Total Eclipse Stage Progression

Total Eclipse Stage Progression

Here is a capture set of the primary stages of the total eclipse period during the Total Lunar Eclipse on January 21, 2019 at Frosty Drew Observatory. This image is comprised of the start, maximum, and end of the total eclipse period, and was captured from 11:41 pm EST - 12:43 am EST.

The motion progression of the Moon in this image is accurate as it relates to the background stars in the image, due to the Moon's eastward orbital motion. Over a period of an hour the Moon will drift about 0.55º eastward against sidereal motion (apparent motion of the stars due to Earth's axial rotation).

I captured this image by tracking the eclipse at sidereal rate instead of at lunar rate. This allowed the apparent motion of the Moon to be observed / cataloged across the data set. Shooting at 430mm gives me about 3º wide field of view. The image is cropped by about 17% which reduces the field of view to 2.46º wide. Movement of the Moon in the image is right -> left.

Image Credit: Scott MacNeill

Author:
Scott MacNeill
Entry Date:
Feb 14, 2019
Published Under:
Scott MacNeill's Media
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