19-05-2018
.. 9.34pm ..
ISO 6400 - 13 s. - f/3.5 - 18 mm
Friday, August 3, 2018
CENTRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE Image Credit & Copyright: Anthony Ayiomamitis (TWAN)
Reddened by scattered sunlight, the Moon in the center is passing through the center of Earth's dark umbral shadow in this July 27 lunar eclipse sequence. Left to right the three images are from the start, maximum, and end to 103 minutes of totality from the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century. The longest path the Moon can follow through Earth's shadow does cross the shadow's center, that's what makes such central lunar eclipses long ones. But July 27 was also the date of lunar apogee, and at the most distant part of its elliptical orbit the Moon moves slowest. For the previous lunar eclipse, last January 31, the Moon was near its orbital perigee. Passing just south of the Earth shadow central axis, totality lasted only 76 minutes. Coming up on January 21, 2019, a third consecutive total lunar eclipse will also be off center and find the Moon near perigee. Then totality will be a mere 62 minutes long.
ECLIPSE OVER THE GULF OF POETS Image Credit & Copyright: Paolo Lazzarotti
The total phase of the July 27 lunar eclipse lasted for an impressive 103 minutes. That makes it the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century. The Moon passed through the center of Earth's shadow while the Moon was near apogee, the most distant point in its elliptical orbit. From start to finish, the entire duration of totality is covered in this composite view. A dreamlike scene, it includes a sequence of digital camera exposures made every three minutes. The exposures track the totally eclipsed lunar disk, accompanied on that night by bright planet Mars, as it climbs above the seaside village of Tellaro, Italy. In the foreground lies the calm mediteranean Gulf of La Spezia, known to some as the Gulf of Poets. In the 3rd century BCE, heliocentric astronomer Aristarchus also tracked the duration of lunar eclipses, though without the benefit of digital clocks and cameras. Using geometry he devised a way to calculate the Moon's distance from the eclipse duration, in terms of the radius of planet Earth.
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE Taken by Michael Karrer on July 27, 2018 @ France
Located in Southern France the Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct, the highest of all Roman aqueducts. An impressive place to watch the eclipse!
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE Taken by Ali Ebrahimi Seraji on July 27, 2018 @ Western Iran
The longest total lunar eclipse in the 21st century in western Iran
COLORS OF THE LONGEST LUNAR ECLIPSE Taken by Petr Horálek on July 27, 2018 @ Rhodes, Greece
Enjoy the colors of the century’s longest lunar eclipse on 27 July 2018. The Moon was close to its distant point of lunar orbit, making the apogee lunar eclipse. Moreover, as the Moon went through the central part of the shadow, it took over 103 minutes of the total eclipse (the middle sequence). Even if the Moon was deep in the shadow, it didn’t dissapear completely. That’s because of scattered sunlight in Earth’s atmosphere, which sends the longwave part of the sunlight spectrum, the twilight colors, in the shadow. And the Moon gets red. Many observers around the world, including me, also reported „rainbow“ colors of the Moon at the beginning and before the end of the totality. Indeed, the typical orange-red color with a „turquoise“ tint on lunar edge close to the edge of the Earth shadow, made this eclipse very colorful. In fact, it is caused by effect of our ozone. The mosaic was captured over Rhodes Island, Greece. Used Canon 6D, MTO 1100mm/f10.5, ISO 500, 15s exposures on Vixen GP-2 mount (total eclipse) and ISO 200, 1/60s exposures (partial phase).
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Thursday, August 2, 2018
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