Total Eclipse This Sunday

[Ben]

FYI for anyone interested - Supermoon eclipse on Sunday. I got hosed on the last full eclipse because of fog, but will be up at 9000 ft and forecasted clear skies on Sunday. Of course I'll need to wake myself up at 0100. You East Coasters will have a better time of it.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015/09/24/sundays-rare-supermoon-eclipse-what-need-to-know/?intcmp=hplnws

[RoadKingLarry]

Starts here right at sunset/moonrise.  I actually took the night off so I could do the photography thing.

[charby]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOxhH8N3Bo

[vaskidmark]

Forecast for rain showers and cloudy up and down the eastern seaboard all weekend.

How am I supposed to be in fear of the gods and in awe of the power of the local shaman to bring back the moon from the bellies of the wolves that ate it if I cannot see anything?

I'm pretty sure my religious rights are being trampled.  What's the phone number for the ACLU?

stay safe.

[K Frame]

Will Mars be the same size and in the sky at the same time?

[RoadKingLarry]

Will Mars be the same size and in the sky at the same time?

Well, I saw it on facebook so it must be true.

[wmenorr67]

Will Mars be the same size and in the sky at the same time?

Fun Size or the Share Size Mars

[Ben]

Starts here right at sunset/moonrise.  I actually took the night off so I could do the photography thing.

Oh, duh! Never drink and post. Astronomical full eclipse at 1951 for me. I'm bringing the camera, tripod, and big lens. There should be some good opportunities for moonrise shots both on Sunday and the following days.

[roo_ster]

Saw the one in 1982.

[makattak]

Oh, duh! Never drink and post. Astronomical full eclipse at 1951 for me. I'm bringing the camera, tripod, and big lens. There should be some good opportunities for moonrise shots both on Sunday and the following days.

Please post what you get as we on the eastern side of the country will be covered by clouds.

[Ben]

Please post what you get as we on the eastern side of the country will be covered by clouds.

Will do. Hopefully they'll be 25% as good as what Larry has been posting recently. I've always been kinda sucky at night photography. Daytime nature has always been my forte, but hey, this is a perfect opportunity for skill improvement. 

[BobR]

I just wish I had a lens capable of taking the shots the way they need to be taken. Normally for special events I rent a lens or two but didn't get around to it this time.

bob

[RoadKingLarry]

If you have a camera with a "Manual" mode the moon isn't all that hard to capture. It's pretty much fully daylight lit, just kind of small compared to the rest of the sky. Expose for a bright object lit in full daylight. 

Exposure data for this one
Time: 1/125
ISO 200
F/10
250 mm

[Ben]

Thanks Larry - figuring out night time exposure is my biggest problem. I'll give your settings a go. I'll be using my Sigma 150-500mm.

I think I read that some of the coolest "moonscape' pics I've seen were superimposed. A landscape shot at 35mm or so, and another shot of the moon with a big lens. I'll have to try that one of these days. For this time, my biggest problem will be finding the right place to shoot from - I've really never watched the moonrise from there (Mammoth) before, so will be guessing. Plus I want to find a place where I won't drive off the trail and down a cliff on my way out in the middle of the night. 

[zahc]

You have to expose the moon at least one or two stops more than you would for bright sunlight. The reason is that the moon is dark grey or black and you want it to look light grey or silver.

If RKL used those exposure settings on a daylight scene it would be about 2 stops overexposed. Conversely if you used sunny-16 exposure on the moon, it would look black  (like it actually is).

[230RN]

Tech:  Since this is a supermoon (35,000 miles closer ? ), will this be like an annular eclipse?

I know the penumbra will be bigger than the umbra, but how does all that work out?

[RoadKingLarry]

Info for the eclipse

http://earthsky.org/?p=51212

Ben, What camera do you have? I've been eyeing the Sigma 150-600 Sport lens and it's been talking to me a little...

[Ben]

Info for the eclipse

http://earthsky.org/?p=51212

Ben, What camera do you have? I've been eyeing the Sigma 150-600 Sport lens and it's been talking to me a little...

I have the Nikon D300s. I've been really happy with the Sigma. It's a circa 2011 model.

[RoadKingLarry]

The wife has a D90 that uses the same sensor as the D300, not quite as capable as the D300S though.
I'm a Canon fan boy but she wanted a Nikon.
I've been giving some serious consideration to the Canon 6D for the high ISO performance FF sensor. I'll likely wait for.the 6D MKII which is rumored to be coming after the first of the year just to see what it brings to.the party.

[230RN]

Answered:

http://en.es-static.us/upl/2015/09/total-lunar-eclipse-sep-28-2015.jpg

Thank you !

[Ben]

Crap.

CLOUD COVER-WISE, PERIODS OF HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WILL BRING PARTLY
CLOUDY SKIES AT TIMES THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON, WITH A FEW CUMULUS
DEVELOPING DURING DAYTIME HEATING. MOVING ON TO SUNDAY EVENING, A
WEAK UPPER WAVE IS PROGGED TO MOVE OVER THE REGION AND COMBINE
WITH A THIN HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE FEED. THIS SHOULD SUBSTANTIALLY
INCREASE AND THICKEN MOISTURE/CLOUDS, WHICH IS SHOWN IN THE
NAM/GFS/ECMWF AS WELL AS THE 12Z GEM CLOUD MODEL. THEREFORE, THE
LUNAR ECLIPSE VIEWING REMAINS IN JEOPARDY. IF THE THICKER CLOUDS
CAN HOLD OFF JUST A FEW HOURS, THERE MAY BE A THIN CIRRUS DECK
WHICH COULD ALLOW FOR AT LEAST SOME VIEW OF THE ECLIPSE. THE BEST
BET FOR VIEWING CURRENTLY IS FOR AREAS NORTH OF A PORTOLA TO
GERLACH LINE WHERE MODELS SHOW THINNER MOISTURE ALOFT. SNYDER

[Northwoods]

SWMBO took the Things to Goldendale, WA for the eclipse.  So I'm flying solo this weekend.  Hopefully I'll get to see it here on the wet side.

[Ben]

Well, I got hosed by clouds. Set up the camera at a nice spot with a view of Mono Lake between me and where the moon should have been, but no go. I had hopes for a quick peak through a sliver break in the cloud cover, but it only got thicker. Gave up a half hour after totality and headed back to town, where, of course, I got a little peak while driving back.

Now I'm watching the end on a livestream. 

[RoadKingLarry]

I've got a few that I'm not too embarrassed to share but I haven't uploaded them yet. We had quite a bit of haze but the biggest problem was the dolt running the camera tonight.

[RoadKingLarry]