Total lunar eclipse tonight - reminder - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2018, 02:45:19 am
content: Just a reminder. Tonight there's another chance at a total lunar eclipse photo op, for Eastern Australia (incl Sydney.) Last one for a long time, like in my remaining lifetime.This eclipse is in the early hours of Sat 28th Jul 2018. 3am to 6:30am (setting in the West while still total.)https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/australia/sydney28 Jul 2018 4am to 6:30am (setting at W horizon)The weather is iffy. May or may not be cloudy around Sydney. The cloud cover prediction athttps://www.ventusky.com/?p=-34.58;150.41;6&l=clouds-total&t=20180727/18keeps changing, yes/no. I'm going up to the mountains tonight anyway.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2018, 02:48:53 am
content: I'll meet your lunar eclipse bid and raise you a selenelion !https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/07/extremely-rare-selenelion-to-be-seen-in-south-island-skies-this-weekend.htmlYeah, I'd not heard of one before today either.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2018, 04:33:53 am
content: Thanks.Weather forecast mostly clear tonight here in Taipei too.Maybe I should go rent some 300-600mm Nikkor lens for the occasion?

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2018, 06:56:25 am
content: for once it will be visible from my country tooi am very excited

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2018, 02:58:00 pm
content: That explains why it's cloudy and raining here for the first time in months.One of these days I might actually get to use my 1200mm telephoto lens on one.Took this of the solar eclipse. Not the best filter mind you. (welding glass)I still need to figure out a better tripod setup for that lens so I can fine tune it easier. A standard tripod is too wobbly because it's only 1 screw holding it in.

author: StillTrying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2018, 12:20:28 am
content: On TV while interviewing an expert, a sky news presenter asked if there'd be any noticeable change in the weather during the lunar eclipse.Nope there wasn't, it was cloudy before, during and after.

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2018, 01:24:52 am
content: Turns out my girlfriend had a telescope in her garage. My poor attempt with my phone's camera

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2018, 01:27:33 am
content: I couldn't remember the previous time i looked at the moon in a 'scope...It only lacked the twine. That thing IS floating on the vast empty

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2018, 05:03:34 am
content: My efforts with friend's entry level telescope on city house roofWhole thing was mostly covered by clouds, but i managed to get few shots thru the cloud holes.2:24 AM:2:32 AM:Crude setup used:

