Partial Beauty

Normally a partial eclipse, be it Lunar or Solar, is an interesting phenomenon that I'll observe and maybe snap a few photos - if it's convenient. Having seen my share over the years it's not something I am going to plan a PTO day for. It's pretty much a "yep, there's the hunk taken out of the Moon/Sun, right as it should be" event.

The partial Lunar eclipse last week was a bit of a different animal. First, it was darn near total at 99% - a circumstance that had not occurred in quite some time (the media was all over it heralding it as the longest partial eclipse in 500 years). Secondly, unlike a Solar eclipse where that 1% makes a huge difference in what you see, a Lunar eclipse so close to totality would likely be a fine sight. Prior Lunar eclipses have always begun to turn the Moon orangish before becoming totally immersed in the Earth's shadow, so certainly that should occur with this one.

Thursday evening started off overcast but with promises from the weather prognosticators that skies would clear after midnight. With calling out to work the next morning not an option I planned to do some simple naked eye viewing and perhaps try to grab a few shots with the camera. After the HAL meeting I got the Canon onto the tripod and set the alarm for about ten minutes prior to shadow maximum.

All too soon the phone began to chime and I arose to peek out the western bedroom window to see what we had. There it was, a dark red orb with bright edge at about 8 o'clock.

Faux "Diamond Ring"

What immediately leapt to mind was how we sort of had a Lunar eclipse version of the "Diamond Ring", the tiny part of lunar limb still bathed in sunlight acting like the emerging Sun at 3rd contact. HAL member Richard Orr did an excellent job of capturing the effect in his photo seen here. It was a beautiful and slightly eerie sight, resonating on an emotional level with ancient cultures who would be concerned about what was happening to the Moon.

Hyades, Pleiades, and Eclipsed Moon

While it was cold out it was no where near as bitter as the last Lunar eclipse (January 2019) under a "polar vortex". As my eyes adapted to the night I took a moment to appreciate the beautiful scene before me - a ruddy Moon beneath the Pleiades and adjacent to Hyades (the "V" asterism of Taurus). Framing the Moon on the camera's display at the lens' maximum focal length of 300mm I worked to get a focus. While there are a lot of pluses when using a digital camera rather than film, I hate the Buzz Lightyear nature of focusing where you can go to infinity and (just a tad) beyond. In the good old days you twisted the focus collar all the way to infinity and you were confident you had Moon and stars in sharp focus. And as fate would have it, my high power shots proved to be a tad soft once I saw them displayed on my laptop later that morning.

I went through a variety of lower focal lengths and exposures to record the surreal beauty of the coppery Moon gracing Taurus. After about half an hour I went back inside to warm up and nap a little before starting the day. My preparation and the eclipse itself might have been partial, but the enjoyment and beauty of it was total.

Pleiades and Partially Eclipsed Moon