Eclipse tonight

RCNPhotos

Not sure the exact details but there's an eclipse tonight, the kind you can watch and shoot safely (lunar?). Due to begin at around half 12 I belive til 3 and then on til 3:51. Just saw it in the paper there incase anyone was interested.

Thirdfox

Yep it's a lunar eclipse - nothing dangerous about looking at the moon

I had heard from 1:30 to 2... I might still be up at 12:30

Looking out the window there's quite a bit of cloud though

Fajitas!

I'd stay up, but I have to catch a 06:00 train in the morning back to Dublin. And it appears Roen is dragging me to the pub...

phog

More details here, it says it will last for 51 minutes - if there's a clear sky then there should ample opportunity for good photographs for those interested. Not sure that I'm going to get up at that hour.

latchiko

From beginning to end it starts at 1.43am and finishes at 5.09am. The total ecslipse occurs between 3.01 and 3.51. Everything you need to know is here. It's overcast here in Limerick too but maybe it will clear up later.

GristlyEnd

I'm half tempted to stay/get up for this as I'm finished work until next Wednesday. Will keep an eye on the cloud cover tonight.

Thirdfox

latchiko wrote: »

From beginning to end it starts at 1.43am and finishes at 5.09am. The total ecslipse occurs between 3.01 and 3.51. Everything you need to know is here. It's overcast here in Limerick too but maybe it will clear up later.

Thanks



Image taken from the NASA website.

TJM

One pointer - Forget about using a teleconverter at totality (unless you're using expensive fast glass) - there's so little light that it's already hard enough at f5.6 or whatever to get an image without blurring from the motion of the Moon across the sky. Two shots from the most recent eclipse:







Finally, if you're lucky enough to have clear skies where you are, consider creating a time-lapse montage (not my photos, alas):

nilhg

Its the last one for 8 years, so would be nice to have a go, not looking good on the cloud front though.

As they say on the weather forum its a nowcast situation, I'll have another look before I go to bed and see how things look.

Thirdfox

Hey TJM - what settings were you using? Did you have to bump the ISO up to 800?

And do you know how to create a time-lapse montage? Is it just multiple images stacked using "lighten" in photoshop?

Thirdfox

Slightly off topic but for star lovers then I highly suggest you download the freeware Stellarium - it is a free star mapping software - it is so accurate that the eclipse happened at exactly 3:01 on the programme! Same for the total solar eclipse that will take place in Beijing on the first of August this year.

I cannot sing its praises highly enough - great piece of free software. And really handy when you're out in the field and want to locate constellations or nebulae etc.

leohoju

Thirdfox wrote: »

Hey TJM - what settings were you using? Did you have to bump the ISO up to 800?

And do you know how to create a time-lapse montage? Is it just multiple images stacked using "lighten" in photoshop?

If you have Control Pro for your Nikon D40, you can set it up to do time lapse photos. It's not free, as it comes bundled with CaptureNX, but you should be able to download a trial version for tonight at least.

It does mean that you have to leave your camera connected to your PC though!

Correction, doesn't seem to support the D40. Sorry!

deRanged

it's a bit cloudy here in Cork but not too bad. I'll have to see what it's like later.
The New York Institute of Photography has a special report on the lunar eclipse and how to photograph it.

TJM

Thirdfox wrote: »

Hey TJM - what settings were you using? Did you have to bump the ISO up to 800?

The totality shot was:
Exposure: 4 sec (4)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 300 mm
ISO Speed: 200

and for the partial shot:

Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/180)
Aperture: f5.6 (but using a 2x teleconverter)
Focal Length: 300 mm (600 effective)

Hmm - looking back at those stats, it seems like I should have been able to get away with the teleconverter at totality by bumping the ISO up - on the night though it just didn't work. Maybe tonight it'll work (in which case please ignore my earlier comment).

Thirdfox wrote: »

And do you know how to create a time-lapse montage? Is it just multiple images stacked using "lighten" in photoshop?

There's free astro photography software that will do it automatically for you - otherwise stacking in photoshop works just fine. The challenge would be aligning the images to reflect the actual progression of the eclipse as the moon transits across the sky. There's a lovely NASA shot here which might give some inspiration. Otherwise I suppose you could your images by including some landscape in the foreground and using that as a reference.

Cabaal

so is it tonight so, I thought it was tomorrow night (21st)?

kleefarr

3 O'Clock tonight I heard.

Stokolan

Lol I thought it was last night.. Good thing I'm on night shift tonight.. Kensutz better have that 300mm with him!! I only got my 70 - 200mm and my dodgy picture taking to try and catch it

Beelzebub

nilhg wrote: »

Its the last one for 8 years, so would be nice to have a go, not looking good on the cloud front though.

As they say on the weather forum its a nowcast situation, I'll have another look before I go to bed and see how things look.

