Tuesday, April 15, 2014

The Blood Moon of April 15th, 2014

I had been looking forward to this total lunar eclipse with great anticipation, planning in detail what would make an appropriate foreground for the backdrop of a red moon suspended in a starry sky. Dream on!  I had even rented a powerful telephoto lens to capture as much detail as possible, wanting to document the event to the best of my ability within the constraints of available funds.  Well, again the best laid plans are sometimes thwarted by circumstances beyond one's control (see previous post).  A cold front was marching in from the west, bringing with it gusty winds and significant cloud cover.  The eclipse was due to start at around 2am so I set my alarm for 1.45am.  Peering bleery-eyed out of my window I could see nothing but clouds.  Unwilling to admit defeat, I re-set the alarm for 2.45am and tried to go back to sleep.  Awakened on schedule, I was rewarded by a fuzzy, but visible moon which was slipping further and further into the earth's shadow.  This composite of the various stages of the lunar eclipse was the best I could capture in a hazy sky, between swiftly moving clouds, before it finally succumbed to the inexorable progression of the advancing storm.

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