Chase Reports

This morning’s total lunar eclipse was a spectacular one, as viewed from northeast Kansas. The reddish-copper hues were much more vibrant than during the partial eclipse of 03/03/07.

While I was not able to document the full range of the eclipse from start to finish (it lasted several hours), I was able to grab a few shots during totality. First, an image of the full moon as seen the evening before (08/27/07) around 8:45pm CDT (click image for a larger view):

The moon entered totality around 9:52 UTC (4:52 am local time). The first images I captured were around 10:35 (5:35am CDT) and the best images during totality were shot around 5:44am (click for a larger view):

5:46am:

By5:55am CDT even the western sky was just beginning to brighten as sunrise was looming at my back and the moon threatened to quickly be eclipsed by a neighbor’s roofline (click for a larger view):

By 6am, we were ready to pull the camera in and venture out for our morning 4-mile run. I opted to leave the ipod at home this time and enjoy the serenity of the morning with the eclipsed moon guiding us out as we ventured westward for the start of our run. It actually provided surprisingly little light and was fading fast as it approached the foggy, hazy horizon, quickly losing contrast in the brightening sky.

It was a beautiful sight as the first rays of twilight began to brighten the eastern sky. Sunlight quickly seeped past the Earth, once again finding the moon. The moon quickly began returning it to its familiar bright yellow shades as it emerged from beneath the Earth’s shroud. The top of the moon was first to brighten and the rest quickly followed. As the moon set, it began to look much more like its familiar self, although it did not fully emerge from the eclipse until after it had dropped beneath the horizon in our location (just before 7am).

As was the case with the last eclipse photo shoot, I’m still not satisfied with my ability to manually focus the 300mm IS USM to infinity in low light (auto focus is no good in darnkess). I have since upgraded to a much better tripod (Bogen/Manfrotto Wilderness 3221) which was used this morning, although I haven’t put the cable release to work yet and probably should have. As you can see by the full moon photo, the lens is perfectly capable of a much clearer shot of even an eclipsed moon, but my ability to work the lens into the proper range has been elusive. Fortunately I only need to wait a few months for my next chance.

The calendar is already marked: Total Lunar Eclipse of February 21, 2008. For much more information, including many graphics friendly to even casual observers, check out the NASA Eclipse Page.

Even more spectacular than next year’s lunar eclipse will be the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017. It will be perfectly visible from Northeast Kansas… just ten years from this month. Check out the detailed path and other information regarding the eclipse of 2017 on a great new resource: NASA’s Google Earth Eclipse Mapping Page.

See more images from this event in the Notes In The Margin Gallery (here’s a direct link to the Lunar Eclipse of 08/28/07). For still more images - and many much more spectacular than those shown above, check out the invaluable SpaceWeather.com galleries for the Eclipse of 08/28/07.

…as photographed from Northeast Kansas on the evening of March 3, 2007.

Totality was not observed from our vantage point, as the moon slid through the center of the Earth’s shadow before it rose above the horizon in Northeast Kansas. But we were afforded a cool, clear, crisp evening to observe the later 1/3 or so of the event. All shots were taken with the Canon 30D with the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM out to 300mm with varied exposures. The photos are not as crisp as I’d like and I believe this is for two reasons: a poor tripod and imperfect focusing.

The first shot was taken at 6:35pm (a cropped version now appears as the header image). The last eclipse shot was taken at 6:49pm CST. As always, click the image for a larger view.

6:35pm CST / Canon 30D, 70-300mm IS USM, 300mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/3 sec

6:38pm CST / Canon 30D, 70-300mm IS USM, 300mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/4 sec

6:40pm CST / Canon 30D, 70-300mm IS USM, 300mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/5 sec

6:43pm CST / Canon 30D, 70-300mm IS USM, 300mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/13 sec

6:48pm CST / Canon 30D, 70-300mm IS USM, 300mm, f/11, ISO 200, 1/15 sec

6:49pm CST / Canon 30D, 70-300mm IS USM, 300mm, f/11, ISO 200, 1/15 sec

I feel tonight’s shots fall into the “acceptable” category. They are not as crisp as I had hoped for and I’ll place some of the blame on my inability to lock the focus on this lens to ¥. If someone knows how to lock the focus of this lens to infinity (is it possible?), please let me know via email or a comment on this post.

The crispest image of the night (click to enlarge) was captured following the eclipse…exactly one hour following the last eclipse shot above, at 7:48pm CDT following the eclipse:

Canon 30D w/ 70-300mm IS USM, 300mm, f/16, ISO 100, 1/125 sec exposure

Technorati Tags: 2007 Lunar Eclipse, Lunar Eclipse Photos, Photography, Astronomy

As we count down the final days of Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) viewing from the Northern Hemisphere, I was able to snap off a few more shots over the past two days.

