One Cold and Interesting Morning

[Norm Dulak]

Nikon D7000
Nikkor 300mm f/4 vr w/1.4x tc
Exposure data for all: f/5.6; Matrix Metering -4.0
For full to quarter moon views: ISO Equiv. 400; 1/1,250, 1/250, and 1/125 sec., respectively
For final eclipsed moon view: ISO Equiv. 1,600; 1/40 sec.

PP: Topaz DeNoise 4.0
Used full moon image for base composite image, expanding canvas to right for pano
Extracted half to final images onto clear backgrounds in PS CS3
Overlaid and positioned extracted images to make composite in PS CS5

Because the recent total lunar eclipse was coincident with the winter solstice, I couldn't resist trying my luck at photographing it. You see the results here, with a final total eclipse view that unfortunately isn't as good as I hoped it would be. But it was fun trying, and a good experience for me.

Keep in mind that where I am on the East coast the moon was so high that I had to severely shorten one tripod leg to get my lens sufficiently elevated to find the moon. My Wimberley Sidekick could not otherwise swing high enough. And the neck strain resulting from trying to look through the camera's viewfinder while crawling beneath my setup was terrific! Thank heavens for ice packs and ibuprofen! :p

Look to Roger's image below to see how the fully eclipsed moon should ideally look!

Norm

[Dave Mills]

Hi Norm, I like what you did with this. The pano crop works very well along with the different stages of the eclipse. You also captured good detail in the moon itself. I would say it was worth the pain in the neck:)

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Norm, the lunar eclipse is well presented here. A nice creative idea. Well done!

[Roger Clark]

Norm,

This is a very nice presentation. Well done. Partial phases, like the two middle images, show the shadow of the Earth, and note the shadow is curved. From the curvature of the limb of the Moon and the curvature of the Earth's shadow, one can 1) see that the Earth is round, and 2) derive the diameter of the Earth relative to that of the Moon. It is obvious from these images that the Earth is several times larger than the Moon. (Sorry flat Earth society members.)

With a little additional work, for example, two observers separated by a hundred miles or so, the observers can see the parallax relative to background stars and then derive the distance to the Moon. That then allows one to determine the diameter of the Moon and then the diameter of the Earth.

Pretty cool.

Roger

[Robert Amoruso]

Well done and thanks for the info on how you did it Norm.

I can't believe I forgot to get up.

[Jay Gould]

Well done and thanks for the info on how you did it Norm.

I can't believe I forgot to get up.

Not to worry, as you signature image demonstrates, you certainly know how to capture a sunrise when you do get up!

Beautiful.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Norm,
I like the progression sequence.....although the final stage could go a bit brighter. Think you can tweak that? Definitely worth a shot as the overall comp is very cool!

[Norm Dulak]

Hey Norm,
I like the progression sequence.....although the final stage could go a bit brighter. Think you can tweak that? Definitely worth a shot as the overall comp is very cool!

Thanks, Roman.

But as you note, the final stage is not what it should be. Per your suggestion I've tweaked it a bit using Viveza 2, but it still doesn't approach Roger Clark's gold standard.

In an effort to better capture the entire glowing orb, I also made exposures using higher effective ISO settings. But in so doing, I only succeeded in learning what noise from **** looks like! :(

Finally, thanks to everyone else for your comments!

Norm

[Roman Kurywczak]

Looks better to me Norm.....yeah....noise can be an issue for sure! Roger did set the bar quite high with his!