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West Coast Lunar Eclipse Viewing?

Discussion in 'Observing Celestial Objects' started by Astro_Padawan, Sep 24, 2015.

West Coast Lunar Eclipse Viewing?

Started by Astro_Padawan on Sep 24, 2015 at 4:16 PM

8 Replies 3699 Views 1 Likes

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  1. Astro_Padawan

    Astro_Padawan Member

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    So will I be able to actually watch part of the eclipse or will I likely be viewing a fully eclipsed moon this Sunday? I'm kind of upset I won't be able to observe most of the eclipse with my own eyes, but I'll probably peak in on NASA's live stream or another live stream.
     
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  2. AstroLife

    AstroLife Active Member

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    Absolutely! While you cannot see the entire eclipse from the West Coast, you will be able to see over half the event, including totality.

    The Moon will rise during the partial phase of the eclipse in the LA area on Sun at about 6:40pm PT, but enters totality at about 7:10pm. The eclipse will continue until about 10:20pm (I'm rounding times from one of the links below).

    The only issue with this is that that Moon will be very low on the horizon when totality begins. Head to a site with a clear view of the eastern/southeastern sky and you should be able to enjoy the bulk of the event.

    Here are a couple of links you might find useful for your location:
    http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/los-angeles
    http://www.latimes.com/travel/california/la-trb-supermoon-lunar-eclipse-20150921-story.html

    According to the first link above, the next total lunar eclipse in the LA area will be in Jan 2018. So you should definitely try and catch the "Supermoon" eclipse this weekend. And if I correctly remember the orientation of Griffith Park from my visit to LA a long time ago, I think you might even catch the eclipsed moon very close to the tall buildings of downtown LA, which might make for a very pretty picture.

    Enjoy!

    Harry D.
     
  3. Robert Clark

    Robert Clark Well-Known Member

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    I was totally clouded out on the MS coast.
     
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  4. StaringAtStars

    StaringAtStars Administrator

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    It was also very cloudy for me. Not as enjoyable as it could have been!
     
  5. Robert Clark

    Robert Clark Well-Known Member

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    Yep. I'd been planning on staying out and viewing with a snack, some coffee, and the wife. Had nice conditions for a month. It poured down. Oh well...
     
  6. george

    george Developer

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    Yea stepped away from the computer a few times last night to check it out but it was mostly cloudy in my area as well. The clouds did part enough for me to see it just before totality.
     
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  7. LewC

    LewC Well-Known Member

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    I kept checking but clouds and buildings to my east prevented me from seeing the rising Moon during totality. But as the Moon rose higher into the nearby pine trees after 9 p.m. PDT, I got off a couple dozen shots at the end of the umbral phase. The attached picture was taken with my Canon DSLR and an f/2.8 28-75mm zoom lens at full zoom, exposure ~ 1 sec. at ISO 200, and cropped and enhanced in Photoshop.

    LunarEclipse9-2015small-2.jpg
     
  8. Crow Haven

    Crow Haven Well-Known Member

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    The sky did it's best here -- clear. The Moon did it's best -- check. The location -- trees/hills blocking much the E. horizon -- ugh! The Moon was so low.

    I was only able to view some of the eclipse last night and then get a photo of the super moon with very little of the penumbra left using a cheap $69 camera and afocal method through a $70 Celestron C70 mini Mak. Fun on the cheap!

    I took my lemons and colored one with what I witnessed... [​IMG] ...my lemonade eclipse shot.

    It was still lots of fun! I was surprised the C70 worked out as well as it did!
    lunareclipse9_27-2015_m.jpg lunareclipse9-27-2015_color.jpg
     
  9. Astro_Padawan

    Astro_Padawan Member

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    It was cloudy but I came in through the last half of the eclipse. I thought it was happening later in the evening! It felt like it happened so fast. I loved it even with having the clouds in the way. The clouds did make the moon seem very eerie.
     
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