With a significant winter storm approaching Kansas, I don’t expect any more good viewing windows to open up between now and early next week. But I have to say I’ve been very pleased with the view this comet has provided me. While I was able to observe comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 01) back in 1997 (see a great image gallery here), I never had the opportunity to photograph it or study is closely (and as easily via the internet). But Comet McNaught was just the ticket and afforded me a great break from the usual routine for about a half hour each evening this week. Tonight was likely the last night I’ll have to view McNaught as a winter storm approaches Kansas tonight. The next clear evening will likely be early next week. By then it’ll likely be too late for good viewing from up here in the northern hemisphere.

But Comet McNaught is not done yet (from SpaceWeather):

In the days ahead, Comet McNaught will pass the sun (temporarily disappearing in the glare) and emerge in good position for southern hemisphere viewing later this month. Meanwhile, solar heating will continue to puff up the comet, causing it to brighten even more. It could become one of the brightest comets in centuries, visible even in daylit skies.

Comet McNaught tonight (click to enlarge):

And a couple shots from last night (01/10/2007):

Comet McNaught has been documented incredibly well. Read all about the discovery and historical highlights of Comet McNaught. Check out this great time lapse video from wvlightning.com. See more photographs in the McNaught Gallery from SpaceWeather.com and the gallery from space.com.

Up Next: Now that the comet viewing window is apparently closed, attention can now focus on the significant winter storm taking aim on the central plains. The cold front pushed through Northeast Kansas tonight (great pre-frontal warming today with highs in the mid-60s throughout Kansas!) dropping temps about 30 degrees in 4 hours. Some ice tomorrow, more sleet/ice Saturday night, possibly followed by a few inches of fluffy snow Sunday AM??

See related:

• 01/09/2007: McNaught 2.0
• 01/08/2007: Not for Naught: Chasing a Comet

Another clear night, another great shot at viewing Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1). This time, I chose a location away from the powerlines and other anthropogenic obstructions. Venus, the best sky object to use as a reference point in seeking McNaught, emerged from the twilight around 5:40pm and the comet was visible shortly thereafter.

Canon 30D 300mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/2 sec exposure

Canon 30D 300mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 8/10 sec exposure – Click for full image

The comet dipped below the horizon around 6:05pm as it chased down the sun below the horizon…and I was able to snap of a few more images within minutes of the last sighting:

Canon 30D 300mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1 sec exposure – Click for full image

At 6:05pm CDT, I likely said goodbye to McNaught, as the next several nights (the last few night it will be visible) are likely to be cloudy.

See last night’s post for more photos and tips on finding McNaught in the evening sky.

My first chase of the new year and I was hoping to see no clouds! The heavens were smiling on me and as of today, the 2007 chase season is off to a great start. Let’s hope it is a sign of good things to come for 2007.

Canon 30D 300mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, ½ sec exposure – Click for full image

After a frustrating attempt at viewing Comet McNaught last night, tonight: Victory! This chase took me all of a half mile away from home to a spot where I could get a clear view of the western sky. After a clear night last night and about an hour-long valiant but fruitless effort, I feared my chances may diminish with increasing cloudcover this evening. It is rare that I chase any event while hoping for clear skies, but this is one of those times. Fortunately, the clouds held off just long enough to get in a few good shots as the comet crept closer to the horizon.

Click for full image

The sky maps (1, 2, and morning map) and directions for viewing available online were lacking the kind of detail that my amateur astronomer tracking experience called for. As such, I’ll detail my experience with a few practical tips that may help you find Comet McNaught from your location.

• First, Use the Sky and Telescope Comet McNaught Sky Map to narrow in on the proper location.
• I went out after the sun was below the horizon for about a half an hour. Tonight’s sunset was technically at 5:15pm CDT with the end of Civil Twilight at 5:44pm. This was about the time that I went out and set up.
• The first object to become visible in the western sky this week (after the sun has set) is Venus. This is an important feature that you can use to find Comet McNaught.
• The comet first became visible about 3 or 4 degrees above the horizon around 5:55pm. I found it by taking several “scanning” shots of the sky at about 100mm and zooming in on the image on the on-camera LCD. It may very well have been visible earlier, but I was still busy scanning a big portion of the western sky trying to find it.
• I had along an inexpensive pair of 8 x 21 binoculars, but they weren’t very helpful until after I had already located the comet.
• The horizontal distance between the comet and Venus was approximately two fists when my arms were extended in front of me.
• The comet never became visible to my naked eye (my vision is not bad).
• The comet dropped below the horizon at about 6:05pm.

I will be heading out again tomorrow evening as long as the skies remain clear. This time, I may attempt to locate a more photogenic location that would provide a more pleasing foreground (other than power lines!). If anything interest results, I’ll be sure to post back here.

All images on this page were shot on my Canon 30D with the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens @ 300mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/2s exposures. Tomorrow evening I will try a few longer exposures.

Read more about Comet McNaught on the main spaceweather.com homepage.

See more photographs at the Spaceweather.com Comet McNaught Gallery