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(meteorobs) A report on the Lunar Eclipse




       I observed the November 8, 2003, eclipse from my driveway in Putnam Valley, New York.  I had as my guests, members of my daughter's girl scout troop whom we had invited some weeks before to get a "close-up" view through my telescopes.  In addition, during totality, I gave the girls and their parents a quick star-ID (to help with their merit-badge requirement for astronomy) since the sky had darkened sufficiently to see fifth magnitude stars, as well as the Milky Way.

       Weather conditions saw some scattered high cloudiness from first umbral contact through the start of totality.  Clear conditions prevailed during the 25-minute total phase.  A band of high clouds moved in from the south and west after totality and remained through about 02:15 UT/9:15 EST.  By the time the Moon moved completely out of the umbra (03:05 UT/10:05 p.m.), skies were perfectly clear ("severe clear"). 

       Because of the high treeline toward the eastern part of my sky, I didn't get a chance to get a good look at the Moon until it was nearly halfway into the umbra (~0:15 UT/7:15 p.m. EST).  But it was plainly obvious using both the naked-eye and optical aid that this was rapidly evolving into an exceptionally bright eclipse.  That part of the Moon already immersed in shadow was readily evident . . . and a few minutes later, using my 10.1" Dobsonian at 45X, I could see signs of a reddish tinge beginning to appear, glowing like the coils on an electric kitchen range when they just start to heat up.

       By 0:45 UT/7:45 p.m. EST, the darkened part of the Moon appeared distinctly orange-red both to the eye and in binoculars and telescopes.  Lunar maria were very prominent, as were all of the large craters.  I did not attempt any crater timings, but I kept thinking that were I to make such an attempt it might have been rather difficult since the umbra's edge appeared to me much more soft and diffused as opposed to some of the darker eclipses (July and December 1982; December 1992) that I previously observed.

THE TOTAL PHASE
COLOR/DARKNESS

       As I noted in an earlier e-mail, this was the brightest eclipse of the twelve total lunars that I have witnessed (going back to December 1964). 

    On the five-point (0 to 4) scale developed by Andre Danjon, my estimate for this eclipse, was L = 3.5; exactly midway between an L = 3 ("Brick red with a brighter rim to the umbra") and an L = 4 (Very bright copper-red or orange eclipse with a bluish, very bright umbral rim).  On the three-point (0 to 2) Willard J. Fisher scale, I gave this a solid grade 2  ("The naked eye sees 'spots' on the eclipsed Moon and the seas and other details can be seen with hand instruments, such as binoculars").

       Some minutes before mid-totality (01:19 UT/8:19 p.m. EST), the gradation of light and color across the Moon's disk was quite impressive.  The Moon's southern limb appeared a dull grayish-white mixed with a very pale, but still evident bluish coloration, while the rest of the lunar disk (at least 75 percent) displayed a ruddy or coppery hue.

       Looking at the Moon just with the naked eye about 5 to 10 minutes after totality ended, reminded me of a view of the planet Mars as might be seen from an approaching spacecraft, complete with a southern polar ice cap. 

PHOTOMETRY

    Looking at the Moon during mid-totality with 7 x 35 binoculars, but looking through the objective lens (backwards), it appeared somewhat brighter and very similar in color to Mars when that planet was at its peak brightness back in late August.  I thus believe that the Moon appeared no fainter than magnitude -3.0 . . . the brightest (in terms of magnitude) of any eclipse that I have seen.  However, this estimate was made only from memory; without any appropriate object in the sky to make a suitable comparison with.  So it may very well be that I might have underestimated the Moon's brightness, by perhaps as much as a half-magnitude.

THE SHADOW RETREATS

       I've never seen the ruddy coloration within the Earth's umbra persist for such a long interval of time . . . Indeed, using a 10.1" Dob at 45x, I caught sight of the last vestige of any red hue at 02:55 UT/9:55 p.m. EST.  That was just 10 minutes before the Moon left the umbra!  I've never seen anything like that before.
 
I last caught sight of the penumbra --
With the naked eye: 03:20 UT/10:20 p.m. EST
With the 10.1" Dob at 45X: 03:20 UT/10:25 p.m. EST. 

       Using the Dob, I actually projected the image of the Moon on a white card and looked for the final subtle hints of penumbral shading.

-- joe rao