Early Christmas treat: 2010's total lunar eclipse

[Hey Jude]

That is how the moon looked in Germany

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101220/ap_ ... ar_eclipse I for one am going to brave the elements and feast my eyes if the clouds will cooperate and part like the "Red Sea."

[HansV]

According to APOD: 2010 December 20 - A Lunar Eclipse on Solstice Day, it's the first lunar eclipse in 456 years that coincides with the solstice...

[Hey Jude]

that is what makes it so special :-)

[viking33]

that is what makes it so special :-)

The newscasters were saying that the total eclipse would be around 2:41 AM, in these parts
Now I'm a "night person" but but that's a little overboard for me!

[Hey Jude]

It brings to mind Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album but the YouTube sites I found, well had some questionable extraneous content so maybe you have it and can play it yourselves :-) I'd love to see this eclipse,
but snow starts here around midnight so I will trust that the prognosticators are once again wrong and hope to view this phenomenon.

[viking33]

It brings to mind Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album but the YouTube sites I found, well had some questionable extraneous content so maybe you have it and can play it yourselves :-) I'd love to see this eclipse,
but snow starts here around midnight so I will trust that the prognosticators are once again wrong and hope to view this phenomenon.

There was one year when a total lunar eclipse was predicted. There were also some here on the Cape who use just about any excuse to have a party. At least it was at a reasonable hour, about 10-ish. So, a crowd runs out to the beach to see the moon. However, it was a heavy cloud cover that night but one slightly tipsy imbiber sat in his beach chair and was heard to mutter, "WOW, that is some kind of TOTAL eclipse!"

[HansV]

Last night (my time) there was a clear sky with a bright full moon. But now, when the eclipse is beginning, it's completely overcast (a lot of new snow has fallen during the night).

[Claude]

It'll start here in about 80 minutes, clear skies, camera at the ready, currently setting up paypal account so you people can buy one of my photos

Assuming I get a decent shot, I'll post it later tonight ...

[Leif]

Assuming I get a decent shot, I'll post it later tonight ...

I think you've missed the last posting dates for Christmas - why not just upload it here?

[Claude]

ok, let me rephrase: I'll upload it to this fine establishment via electronic means, totally bypassing Rudolf and his dears

[Claude]

Brilliant! Clouds have just move in Let me book a helicopter, brb ....

[Claude]

clouds have broken for a few seconds, so, here's my contribution

Eclipse1.jpg

about 30 minutes after it started....

[Hey Jude]

Brilliant!! All we had was clouds and more clouds and light snow and no visible eclipse :-(

Thank-you for bypassing Rudolph so we could enjoy. The chopper only got THAT close???? hahaha!

[Argus]

Last night (my time) there was a clear sky with a bright full moon. But now, when the eclipse is beginning, it's completely overcast (a lot of new snow has fallen during the night).

Quoi? The solstice is/was at 00:38 CET 22 Dec; (23:38 GMT 21 Dec), and yes, I know, the nights are more or less equally long, at least in minutes, so one could say it’s happening at the same time; but wasn't the eclipse the 20 Dec... here? No wait, between, around, 21 Dec 06:27 and 12:06 CET, ah well, , better read the local news.

Guess I didn't read carefully enough; and Hey Jude's post and image talked about Germany. time zones; 02:41 for Bob = 08:41 for Argus, I know, but... Ah well, I guess it was cloudy.

I agree with you Hans; at least on the evening of 20 Dec we had an almost clear sky, with a bright full moon. (BTW, I never got that NASA address to work; no reply, i.e. SYN_SENT.)

clouds have broken for a few seconds, so, here's my contribution
about 30 minutes after it started....

Thank you, Claude!

[HansV]

BTW, I never got that NASA address to work; no reply, i.e. SYN_SENT

Does http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; work? If so, you can use the < link below the picture to go back to the picture for the 20th of December.

[Argus]

BTW, I never got that NASA address to work; no reply, i.e. SYN_SENT

Does http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; work? If so, you can use the < link below the picture to go back to the picture for the 20th of December.

Nope; it seems to be a problem connecting to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (i.e. anything in the *.gsfc.nasa.gov path; same goes for apod.nasa.gov, i.e Astronomy Picture of the Day).

Usually when it ends in a SYN_SENT it's not a problem with a single page; it's the whole shebang in my experience.

No problem with their home, or its images etc.

[HansV]

Must be a revenge for your ISP hosting WikiLeakss...

[Hey Jude]

The days ARE starting to get LONGER WOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!

As an aside to Argus' posting about Goddard Space Flight Center; in high school we were privileged to tour
this facility in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. It captured my attention then and still holds it to this day :-)

[Hey Jude]

I thought this a fitting addition to this thread since Neil is one of my favourite columnists from the Sun Times

We are a people prone toward seeing wonders - Chicago Sun-Times

[Argus]

(Off topic, but since we do not have that many stellar-threads, well, most of our threads are stellar, but there are not that many about stellar phenomena.)

We had a partial solar eclipse this morning in Europe. Apparently, this time, the greatest eclipse occurred in northern Sweden. But if you ask me it's not much difference between 78 or 83 % etc, Anyhow, I think they had a cloudy morning in many places in the north, (if we go even further north some do not see the sun at all, or almost not, sunrise at 11:07 and sunset at 12:20, 73 minutes... ); here, in the middle of the country in the eastern part, on the other hand, the sky was quite clear around 09:00-10:00 CET. But since I had no equipment (welding goggles etc) around I did not fancy staring right at it. But it was definitely possible to notice a shift in light intensity.