Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

9:47 p.m. EST:  It started out clear, but by 9:30 p.m. we’re getting some light cloud.  I’m staying home for this one near Traverse City, Michigan.  Below is my 9:30 p.m. picture:

The full moon 12/20/10 9:30 p.m. EST through light clouds

My equipment is simple.  I’m using my Canon A570 IS camera with 2X telephoto in manual mode.

11:23 p.m. EST: It’s hazing over.  The moon looks better than this photograph taken at 11:10 p.m.  The color balance is off.  I don’t know whay, though it is intensified by adjusting the levels of the image.

The moon at 11:14 p.m. EST

According to http://www.wunderground.com (Weather Underground) at this time we’re in the middle of a relatively thin cloud band that may pass over before the eclipse starts.  Here’s hoping.

12:27 a.m. EST: The penumbral part of the eclipse is starting now.  The moon is entering the moon’s outer shadow.  Nothing will be visibly different about the moon until about 1 a.m. when the left part of the moon will begin to appear  a bit dusky.  It’s still hazy out but not as bad as an hour ago.   The map on Weather Underground shows the cloud dissipating and moving to the east. Looks like the clouds are coming from the southwest.  However now we’re getting a radar image of precipitation now moving near Manistee, about 6o miles southwest of us.  It’s gong to be a race to see if we can see the start of the partial eclipse before the clouds and snow get us.  The weather service says that there will be snow after 1 a.m.  I’d hate for them to be right for a change.

1:11 a.m. EST: When I took the shot below it was much clearer than a half hour ago.  I underexposed the photo but it does show the duskiness on the left edge of being deep in the penumbral shadow.  It really wasn’t apparent to the eye.  Sunglasses help is seeing it.

Under exposed moon about half way into the earth's penumbral shadow at 1:03 a.m.

1:17 a.m. EST: The Weather Underground maps show the snow either dissipating or moving east rather the northeast.  We might get this eclipse in after all.

1:38 a.m. EST: We are in the partial phase now:  The image below was taken at 1:33, just 2 minutes into the eclipse.

The moon 2 minutes into the partial phase of the eclipse at 1:33 a.m.

It is clearer that at any time since the first photograph.  I did spot some heavier clouds to the southwest, but they weren’t very big.  The Weather Underground map still looks promising.

1:57 a.m. EST:  High clouds are affecting the moon’s image again making it fuzzy.  It looks clearer visually than in photographs.  At this point in the eclipse I try to get an idea of the brightness and color of the umbra.  The haze has so far prevented me.

The partially eclipsed moon at 1:53 a.m.

2:15 a.m. EST: It’s getting hazier, so I didn’t attempt a photograph.  With binoculars I was able to ascertain that the umbral shadow appears to be the red of a normal eclipse.  I heard one prediction on the radio yesterday that the shadow may be darker than usual due to volcanic ash high in the atmosphere.  Whomever didn’t quote a source.  Bu it looks like a normal red colored moon in totality.

2:42 a.m. EST: We’re in totality.  I can hardly see the moon through the thickening clouds.  I can see the the moon in binoculars, so this isn’t a particularly dark eclipse.   I’m hanging it up now.  I have to go to work this morning.

Update  3:40 p.m. EST: It never did clear up after my last post, so I got nearly 3 hours sleep.  I’m really dragging about now.  There’s lots of good eclipse images posted on space.com, spaceweather.com and even the Huntington post.