Tag Archives: Moon

Waxing Gibbous

Waxing Gibbous moon projected onto focuser dustcap of a 10″ Dob.

Around here, when the skies are cool and clear and the mood strikes to get out under the stars with a telescope the call is answered, and sometimes that means ignoring the bright Moon that is lighting up the entire yard and making Magnitude 4 stars a challenge to spot.

Tonight was one of those nights and after viewing my intended subject* I turned the telescope to the Moon despite only bringing out a single low power eyepiece. Even at 33x the view was rich with detail, my favorite being a crisp view of the Alpine Valley.

Removing the eypeiece to pack up I was struck by the brightness of the unfocused moonlight streaming from the open focuser and then by the fuzzy image of the moon appearing on the dustcap as it was inserted.

I’m sure I’m not the first to stumble across this epiphany of just how bright the moon is but, seeing it projected onto the dustcap and then focusing it, I was surprised at the clarity of the image on the plastic cap. It was even bright enough for me to turn on the back yard lights and snap a picture with the telescope partially lit.

How fascinating is this lesser light in our sky!

* More on that in a future post.

-Dave

Original content copyright 2017 by David Philips. All Rights Reserved. This post may contain links to affiliate sites; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

Supermoon Lunar Eclipse

Total lunar eclipse on September 27, 2015.

Total lunar eclipse on September 27, 2015.

We had clear skies for Sunday night’s lunar eclipse and it was quite a show. I was able to photograph a sequence from umbra to totality lasting about 2 hours.

The photos were taken from my back yard with a Canon 6D attached to a 5″ refractor at prime focus. Exposures ranged from 1/250 second at ISO 100 to 1/3 second at ISO 6400. With the exception of the last image, the bottom half of the sequence are blended exposures.

-Dave

Original content copyright 2015 by David Philips. All Rights Reserved. This post may contain links to affiliate sites; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

Easter Weekend Lunar Eclipse

I missed Saturday morning’s lunar eclipse due to being clouded out in Massachusetts, though had it been clear very little of the Moon would’ve been covered as most of the eclipse occurred after moonset on the East coast.

I’ve only observed one total eclipse; it was November 8, 2003. I remember it because I spent about 2 hours standing out in the cold night with my camera. Here’s a composite of my attempts to photograph it:

Total lunar eclipse on November 8, 2013.

Total lunar eclipse on November 8, 2003.

Matt Wedel was able to observe this weekend’s eclipse from California and has posted some nice photos over at 10 Minute Astronomy.*

*Taken with a 60mm refractor, no less.

-Dave

Original content copyright 2015 by David Philips. All Rights Reserved. This post may contain links to affiliate sites; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

Viewing the Moon

Photo: Moon

Waxing Gibbous Moon on March 31, 2015

With signs of Spring finally appearing in New England I find my thoughts turning toward observing galaxies. The Lion is well positioned for viewing and I’ve been wanting to write a post on the Leo Triplet but that will have to wait a few weeks thanks to the brightening Moon.

While the Moon’s light does make it difficult to see the faint fuzzies that require dark skies, views of the planets as well as double stars are largely unaffected by the brightened skies and are good subjects between the 1st and 3rd quarters of the lunar cycle. Not to mention the Moon itself – the Moon is the richest object in the sky and time spent examining its treasures is well rewarded.

Read more…

Moon, Venus, and Mars Conjunct

Photo: Conjunction

Conjunction of the crescent Moon, Venus (center left) and Mars (upper left) on the evening of February 20, 2015. Photo by David Philips.

I always enjoy trying to spot the waxing crescent moon as I leave work. It’s position can vary a bit depending on my schedule and the exact timing of the Lunar phase but I usually can catch it high enough in the South Western sky while I walk to my car and stealĀ an occasional glimpse on the drive home.

Tonight I was greeted by an especially striking scene as both Venus and Mars shone close by and the full Lunar disc was visible in the Earthshine. By the time I arrived home the Moon was much lower in the sky but I was able to catch a photo of the conjunction.

Considering the past several weeks have been full of snow, clouds, and more snow, I’m thankful to have caught this conjunction and the clear but cold night is a welcome change. Keep looking up; you may see something beautiful!

-Dave

Original content copyright 2015 by David Philips. All Rights Reserved. This post may contain links to affiliate sites; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.