.jpg

― cheasyweasel, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:46 (eighteen years ago)

Bwoah! Those pics are fantastic.

We had a really great view, Amber wanted to be woken when it happened, but come 23:00 she basically said "I'd rather sleep" and went back to. Following morning, remembers none of it.

― Mark G, Monday, 5 March 2007 09:57 (eighteen years ago)

bah! missed it!

― Grandpont Genie, Monday, 5 March 2007 10:01 (eighteen years ago)

It happening just after our set! Was sitting outside with Frances and Joe and Joe just looked up and said "wow, the moon looks cool..." like it had had a bite taken out of it. By the end of Flowers of Hells' set, it was BLOOD RED.

I had to explain the mechanics of lunar eclipses to the rock kids, but that's kind of my job.

― Masonic Boom, Monday, 5 March 2007 10:53 (eighteen years ago)

lol

― G00blar, Monday, 5 March 2007 10:55 (eighteen years ago)

I remembered this just minutes before it finished, moon was very small but it still looked really cool

― Ste, Monday, 5 March 2007 10:56 (eighteen years ago)

Various shots from Scots flickrites here...

http://www.flickr.com/groups/scots/discuss/72157594565741224/

And from Brummie flickerites here...

http://www.flickr.com/groups/birmingham/discuss/72157594564140989/

Some nice shots - including (on the scottish one) one that moves - how did they do that?

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:03 (eighteen years ago)

[Removed Illegal Link]

[Removed Illegal Link]

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:05 (eighteen years ago)

Why illegal? I don't understand!

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:05 (eighteen years ago)

I remembered this just minutes before it finished, moon was very small but it still looked really cool

Ste on Monday, 5 March 2007 10:56 (9 minutes ago)

Were you standing on Mars?

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:07 (eighteen years ago)

was it large for everyone else then? it was really small at about 11:44pm (gmt)

― Ste, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:11 (eighteen years ago)

I think it was probably the same size for everyone!

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:13 (eighteen years ago)

rofl, thanks, i just realised what a dumb question i asked

― Ste, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:28 (eighteen years ago)

No, it will be different size depending on latitude. The moon was big because it was a close point in it's orbit, certainly at high latitudes, it was colossal at moonrise.

― Ed, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:30 (eighteen years ago)

Heh, Kate explanation (following on..)

I was explaining the concept of the lunar phases and the concept of eclipses using/positioning three things to my nephew Dean, and Amber says "oh if you'd said that before in the car, I'd have understood it better"

"I WAS DRIVING A CAR!!"

"Yeah, but still!"

― Mark G, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:31 (eighteen years ago)

That's excellent, Cheasyweasel. And all done with a Powershot S2 IS! Gotta love that 72mm focal length and 12x optical zoom. I don't think the geezers with the big lenses did much better than that.

― Michael Jones, Monday, 5 March 2007 12:01 (eighteen years ago)

Thanks Michael. One of the reasons I got the camera was the big zoom, don't think I could do without it now.

― cheasyweasel, Monday, 5 March 2007 12:57 (eighteen years ago)

Ed - I don't think this is right - the moon is the same size no matter where you see it. It's an optical illusion that it appears bigger called the...er...'moon illusion'.

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 13:06 (eighteen years ago)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_illusion

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 13:10 (eighteen years ago)

[Removed Illegal Link].

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 13:11 (eighteen years ago)

Ned's right, Ed. Me and Mister Monkey have had this argument many times, and he has employed annoying things like "facts" and "experts" to back him up, the bastard.

― accentmonkey, Monday, 5 March 2007 13:56 (eighteen years ago)

Ed - I don't think this is right - the moon is the same size no matter where you see it. It's an optical illusion that it appears bigger called the...er...'moon illusion'.

Uh, I'm pretty sure Ed wasn't saying the moon actually is bigger in size at different points--da moon doesn't grow--just that it will look bigger in the sky depending on FACTORS and such. Just because it's an optical illusion doesn't mean it doesn't look bigger.

― G00blar, Monday, 5 March 2007 14:41 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, but there's yr optical illusion - brain is fooled into thinking something is larger when it ain't - and an optical effect - object isn't any larger but appears to be so due to some atmospherical shenanigans. I think we're in agreement that the former is the case here, yes? So this illusion will not persist in a photograph, is that right? In other words, "cor, it's a big moon tonight!" does not = bigger image on film/CCD.

― Michael Jones, Monday, 5 March 2007 15:28 (eighteen years ago)

Ah, the illuson doesn't apply to a camera? huh.

― G00blar, Monday, 5 March 2007 15:29 (eighteen years ago)

haha we watched this, my son couldn't have cared less, he was all "yeah okay can we go back to playing Wii?"

