Lunar Eclipse 10-8-2014

[Guest]

Just wanted to start a thread on the Eclipse. I got up about 4am CT and stayed until 6am. I used my Nikon D3100 to capture images.

Here is an annotated version of one of my images.

DSC_0255b by RadarDude, on Flickr

[rene-gedaly]

Amelia G and I were able to run down to the coast for the eclipse, start to finish. Our first choice was to set up at the Stingaree Marina but were surprised to find that street lamps now rimmed the parking lot. Racing against time, it was already after 3 a.m., we set up at the end of Bob's Rd on the Bolivar Peninsula, right along the intracoastal waterway canal. We were surprised to see how many barges silently travel the waterway all night long, most dimly lighted with red or blue light.

The road was also surrounded by salt marshes so the mosquitoes were thick despite the light breeze. Fortunately we had packed repellent and light applications every half hour or so did the job. More importantly, the location was a winner as we had unobstructed views from west to east along the bay side (north) of the peninsula.

Nearing 5 a.m. we spotted what we thought could be Uranus, and as the eclipse progressed, became more and more convinced of it. That blue color was just visible to my eyes in binoculars.

The night was clear and the eclipse impressive with the longest totality I'd witnessed. We were pleasantly surprised at how many Messier objects we could find in that bright but darkening moonlight. We were also able to spot Grimaldi, even in totality. (Sketching Grimaldi is a requirement of the AL Universe Sampler.)

The nail-biter for us was when we realized we had a better than good shot at seeing the eclipsed moon during sunrise. The clear skies we'd experienced all night evaporated as morning twilight came and the clouds started rolling in. The higher clouds turned that luminous pink that often happens with sunrise, but beauty aside, it was not what we were hoping to see. When we thought all hope was lost, we spotted the sun rising under a bank of clouds. A quick about face showed the still eclipsed moon and we'd done it; seen a selenelion.

As if that weren't enough, hundreds of shorebirds--egrets, herons, and roseate spoonbills--had been roosting in the marshes right next to the road and took no notice of us as they awoke for breakfast, stepping out of the grassy marsh and into the salt water for a feeding frenzy.