Catching the Eclipse Last Night: A Tale of Cold and Clear Skies

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    Cold Eclipse
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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses the experience of observing a lunar eclipse, including personal accounts of viewing conditions, photography, and the emotional significance of the event. Participants share their observations, challenges faced, and reflections on the eclipse, as well as interactions regarding visibility and photography techniques.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Personal experience sharing
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their experience watching the lunar eclipse and Saturn, noting the cold but clear conditions.
  • Another participant shares their experience of seeing the eclipse from a plane, highlighting the unique perspective.
  • Some participants discuss the visibility of lunar eclipses compared to solar eclipses, with one acknowledging a mix-up between the two types.
  • Several participants express appreciation for the photographs shared, with one noting the emotional significance of watching a lunar eclipse during a first date.
  • A participant questions whether a red dot seen in their photos was Saturn or possibly debris from a satellite.
  • Another participant reflects on the collective experience of people watching the eclipse simultaneously across different locations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the enjoyment and significance of the lunar eclipse, but there are mixed experiences regarding visibility due to weather conditions. The discussion includes some confusion over the types of eclipses, indicating a lack of consensus on that point.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention challenges with visibility due to clouds, and there is uncertainty regarding the identification of objects in photographs. The discussion reflects personal experiences rather than a systematic analysis of the eclipse.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in astronomy, photography, and personal narratives related to celestial events may find this discussion engaging.

NerfMonkey
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Did anyone else catch the eclipse last night? I drug out the Dob around 9:30 and watched until 11:15 or so. It was brutally cold but totally cloudless and clear for most of the night. Saturn was right there too, at opposition I believe; so I got some good views of it too.

I took a bunch of pictures but the only ones showing the rusty color that are any good are these two:

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/4769/eclipse003pn1.jpg
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/4986/eclipse027jc3.jpg
 
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Nice pics!
 
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Why? Lunar eclipses are visible pretty much anywhere the moon is visible. It's solar eclipses that are visible over small areas.
 
Disregard. Thanks for the compliment.
 
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NerfMonkey said:
Thank you.


I said nothing about it being visible in a small area. Lots of places were too cloudy to see the moon and I wanted to share some photos with the community. If you didn't care to see them or discuss the eclipse you shouldn't have opened the thread.

Sorry Nerf, this is my fault! I mentioned that the eclipse would have been only visible in your area as I confused solar and lunar eclipses in a brief brain fart. I quickly edited this away (as you can see from the times stamps) but Vanadium posted clearly without having seen the edited version. He was responding to me not you! Think first then post is the lesson I've learned here. Sorry to cause confusion!
 
I also saw the eclipse, but from a plane ! Almost nobody (around me at least) realized that.
 
I saw a plane go over while out with the telescope and wondered if those people had a good view of it. Very cool.
 
A good lunar eclipse is a fantastic site. I once had a first date watching a Lunar eclipse (nerdy and romantic at the same time!). I'm not sure if it was some kind of pagan omen but some years later we are now engaged :)
 
Wallace said:
A good lunar eclipse is a fantastic site. I once had a first date watching a Lunar eclipse (nerdy and romantic at the same time!). I'm not sure if it was some kind of pagan omen but some years later we are now engaged :)

That is nerdy and romantic! Congrats!

Sadly, I was one of the ones who couldn't see it because of clouds all night. Very nice photos!
 
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I photographed the eclipse a few times, and some of the pics had a red dot in the top left of the picture. At first i thought there was something wrong with the camera, then i zommed into it and saw little stripes going across it. Was that Saturn?
 
  • #11
Quincy said:
I photographed the eclipse a few times, and some of the pics had a red dot in the top left of the picture. At first i thought there was something wrong with the camera, then i zommed into it and saw little stripes going across it. Was that Saturn?

It might be one of the debris from the burned satellite streaking out?
 
  • #12
NerfMonkey said:
Did anyone else catch the eclipse last night? I drug out the Dob around 9:30 and watched until 11:15 or so. It was brutally cold but totally cloudless and clear for most of the night. Saturn was right there too, at opposition I believe; so I got some good views of it too.

I took a bunch of pictures but the only ones showing the rusty color that are any good are these two:

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/4769/eclipse003pn1.jpg
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/4986/eclipse027jc3.jpg

Good pictures! I don't have a good camera (it's good enough usually) and it was kind of cloudy here, but oh well.

It's just amazing that people in so many places were all watching it at the same time.
 
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