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Total Lunar Eclipse 2011 December 10
Predictably, after a week of clear, sunny
weather a storm front moved in over Victoria late Friday carrying thick cloud and
thunderstorms. Weather prospects for the night of the eclipse (Saturday/Sunday)
were generally bad to terrible. Torrential downpours lashed the observing site on the
afternoon of the eclipse followed by intermittent showers. After moonrise the full Moon could
be discerned briefly through thinner parts of cloud, but as the partial phases
of the eclipse
commenced the Moon was completely hidden by clouds and there were no obvious
cloud breaks moving in. The overall feeling was one of deep disappointment. More out of hope than expectation I set up my equipment,
covered it up, and waited for any sign of improvement.
After midnight, the cloud cover
started to break up and Jupiter and then some of the brighter stars
appeared through gaps in
the thinning cloud. Frustratingly, as totality commenced, an evil-looking black cloud
persistently covered the Moon despite the entire constellation of Orion, just 10° away, being
visible for 15-20 minutes through a clear patch of sky. Tantalisingly brief
glimpses of the eclipsed Moon appeared through tiny gaps in the cloud, though
clearer skies were moving in from the south west that would eventually reveal
the eclipsed Moon in a relatively clear patch of sky. This occurred around 01:52 EDT as
totality was drawing to a close. The respite from clouds was short-lived as they moved in
again around 02:12 bringing the cosmic light-show to a close (for us
ground-based observers, anyway).
Here's a few images taken with a
Canon 450DH camera and 500mm f/4 lens combination mounted on a Synta NEQ-6 Pro tracking the
Moon.
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