Was just reading (for those interested) that there will be a total Lunar Eclipse on Jan. 20 for all of North America to view. It will start at approx. 9:00pm ET and last until 11:44pm ET. The moon will not go completely dark but instead turn a eerie red with the darkest period appearing at approx. 10:00pm ET. It will stay at its darkest period for around 77 min. Should be pretty cool to watch, so get out your telescopes. They also said that you should wear sunglasses to eliminate the glare for the nicest view.

[This message has been edited by Gravedigger (edited 01-08-2000).]

I plan on burning up a couple rolls of film on this one as it should be pretty good as long as the weather holds. Just hope for clear skies that night.

Mike

Just wanted to bring this up near the top of the list again, I heard on the radio that it will look like sunrise and sunset all together as the sunlight bends or reflects around the earth. I'll have my camera on the ready - now I'll need some clear skies (lets hope)

Mark

Any photo tips from the experts on how to capture this phenomena?

IANA "expert" by any means, but I hope to capture this on film. Here is my plan, basic as it is.

It probably goes unsaid, but use a tripod and a long exposure. How long? I don't know. My plan is to use a bunch of film, shooting at different f-stops, hoping that some shots come out the way I'd like. I plan to use a 70-210mm zoom lens and will probably take most shots at the upper end of the zoom range. A longer lens might be nice to try, but I'd rather not fumble outdoors in the dark with lens changes. Also, longer lenses let in less light, so that means longer exposures and the problems they bring. I will probably use mostly ASA400 film, but will probably try some ASA800 and some ASA200 as well. The higher the ASA number, the more light-sesitive the film. This is an asset when shooting in low-light conditions. All else being equal, the faster the film (higher ASA rating), the more "grainy" the prints come out.

I hope this helps someone, but I look forward to tips from those who really know what they are doing.


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-Art

1. slide or print film? Slide film captures exactly what you shot. Print film does too, except when the print is made, it is interpreted by someone at the photo lab. They are NOT used to photos with black backgrounds and little dots of light. If you use print film, pre-warn them to judge these images as night photos of stars. If the prints are all washed out, they should reprint them for free. Also see #10

2. Speed of film? Shoot 400 ASA or higher. The highest speed film is about 1600 ASA this may be labeled as 3200 ASA, but needs special processing. You'll probably find this film only at high end camera stores, not COSTCO or WAL-Mart. Get the highest speed you can.

3. Tripod. The more solid, the better.

4. Exposure setting of "B" (Bulb) meaning an ability of keeping the shutter open. Some camera have shutter settings of 15 - 30 - 60 seconds.

5. Cable release. If you push the shutter button to open the shutter and if you have to hold down the button to keep the shutter open, you WILL jiggle the camera. Whether you have a cable release or not, hold a black card in front of the lens when opening and closing the shutter - remove the black card and time the exposure manually.

6. What f-stop? Understand that there is a direct relationship between shutter speed, film ASA, and f-stop. Normally in star trail photographs, you open up the f-stop to the widest position (smallest number). If the 'correct' exposure for a particular picture is 1/125th second at f8 on ASA200 film, then changing the film to ASA400 (2xspeed) would mean the correct exposure would be 1/250th at f8 or 1/125th at f11.

7. Don't rely on your camera's auto-exposure system. By-pass it. Your camera is expecting daylight photographs and will over-exposure the dark image of the night sky or, if you have a long telephone lens and can fill the frame with the moon, it will under-expose the image. But do use the built in metering system to determine a starting point for exposures. For example, if your metering system reads in fstops through the lens, compose a photo showing half moon and half dark sky. This will be an average of the two areas in your photo. Let's say you have ASA400 film and the shutter is set for 1/15th second and the meter shows f4. Start with that setting and either hold the shutter speed constant and vary the f-stop on either side of f4 (bracketing) for different exposures.

8. Bracket and take notes. Make a record of the frame number, fstop, shutter speed and film so you can see what worked. Adjust just one thing - the fstop OR the shutter speed as you bracket.

9. Don't use long exposures on the moon shots. The moon is moving pretty fast and expsoures of 30 second, for example, will show a blurry image because the moon 'moved' during exposure. I have a 1000mm telescope/lens and when pointed at the moon, it fills about 75% of the frame; you can easily see the movement of the moon through the lens because the tripod is fixed.

10. Tell the film processor what is on the film. Suggest they process it only and then you'll go over the negatives with them before they make prints.

If you have a camera which will take multiple exposures on the same frame, set up your camera so that during the course of an hour, the moon will 'move' from left to right. Take short time exposures about 15 minutes apart. You MAY end up with a string of moons across the frame showing the progression or regression of the eclipse.

Keep in mind the eclipse will start while there is still light in the sky, but will end in 'total darkness'. You will need to adjust exposure as you shoot during the time of the eclipse.

Thank you all so much for the great information!! The Captain got a telescope for Christmas and this will be a great event to capture!

Seattle Sailors

Here are a few more telescope tips to make your viewing experiences more enjoyable.

1.) Bring the scope outside about an hour before you plan to go out to view. This way the scope, mirrors, lenses will have time to equalize to the air temperature. This will minimize distortion of the images.

2.) Purchase or construct a dew shield if you have a refractor,schmidt-cassegrian or mukastov optics. This will help prevent dew from forming on the outside lens of the scope increasing your viewing time. A hair dyer helps to.

3.)Your eyes take about 15 to 20 minutes to fully adjust to the dark. When your eyes are dark adapted it is easier to find your way around the night sky and also the images in eyepiece will look better. And, never use a flashlight unless you cover it with a layer of clear red plastic. White light will ruin your "night vision" and you will need another 15 to 20 minutes to adjust again.

4.) Since the best viewing is in the winter DRESS WARM. Can't stress this one enough. Your not movin' around alot and it gets cold fast.

5.) Have fun!!! The night sky is natures masterpiece. It's always there and you can see it any time you want (weather permitting) for free.

Hope this info is helpful to you all.

Thanks for all of the telescope information. I hope we have a clear view tomorrow night, they are predicting snow for tomorrow here and pretty cold temperatures - around 10 I think. Happy lunar gazing to all.

~Dale from NY

Thanks for all the info, as always this place is a great resource!
Know we just need some cooperation from the weather? Last night would have been perfect.
- cold and snowy 4-6 inches LI bureau.
(gosh I miss Bob M. - I hope his shift changes soon)