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2018, 12:42:28 pm
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on July 27, 2018, 02:58:00 pmSame here. I looked outside for the eclipse last night but it was too cloudy. The cloud an rain is actually welcome, after such a prolonged drought, but it's typical it coming at the most inconvenient time.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2018, 09:28:17 am
content: A while ago I'd scouted an ideal spot to watch this eclipse that sets on the western horizon while still in totality. From the top of a cliff line near the Hassans Walls lookout, Lithgow.Got there on Friday evening, lugged gear to the site around 10pm. Sky still nice and clear, though thehttps://www.ventusky.com/algorithms were predicting intermittent cloud.By the time the telescope was set up, aligned and tracking right, there was a little high cloud blowing past from the west, but still looking OK.It was cold and windy but with warm clothes, over-pants, etc, perfectly comfortable.Shortly before the start of eclipse, the cloud rapidly became denser, with no gaps and completely obscuring the Moon.And it stayed that way. By around 3:30am it was starting to feel like it might rain, so I packed up and moved everything back to the car. Disappointing.The view from there is great, even at night. Pic is a time exposure by moonlight, after the clouds set in.The whole time I was there some demented dog in a house near the highway down below, was barking its head off continuously. Not very loud at this great distance, but irritating.There'd been quite a few cars driving past, back and forth from the main Hassan's Walls lookout. I'd hidden my car in the bushes by the road at the start of the un-signposted track to the clifftop lookout I'd chosen, so no one knew I was there. I preferred that, since I was staging expensive stuff along the track, and didn't want company.When I'd arrived I'd checked the gate on the turnoff to the top of the mountain. It was closed but still unlocked. After giving up on the eclipse I thought I'd drive up there and have a nap before heading off. The gate is about 20m from the track start. I opened the gate, drove car in, and was just about to close the gate when a police car pulled in. Moment of concern, then I thought what the hell, there's no 'no entry' sign. So walked over and said hi, explained why I was there. They turned out to be really friendly, had come up there to try and eclipse watch too, Had no problems with me opening the gate and driving up. Said goodnight.I got about 3 hours sleep. Then drove via Jenolan to Kanangra. The intention was to walk out to Pindari Tops (where my dad's ashes are scattered, plus it's a beautiful walk.) The Kanangra area is pretty dry atm, and the road is crawling with huge new 4WD crowd, all coming and going from the main lookout. At the unmarked roadside spot where the Pindari track begins, there was no one. The track is totally hidden at the roadside, due to some recent kerb bulldozing obviously done by a bozo with no clue that was a parking spot and a track start. Further in it's easily visible, but looks very rarely used.I got stuff out of the car to have a quick lunch in bush a few meters off the road. With car doors open and some stuff beside it, I was walking back for another load when a big 4WD coming along the road slows right down and stops for a look at my car. Then they saw me coming back through the bush, and took off fast. I didn't get a clear sight at the car, and it was obvious he/they strongly didn't want me to. Hmm....After eating I packed for the walk, including for rain since now it was spitting a bit, and set off. But... that thing with the car that stopped was bugging me. I have an $8000 telescope and a lot of other gear in the car. And they acted like a thief. There probably are thieves around, preying on the large numbers of tourists here today. After about 15 minutes walking I realized I wouldn't be able to enjoy the walk at all, for worry. So turned around and went back.Then drove to the Kanangra-Boyd forest campsite I like, at the start of the Unirover trail. Despite the busy state of the park, there's no one there. I was considering camping there Sat night, going home Sunday. Lovely peaceful and picturesque spot. Took a short walk away up the hillside. But... turns out it isn't far enough from the main road here, and I can still hear big 4WD car noise in the distance. Plus it's now raining on and off slightly, which means no sitting somewhere in the forest reading a book for me this afternoon.So I decided to drive home that Saturday.Stopped at the Boyd creek official campsite to use the toilets. First thing I find is a couple of city-rat kids chopping down a live small tree near the toilets, about 10cm diameter, 'to burn on their fire.' (I was overhearing what they were saying.) By the time I was done in the toilets they were dragging the tree (wrong end first, stupidly) back to a nearby campfire. Grrr.... They could have walked 50m in any direction and found plenty of nice dry dead wood, and no one ever showed them how to use an axe either. I walked over to the cluster of tents and found the relevant adult. Asked if he could please explain to the kids about green wood not being burnable, it's a park & don't cut down the trees, plus there's plenty of firewood around. Show them how to chop that up. He went off to deal with them, like he hadn't heard the axe being used. I left. Man, I wish they'd seen this place as it was in my childhood, when it was a beautiful natural clearing in the forest. Before all the 'campsite development.'Oh, and I discovered that with my camera mounted on the telescope, the field of view is a lot smaller than full moon diameter. It was the first time I'd tried that combination. I did get pre-eclipse moon photos, but through light cloud so they are blurry crap.Overall, a fairly aggravating trip.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2018, 07:49:12 pm
content: Was easy to watch for me, went out at 9PM, and watched the whole thing through the cheap junky telescope I got years ago. Going to take it this weekend and turn it into scrap metal though, but what do you expect for a $10 buy I got on impulse one day. About the only use it was good for was watching windows..... and I got a better Hikvision camera that has more usable zoom on it free at the scrapyard recently. Tossed away, complete DVR camera with POE, video out and SD card slot to act as a local recorder. Just had to unlock it to use the Hikvision software, and turn off the remote view abilities.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2018, 10:28:36 am
content: It was too clouded here, fortunately I could see jupiter, saturnus and esp. Mars.Mars is today the closest to earth since 2003 and I never saw it this beautifull before.