Lunar Eclipse Ride

Finally, I got to use my 500mm lens for what I originally intended long ago: astrophotography. I rode out into the hill country to catch some snapshots of the lunar eclipse this morning. Sadly, just as it was starting to get really dark, low hanging clouds rolled in and made everything pitch black. So when I moved on, those clouds became fog and made the passing more strenuous.

It cleared up for a few minutes on a busy road just outside of town, though not long enough for me to get the tripod back out and install the long lens. I was also having some trouble with the exposure, so I took some shots by hand, bracketing them in the hopes that maybe one would come out.

The larger pictures are formatted for a standard wallpaper size. If you see one you'd like for a wide screened monitor, just let me know :)

The moon turned a sandy-red color, then a pale Mars red as the eclipse was ending. Here's some snapshots taken between 3:30 and 4:30 this morning:








And last but not least - the "red moon" in the full resolution of my smaller lens, taken around 6AM this morning:


Now I'm off to catch a few blinks before getting ready for work. Oh, the humanity!