Beautiful Eclipse Exhibition for North America and W. Europe!

[drclay]

UPDATE from the March 3 Eclipse! - March 4....

The Eclipse made a spectacular showing for many observers from western Europe to the middle of the United States....results and photos are coming in from observers who enjoyed their first full lunar eclipse in years.

Below is an early posting from our beautiful Petit Jean Mountain:

A snapshot taken from the Gravesite (eastern point) of Petit Jean Mountain on the
evening of March 3, 2007 showing the rising moon as it emerges from a total lunar
eclipse.  The Arkansas River and its valley, hundreds of feet below, and cattle ranches
in that valley can be seen in the twilight sky.

Photo by Patsy and Clay Sherrod, Arkansas Sky Observatory
Olympus 4040 digital camera, 12x zoom.

[ben therrell]

DOC,

     Thanks for the reminder.  I hope it's clear.  If it is I'll be searching the treetops
along the Miss. River.

     I'm just about at the western edge of the totality and we will have greysky until
about  7:15.  It's going to be tough unless this is a bright totality.  Will try anyway.

Ben

[drclay]

Good luck on this Ben and everyone....
It should really provide some excellent photo opportunities particularly for your location and east of that.  Since the moon is so bright anyway, dark sky is not required which means that foreground objects such as distant trees, tall buildings, bridges, waterways, etc. can easily be framed in the picture of a rising eclipsed moon.  I STRONGLY recommend for those looking for such artsy pictures to go out the NIGHT BEFORE and see where the moon rises from your selected location and be prepared to set up about an hour ahead of time at just the right spot for the following night.  Don't assume that the moon will rise "in the east" because it will not....

Dr. Clay

[Ron]

Thanks Doc,

I learned that very thing during the last eclipse.  I set my telescope in the wrong place and missed the first part.

I sure hope this weather system gets out of here by Saturday.

Ron

[ben therrell]

Bassett Observatory,
04:28 UTC, Mar 4,

Hello All,
            I started out for the railroad tracks East of the house about 5:55 CST
knowing that the Moon was going to rise two minutes before the Sun set.
Seeing the eclipsed Moon was going to be tough.  The first thing I noticed was the
northwest wind seemed to be blowing right through me in spite of the fact that I
was very bundled up.
     I scanned the horizon for about ten minutes and had started to walk back when
I turned and noticed an orange sliver of crescent Moon rising concomitant with
the sunset.  (Totally weird.)  I scanned the crescent thoroughly looking for
signs of the dark sector and could see nothing.  I noticed the umbra was just about
to cross the Aristarchus Plateau when I decided I needed a warmup.
     I came back out later just as the umbra had crossed Mare Imbrium and the
darkened sector was more visible but still very dark.  I think this is going to proove to
be rather dark eclipse and I'm at a loss to understand why.  The Moon just barely
caught the North edge of the umbra.

Waiting on reports,
Ben
90.126 n 35.539