Supermoon Lunar Eclipse

[Abarbarian]

http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/astropix.html

Explanation: Tonight a bright full Moon will fade to red. Tonight's moon will be particularly bright because it is reaching its fully lit phase when it is relatively close to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. In fact, by some measures of size and brigExplanation: Tonight a bright full Moon will fade to red. Tonight's moon will be particularly bright because it is reaching its fully lit phase when it is relatively close to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. In fact, by some measures of size and brightness, tonight's full Moon is designated a supermoon, although perhaps the "super" is overstated because it will be only a few percent larger and brighter than the average full Moon. However, our Moon will fade to a dim red because it will also undergo a total lunar eclipse -- an episode when the Moon becomes completely engulfed in Earth's shadow. The faint red colour results from blue sunlight being more strongly scattered away by the Earth's atmosphere. Tonight's moon can also be called a Harvest Moon as it is the full Moon that occurs closest to the September equinox, a time signaling crop harvest in Earth's northern hemisphere. Total eclipses of supermoons are relatively rare -- the last supermoon lunar eclipse was in 1982, and the next will be in 2033. Tonight's supermoon total eclipse will last over an hour and be best visible from eastern North America after sunset, South America in the middle of the night, and Western Europe before sunrise.htness, tonight's full Moon is designated a supermoon, although perhaps the "super" is overstated because it will be only a few percent larger and brighter than the average full Moon. However, our Moon will fade to a dim red because it will also undergo a total lunar eclipse -- an episode when the Moon becomes completely engulfed in Earth's shadow. The faint red colour results from blue sunlight being more strongly scattered away by the Earth's atmosphere. Tonight's moon can also be called a Harvest Moon as it is the full Moon that occurs closest to the September equinox, a time signaling crop harvest in Earth's northern hemisphere. Total eclipses of supermoons are relatively rare -- the last supermoon lunar eclipse was in 1982, and the next will be in 2033. Tonight's supermoon total eclipse will last over an hour and be best visible from eastern North America after sunset, South America in the middle of the night, and Western Europe before sunrise.

The short video is really neat.

 

[nivrip]

Just been out to look at the Supermoon. You guessed it............. cloud.

Only thin cloud, and I can see the moon, but enough to blur everything and make it look like any old moon.

 

[Abarbarian]

Just been out to look at the Supermoon. You guessed it............. cloud.

Only thin cloud, and I can see the moon, but enough to blur everything and make it look like any old moon.

Lunar eclipse happening shortly before sunrise in our neck of the woods lasts about an hour. I'll be fast asleep I recon.

 

[nivrip]

Back outside and cloud just about gone now. Must say, the moon does look VERY bright.

Eclipse here too, about 03.00. Guess I'll miss it also.

 

[muckshifter]

... aw, I missed it.

 

[Becky]

We got up at 3am to take a look through the telescope - it was excellent! Didn't take any photos though, astrophotography is not my strong point

 

[Abarbarian]

We got up at 3am to take a look through the telescope - it was excellent! Didn't take any photos though, astrophotography is not my strong point

Darn I thought it was happening at 5 or 6 so i went to bed as I had to ne up early today. If I had known it was at three I would have made the effort to stay up and watch. It was a luverly evening here cloud free and the moon was really bright and full almost like daylight.

Nice that you made the effort and had a great show. There is supposed to be a pretty spectacular meteor show later in the year, late October I think.

 

[Becky]

Ah, shame you missed it Abarbarian! You've only got to wait 18 years for the next one...

We had a very clear night here too, couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.

 

[Abarbarian]

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide

Have a read at the above,



October 8, 2015, the Draconids
The radiant point for the Draconid meteor shower almost coincides with the head of the constellation Draco the Dragon in the northern sky. That’s why the Draconids are best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. The Draconid shower is a real oddity, in that the radiant point stands highest in the sky as darkness falls. That means that, unlike many meteor showers, more Draconids are likely to fly in the evening hours than in the morning hours after midnight. This shower is usually a sleeper, producing only a handful of languid meteors per hour in most years. But watch out if the Dragon awakes! In rare instances, fiery Draco has been known to spew forth many hundreds of meteors in a single hour. In 2015, the waning crescent moon rises at late night and will not intrude on this year’s Draconid shower. Try watching at nightfall and early evening on October 8 and 9.

Everything you need to know: Draconid Meteor shower

October 22, 2015 before dawn, the Orionids
On a dark, moonless night, the Orionids exhibit a maximum of about 10 to 20 meteors per hour. The waxing gibbous moon will be out the during the evening hours, but it’ll set before the prime time viewing hours, providing deliciously dark skies for this year’s Orionid shower. More meteors tend to fly after midnight, and the Orionids are typically at their best in the wee hours before dawn. These fast-moving meteors occasionally leave persistent trains. They sometimes produce bright fireballs, so watch for them to flame in the sky. If you trace these meteors backward, they seem to come from the Club of the famous constellation Orion the Hunter. You might know Orion’s bright, ruddy star Betelgeuse. The radiant is north of Betelgeuse. The Orionids have a broad and irregular peak that isn’t easy to predict. This year, 2015, presents a fine year for watching the Orionid meteor shower. The best viewing for the Orionids in 2015 will probably be before dawn on October 22. Try the days before and after that, too, sticking to the midnight-to-dawn hours..

Everything you need to know: Orionid meteor shower

The Leonid shower in November may be really good this year.

 

[Becky]

Excellent stuff, thanks @Abarbarian!

 

[floppybootstomp]

I didn't know the eclipse was occurring and so I missed it However, I did notice the moon looked a bit on the large size early in the evening so grabbed a few snaps using an old Lumix FZ28 with its zoom lens. At the same time as these pix were taken the sun was still visible.

 

[bootneck02]

Great shots as usual Mr Flops