Total eclipse of the moon tonight.

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    Eclipse Moon
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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses the total lunar eclipse occurring tonight, including various participants' experiences, expectations, and weather conditions affecting visibility. The conversation encompasses personal anecdotes, technical observations, and light-hearted exchanges related to the event.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express excitement about the total eclipse and share personal stories related to moon-gazing.
  • Several users mention specific timing for the eclipse in different locations, noting that it will occur around sunset in some areas.
  • Weather conditions are a common concern, with participants reporting overcast skies, cold temperatures, and the likelihood of not being able to see the eclipse.
  • Some participants discuss their viewing setups and equipment, including cameras and binoculars, while others joke about the challenges of visibility due to trees or clouds.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the fictional nature of "South New Jersey" and playful banter regarding local education systems.
  • Participants share their experiences of watching the eclipse in real-time, including descriptions of the moon's appearance and attempts to capture images.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a common interest in the lunar eclipse, but there is no consensus on visibility due to varying weather conditions and locations. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best viewing experiences and outcomes.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include varying local weather forecasts, personal viewing conditions, and the subjective nature of participants' experiences with the eclipse.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in astronomy, lunar events, or those looking for community engagement around celestial phenomena may find this discussion relevant.

Jimmy Snyder
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If the last one was any indication, tonight's total eclipse will completely darken the entire full moon. Just remember, never look directly at the moon without protection. My girl and I were gazing at the full moon one night twenty years ago and now we're married with two kids.
 
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The eclipse is quite late if you're in the UK, from about 3:00 - 4:00 GMT. Don't know if I'll get a picture tonight like last years.
 
It will be just at sunset here on the US west coast, unfortunately it looks like it will be overcast.
 
jimmysnyder said:
Just remember, never look directly at the moon without protection. My girl and I were gazing at the full moon one night twenty years ago and now we're married with two kids.
Grrrr. <D H wipes coffee from screen> That post should have come with some kind of spray warning.
 
Integral said:
It will be just at sunset here on the US west coast, unfortunately it looks like it will be overcast.
The whole show lasts a little over 2 hours. Here in the People's Republic of Northern South Jersey, it will begin at 8:45 pm. The forecast is for bright sunny skies tonight with a 90% chance of snow. Forget the moon, we won't even be able to see the Earth.
 
jimmysnyder said:
TForget the moon, we won't even be able to see the Earth.

:smile:

I don't think I have much chance of seeing it. It's going to be too close to sunset, and supposedly while the moon is still low in the sky, which means it'll likely still be hidden behind the trees if I try to view it from home (and given that the forecast here is similar to that in the People's Republic of Northern South New Jersey :smile:, I'm not planning to be anywhere BUT at home to watch). But, maybe I'll get lucky and it'll happen while in a gap between trees, or just over the tree line.
 
Moonbear said:
South New Jersey.
That's South Jersey. South New Jersey is a fictitious land created by Joyce Kilmer in his famous poem: 'I never met a tree I didn't like'.
 
We've got sporadic cloud cover, with more of the same expected tonight. May get a glimpse of it through some sucker-holes,though, if I can stand the cold long enough. We've had 20-30 mph winds all day with much higher gusts and it shows no sign of letting up. Combine that with our normal single-digit night temps and BRRRR!

Maine is so far east that we really should be in the Maritime time zone, so the sky should be very dark with the Moon at a good elevation. Hmm...the Independent Republic of South Canada...that has a nice ring to it.
 
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We're in NM, and I can see why it was chosen early on for atom bomb tests...

Anyway, we gots a mass of cold wet air due to get here just before sunset. When the eclipse gets going. Integral gave us that nice cloudy mass, it's all his fault.
 
  • #10
jimmysnyder said:
That's South Jersey. South New Jersey is a fictitious land created by Joyce Kilmer in his famous poem: 'I never met a tree I didn't like'.