You are incorrect - the next total lunar eclipse is in 2010

Less than 3 years time.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/lunar.html

Cabaal

tomorrow night I heard and thats what Julie put on the boards.ie calendar event thing, ah crap....

kensutz

It's starting in 3 hours and we're on nights. Might have to duck out to set up the gear and see what I can get.

Cabaal

ah bollox it anyway, don't think I can manage a late thing tonight, anything worth seeing tomorrow night?

FruitLover

Cabaal wrote: »

so is it tonight so, I thought it was tomorrow night (21st)?

3am tonight is the 21st.

Cabaal

FruitLover wrote: »

3am tonight is the 21st.

ah yes, good point
doh!!

nilhg

Beelzebub wrote: »

You are incorrect - the next total lunar eclipse is in 2010

Less than 3 years time.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/lunar.html

Partial in Ireland I believe, from astronomy.ie

A total eclipse of the Moon is far more common than a total solar eclipse. However it is definitely a treat to be savoured. The wee small hours of February 21st provide us with just such a lunar eclipse. We won't see another total lunar eclipse as good as this one until September 28th, 2015, nearly 8 years from now. With this in mind it may be prudent to arrange to view this one considering how long we have to wait for the next one. In fact we have to wait until New Years Eve in 2028 before we have will see the entirety of a total lunar eclipse in the pre midnight sky. So don't let the unsociable hour of this one put you off observing one of nature's greatest spectacles.

Thirdfox

Hmm looks like total cloud cover:

from uKforecast.com

latchiko

Beelzebub wrote: »

You are incorrect - the next total lunar eclipse is in 2010

Less than 3 years time.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/lunar.html

That's what I originally thought too, but if you click the link on that page, it shows that Ireland does not see the total lunar eclipse. The next total lunar eclipse visible from Ireland is in 8 years.

deRanged

it's reasonably clear in Cork still.

Redisle

Damn.. I would have loved to take pics of this, and I just had a look outside and can see the moon perfectly although there is a large mass of cloud cover lingering nearby..
Unfortunetly the longest lens I have is 50mm, no point in trying really

Thirdfox

Could make for a nice landscape shot...

TelePaul

I'm gonna head out and see what there is to be seen before i commit to staying up till 4...

Thirdfox

I going to bed until 2:30... looks like the moon is visible through the clouds - might not get a good photo but at least I'll see a natural phenomenon

Fajitas!

Roen made me go pub.

TelePaul

Thirdfox wrote: »

I going to bed until 2:30... looks like the moon is visible through the clouds - might not get a good photo but at least I'll see a natural phenomenon

Yeah I noticed that too, it's certainly shining on through here.

440Hz

I couldnt be bothered staying up. Luckily someone in my house is setting their alarm to get up and check the cloud cover. If its shot worthy, ill get a wakeup call Not too cloudy either.

TelePaul

Fajitas! wrote: »

Roen made me go pub.

You stay away from Roen!

Thirdfox

Ah sure - we might as well make it a photo challenge then - time for the D3 and those lovely f2.8 super primes to show what they're made of

Don't mind my D40 with f5.6 short telephoto

Fajitas!

TelePaul wrote: »

You stay away from Roen!

Train in 5 hours.

deRanged

completely clear here again - looks like I'm staying up.

GristlyEnd

It's getting very cloudy in Balbriggan. Not looking good at all. Going to give it another 30 mins and see if I'm staying up.

TelePaul

It's quite cloudy here. Well it was last time I checked. But sure I'm gonna try it anyways. Wish I ahd a pot noodle or something.

GristlyEnd

Cloud cover has gotten worse, can't see a thing. Time for bed. Looks like it's 2010 for me then.

Biro

Can't even see a hint of the moon here in Limerick with all the clouds. Balls.

forkassed

http://www.sat24.com/frame.php?html=homepage

Cork's lookin good,
Dublin ..borderline..gonna go out and have a gawk anyway

tricky D

Those damn clouds have some perfect timing for us Dubliners

Thirdfox

Lots of clouds - but I've waited this long

I just want to see the total eclipse (even if I can't photograph it in the end)

Ah ffs,I could see it perfectly here in Limerick up until an hour ago and now the clouds have arrived.I'm off to bed :mad:

Good luck Thirdfox,there'll probably be a gap in the clouds some time between 3 and 4 but it's going to be a long wait.

xshayx

Loads of open sky except where the moon is, blody clouds :mad:

the GALL

places people, what way are winds blowing, and where are the clouds

ShakeyBlakey

the GALL wrote: »

places people, what way are winds blowing, and where are the clouds

the best way I can answer that is..........I'm here, wind is blowing right to left(if i turn round its left to right), and the clouds are up in the sky.
OHH NASA are shooting down the satellite in the next half hour 3.30am, but we wont see that either!!!

tallulah_crack

have stayed up all night in antcipation, strange as it may sound, i am not a big fan of nature, but after a recent personal tragedy thought it might be a bit cleansing ya know? anyway cloud is thick over waterford and i aint seein no eclipse tonight

Jim

Totally covered here in England as well