Couldn't Photograph Eclipse - Cloudy :-(

astrostu · Feb 21, 2008

I don't want to seem arrogant enough that I think folks would be waiting for my photos ... but after writing the guide on eclipse photography, I thought people may want to see what I got tonight.

(drum-roll, please)

NOTHING. :grumpy:

Clouds. Clouds. And a few more clouds. Just as it was going into totality, we had 3 minutes of translucency. I got 1 shot of a blurred gradient. As it came out of totality, we had more translucency. It looked decent in binoculars and low-powered telescopes, sucky in the big 'scopes. But horrible for photography because the penumbral part was bright to the point that it produced a huge glow in the surrounding clouds so you couldn't see the umbral part.

Looking forward to 10:31 MST, December 20, 2010. :grumpy:

Battou · Feb 21, 2008

You are not alone

LaFoto · Feb 21, 2008

And to tell you the truth, astrostu: I was waiting for your pics. So - big, big bummer! Sorry for you. 2010 is not so far away, though (why do they say in Europe it'll be 2011 when we get to see the next eclipse then???)

nealjpage · Feb 21, 2008

Stupid Grants Pass City Council meeting took 5 hours! I didn't get out until 11, so I missed it, too.

jstuedle · Feb 21, 2008

We went shopping, by the time I got back it was about 1/2 phase. Was cool to watch though.

astrostu · Feb 21, 2008

LaFoto said:
And to tell you the truth, astrostu: I was waiting for your pics. So - big, big bummer! Sorry for you. 2010 is not so far away, though (why do they say in Europe it'll be 2011 when we get to see the next eclipse then???)

Aww, thanks LaFoto. You made my night. :hug::

It's actually amazing that the public thought it was really neat to see the photos of a circular smudge that was faint red on one side to a lighter white on the other (I was doing it at an observatory where we had a public star party and people came to look at the clouds). I had my photos from August's eclipse up on the computer as a, "Look, I really do take better pictures than that!" but they liked the crummy "live" smudges more. Go figure.

As to the next eclipse, the next total eclipse isn't until December of 2010. It's pretty much an eclipse for North America, the best location being about half-way between Hawai'i and California (see this image from NASA). There are a few partial eclipse and penumbral eclipses before then, some visible from Europe, but they won't be very interesting. The next two lunar eclipses after that December 2010 event are total eclipses, too, and they will be June 2011, which will be partly visible from Europe (at moonrise) but not from the US (best location being off the East cost of Africa), and December 2011, which will be partly visible from Europe (at moonrise) and the US (at moonset), the best location being around the Sea of Japan (so you Australia folks get a good show).

Actually, the June 2011 one will be a fantastic eclipse for those of you in Africa, India, and the Middle East. It will be an incredibly long one where the moon passes almost directly through the center of Earth's shadow, with totality lasting over 1.5 hrs (vs. 50 minutes for the one tonight/this morning).

After that we're on to partial and penumbral eclipses until the total eclipse of April 2014, which will again be more of a North American one. I don't know where I'll be at this point, though, since hopefully by then I'll have my Ph.D. (I better have it by then) and on my first or second post-doc or living the comfy life of an associate professor. Anyone know of planetary astronomy faculty positions opening up around 2012?

BYoung · Feb 21, 2008

Astrostu that totally sucks that the clouds screwed you after you took the time to make the guide. But I thank you for the guide, it was a good read and helped me out. Way up in northern Canada here it was a clear day so I got to see the whole thing start to finish. First one I remember seeing though and I'm glad I got to photograph it.

Antarctican · Feb 21, 2008

Stu, that bites that it was cloudy for the eclipse where you are!! How frustrating for you. And for those of us who were eagerly looking forward to seeing your pics.

Mesoam · Feb 21, 2008

mine was behind trees...and i didn't feel like driving anywhere...

CanadianMe · Feb 21, 2008

For me it was a pain, I live like right downtown, the bright city light is horrid for try to get a decent shot of the sky. And it was minus 16c so that didn't help but at least I got a few. So sorry, hate when you know there will be something happening in the the night sky and it is cloudy or like me at times I just can't get far enough out of the city to get a view without the cities light being a problem.

Battou · Feb 21, 2008

Yeah, I know about the city lights, Despite this I have a couple good spots within walking distance of my home. One behind a factory and the other off the bridges. Had I not had to work I would have been planted there despite the 5-10 F temp waiting for a hole to shoot threw.

(Ghastly) Krueger · Feb 21, 2008

Sorry to hear about all your problems. And yeah, I was also looking forward to your pics, Stu.

And I also thank you for the guide once more, it was a great help.

I got clear sky and a warm night... and a baby to bath.

I got some shots... I'm still unsure how sharp they are. I need to find some time to PP them to find out.