How about New South Jersey? Perhaps that's what we should rename Delaware. :biggrin:
 
  • #11
jimmysnyder said:
The whole show lasts a little over 2 hours. Here in the People's Republic of Northern South Jersey, it will begin at 8:45 pm. The forecast is for bright sunny skies tonight with a 90% chance of snow. Forget the moon, we won't even be able to see the Earth.

Bright sunny skies tonight?
 
  • #12
tribdog said:
Bright sunny skies tonight?

The residents of The People's Republic of Northern South Jersey don't really have the best education system (that, or they have something far more interesting than an eclipse happening there). :smile:

Good catch!

So, will you be spending the night howling at the moon?
 
  • #13
tribdog said:
Bright sunny skies tonight?
It's an eclipse, silly. The light from the sun will be bent clear round Cape May, up the Parkway and along the White Horse Pike.
 
  • #14
Moonbear said:
The residents of The People's Republic of Northern South Jersey don't really have the best education system.
We had the no child left behind program long before you guys. I'll have my grandpa to explain it to you as soon as he gets back from school tonight.
 
  • #15
Moonbear said:
So, will you be spending the night howling at the moon?

Nah, neighbor keeps throwing shoes at me when I try.
 
  • #16
Jim, your in NM, what part? Yeah really sucks that we got this crappy weather tonight as its right after dark here. Damn you weather!

BTW, shouldn't this be in Astronomy?
 
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  • #17
Clear shot of the moon, up my neighbors driveway and inbetween her trees!
 
  • #18
Kurdt said:
The eclipse is quite late if you're in the UK, from about 3:00 - 4:00 GMT. Don't know if I'll get a picture tonight like last years.

I might try to stay awake, but I doubt I'll manage it! Plus I'm not exactly in the right place to be viewing: I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but in London it's pretty cloudy.
 
  • #19
The eclipse is going to start here in about 1 hour and a perfectly clear shot from my window.
 
  • #20
cristo said:
I might try to stay awake, but I doubt I'll manage it! Plus I'm not exactly in the right place to be viewing: I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but in London it's pretty cloudy.

Well I don't have any commitments at the moment so I could stay up. Unfortunately the weather in Newcastle is cloudy too. Also I live on a hill and I just realized that the moon is behind the hill during the eclipse. Never mind :rolleyes:
 
  • #21
Evo said:
The eclipse is going to start here in about 1 hour and a perfectly clear shot from my window.

Take some piccies Evo :smile: *bats eyelids*
 
  • #22
Evo said:
I need something better than a camera phone. My older daughter has a 12 megapixel camera. I called her to ask if she'll be taking pictures.

This won't cut it.

moonan7.jpg

Come on over Kurdt, the actual view will be spectacular.
 
  • #23
Ooh, the moon is high enough for me to see, and it's just starting (a little sliver of moon is darkening). Cloud cover is iffy though...about 10 min ago, the moon was completely hidden by clouds.
 
  • #24
Evo said:
Come on over Kurdt, the actual view will be spectacular.

I'd love to if I could move like superman.
 
  • #25
A chunk of the moon is missing. When it gets larger I will take another picture with my 2 megapixel cell phone. Where is spawn and her ultracam?
 
  • #26
I have an excellent view out my bay window with my astro binos.

That's Saturn to the left of and below the Moon.
 
  • #27
Here's the first photo I took (I took another a few moments ago, but my hand was apparently too shaky and it didn't come out well).

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/7273/22008eclipse1hl4.jpg
 
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  • #28
Here was my effort from last year for comparison.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/2113/lunareclipse030307hb7.jpg
 
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  • #29
Kurdt said:
Here was my effort from last year for comparison.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/2113/lunareclipse030307hb7.jpg
Ooooh, Yeah last year was so clear, but I didn't have the camera you have, great shot Kurdt!
Last year, the moon was huge. This year it's smaller.

Moonbear's image is what it looks like this year.
 
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  • #30
I'm watching now... only a fingernail left...
 

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