TexasCHLforum.com

cbr600 wrote:The bits I saw between clouds were cool but not cool enough to watch any longer.

In any case, I thought the moon entering the umbra was more interesting than totality. I don't notice any color tint to the moon right now, but the city lights reflecting off the clouds appear brighter than the eclipsed moon, so that may wash out any color. Perhaps with fewer clouds and/or less light pollution, the event would offer more visual interest.

G'night y'all.

Agreed, it's the changes to the lighting that make the show. Yeah, the optical illusion is that the moon seems to grow brighter red in totality, but really it's the eye becoming accustomed to the decreased light. Since Houston doesn't dim, the red remains hard to see. Still striking to watch the changes, though, if you can watch over a period of time.

Well, I'll only be 491 too.

Well, I made it up at 2.20
it sure was pretty, totally clear skies.

We didn't have a cloud cover until there was full coverage. Even then the cloud deck was broken and I got to see almost all of it. It's a good thing, unless the Market comes back strong, I'm not sure my 401(k) would stretch for another 400+ years!

Chas.

Made it up at 1:30 to 2:15.
Did get to see about 95% but then the clouds moved in and
that was the end of that.
Not as red as I thought, but all in all well worth the time.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:I want to see this, since I'll be 491 years old the next time it happens. Unfortunately, it's going to be cloudy here.

Chas.

Wow, Charles. You are good. I wouldn't have the faintest idea how cloudy it would be tomorrow, let alone 400+ years from now.

Stayed up until about 0210 hrs. Got some great shots w/ digital camera looking through binoculars!

Thankfully, no one has to get into their 400s to see the next one. We all just need to make it 84 more years. According to the Science.Nasa.Gov website (http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/sc ... ceeclipse/), the next total lunar eclipse on the first day of the winter solstice will occur on 21 December 2094. I'll only be 115. Hmmm...

Also, the red coloring is because of sunlight going through the earth's atmosphere. I love the description on the site above:

"A quick trip to the Moon provides the answer: Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the sun behind it. The eclipse is underway. You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it's not. The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth's circumference, you're seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth's shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the Moon into a great red orb. "

Stayed up way too late, but for a once-in-a-lifetime experience I can lose a couple of hours of sleep.

(Edited for spelling)

Managed to get a couple of hand-held stills I can use for class. In astronomy, you take what you can get....