Total Eclipse Of the moon February 21st 2008

[Sonia]

Across the whole of the UK. An early morning event running through to the start of dawn so an alarm might be in order. The transition occurs between the two regions isnt sharp, and as the moon moes through the outer penumbra toward the umbra, a definite darkening occurs along one edge of the Moon until eventually the dark umbra makes itself known as a dark bite encrouching on the surface. The umbra is the earths shadow which the sunlight is blocked. The atmosphere is refracted which decreases the dark of the umbra. The moon will be redish or a hue.

First contact @ 00h 35m

Umbral contact @ 01h 43m

Start of totality @ 03h 01m

Greatest eclipse @ 03h 26m

end of totslity @ 03h 52m

Last umbral contact @ 05h 09m

Last penumbral contact @ 06h 17m

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Yep. Should be good.

The last one we had, last March, started off like this;

and culminated in this;

[Sonia]

Hopefully will be a clear crisp frosty night.

[Louby]

Now you can guarentee thats the one night I will be tired.

Oon it must look awesome through your scope, is there a way you can link up your scope with a camera or computer to get pics?

[Sonia]

Hi Louby i use Autostar Suite that i put up on the laptop with my 10" Goto scope, also can get a camera adapter.

I have a pic on my laptop at Tony's that ill put up later of last years eclipse.

I was taught to do astrophotography at my astronomical society also a lesson when i purchased the telescope.

[Louby]

Look forward to seeing it!!

Would love to get into astrophotography but I think the hubby would have a fit if I asked him to get me the stuff!

[Sonia]

The software depending on what type is expensive but a camera adapter for a telescope doesnt cost as much.

[Louby]

But I need the telescope as well

[Sonia]

Ah!

This should help on buying a first telescope

http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/telescope.html

http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/tbfaq.html

Edited January 18, 2008 by Sonia

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Now you can guarentee thats the one night I will be tired.

Oon it must look awesome through your scope, is there a way you can link up your scope with a camera or computer to get pics?

Actually, a lunar eclipse is, in my opinion, a naked-eye event. Once you look through a telescope, you just lose the sense of scale and things. My pictures were taken with my Canon and 300mm lens.

[Louby]

As were mine Oon, well on the Nikon, I was just curious more than anything what it would look like a bit closer up.

Thanks Sonia, will pass them onto Joe when he is in a good mood

[Weather-history]

What will make this lunar eclipse, a little extra special is that it will be in conjunction with Regulus and Saturn.

Make the most of it because the next decent total lunar eclipse to be seen from the British Isles won't be until September 2015.

[Cookie]

great pics OON.

I remember last years one well as it wasn't in the morning was around 11pm?

[Sonia]

Hey cookie, something like that.

[Bunny Girl]

Thanks for posting this, I will definitely make a note of the date, and set an alarm - mind you, might need to try and go to bed a little earlier first...

And I will look forward to seeing some more photos of the event on here if, fingers crossed, we get a nice clear night. Definitely not one for my little digital to even attempt!

[kar999]

Bump!

Just to remind people of this event this week.

[stella]

The middle of the eclipse is also the time that the U.S. SM-3 missile is

due to impact the errant secret USA 193 satellite.

[PersianPaladin]

Lol cloudy skies.

Typical.

[Hodgheg]

Totally damn overcast here. Might be a chance of clear spells later though.

[J10]

First cloudy night in nearly a fortnight.

[Louby]

Foggy here

[Cookie]

aint to bad here

[*Stormforce~beka*]

Cloudy here but I can see the moon and light? cloud skirting across it.

[Cookie]

Cloudy here but I can see the moon and light? cloud skirting across it.

same here

[Roger J Smith]

A fairly good chance of seeing it here at a more civilized hour too, as 0326z is 7:26 pm in my time zone.

Skies here are partly cloudy at 4 pm, but the cloud is mostly elevated fog and should begin to dissipate after sunset.

Not much experience with astro-photopgraphy but we'll give it a try. Looks to me as though you would need to be in the southwest or south central coastal counties of England to have much of a chance to see this.