― nickalicious, Monday, 5 March 2007 15:32 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.musogato.com/avatar/cast-pics/zhao2.jpg
For generations the Fire Nation will tell stories about the great Zhao, who darkened the moon! They will call me Zhao the conqueror! Zhao the moonslayer!

― nickalicious, Monday, 5 March 2007 15:33 (eighteen years ago)

Moon appears to be bigger === moon is closer to you!

― Mark G, Monday, 5 March 2007 15:33 (eighteen years ago)

But the moon isn't closer to you (not in any meaningful way anyway)! And (xpost) Ed said The moon was big because it was a close point in it's orbit which is just not right. Or so I am led to believe.

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:02 (eighteen years ago)

But, you know, yeah - it does look big!

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:05 (eighteen years ago)

Well, yes, when the moon's near perigee, it'll look bigger. But I think what we're talking about here is the moon appearing even bigger than that - is it an atmospheric thing (i.e. effect can be photographed) or the brain being fooled by the Ponzo illusion (or something similar - angle subtended on the retina [or sensor of yr camera] remains the same).

― Michael Jones, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:10 (eighteen years ago)

the odd thing is, and correct me if i'm wrong, isn't the moon actually closer to you when it's high up in the sky rather than when its near the horizon ?

― Ste, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 09:27 (eighteen years ago)

Yes. Although not so you'd notice. It's certainly an odd illusion.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 10:24 (eighteen years ago)

three years pass...

into this

― harlan, Tuesday, 21 December 2010 05:26 (fourteen years ago)

Chicago is getting shit on by snow tonight, so not a shot of seeing it.

― one pretty obvious guy in the obvious (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 05:27 (fourteen years ago)

I heard it's the first total lunar eclipse on the winter solstice in around 400 years, and my sky is crystal clear. Now I just have to stay awake for it!

― Lightning Is For Babies (Johnny Fever), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 05:33 (fourteen years ago)

coffee w/booze imo

― harlan, Tuesday, 21 December 2010 05:36 (fourteen years ago)

i'm beering it up in preparation. my source says 1:33 am EST, is that what everyone else has got?

― Gukbe, Tuesday, 21 December 2010 05:39 (fourteen years ago)

The eclipse begins on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st, at 1:33 am EST (Monday, Dec. 20th, at 10:33 pm PST). At that time, Earth's shadow will appear as a dark-red bite at the edge of the lunar disk. It takes about an hour for the "bite" to expand and swallow the entire Moon. Totality commences at 02:41 am EST (11:41 pm PST) and lasts for 72 minutes.

If you're planning to dash out for only one quick look - it is December, after all - choose this moment: 03:17 am EST (17 minutes past midnight PST). That's when the Moon will be in deepest shadow, displaying the most fantastic shades of coppery red.

― circles, Tuesday, 21 December 2010 05:57 (fourteen years ago)

cloudy as hell in the bay area, but the few seconds I was able to glimpse it were pure beauty

― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 07:31 (fourteen years ago)

the rain in sf stopped long enough to get a beautiful look for a while. clouds rolled back in before it went full dark but: wow

― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 07:40 (fourteen years ago)

this has been great. cold out there, but i keep checking out every 10-20 minutes.. moon's all gone now. awfully dark.

― not everything is a campfire (ian), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 07:51 (fourteen years ago)

I looked at the red moon with my binoculars & it was awesome

― Square-Panted Sponge Robert (VegemiteGrrrl), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 08:18 (fourteen years ago)

grr it's all cloudy here v_v

― Egyptian Raps Crew (bernard snowy), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 08:35 (fourteen years ago)

It is freezing fog her and I could barely see the other side of the street when I looked out the window an hour ago :-(

― ailsa, Tuesday, 21 December 2010 08:50 (fourteen years ago)

i had a perfect clear sky for this, stunning. it's weird how much smaller the eclipsed moon seemed to me in comparison to the normal moon. for me it appeared a kind of rusty brown color.

― rhymes with a$$ange (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 08:55 (fourteen years ago)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5290/5279886738_8e67038209.jpg

― not_goodwin, Tuesday, 21 December 2010 09:01 (fourteen years ago)

beautiful!

(saw nowt here, too low in the sky and obscured - bah)

― Bill A, Tuesday, 21 December 2010 09:20 (fourteen years ago)

Wanted to SO MUCH but circumstances converged: toothache, inability to fall asleep early so as to get a few hours' rest, nagging cough. I knew I would wish I had persevered. Totally lame.

― Jesus Christ, the apple tree! (Laurel), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 15:10 (fourteen years ago)

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