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Cold front meets the eclipse

The Partial Lunar Eclipse on 07. September 2006 in Dreieich-Götzenhain, Germany

Experience Report


A beautiful warm summer day with sunshine and few clouds should go on 07. September 2006 with a partial lunar eclipse to end. A cold front moving in from northwest however made the observation luck to a tension element for the evening eclipse. Should the cold front reach the Rhine Main area at the end of the lunar eclipse, or should one evade evade in southeast direction?

Around 16 o'clock the weather seemed to keep. It was quite hazy, a sight of only approx. 15 km, then the moon would become visible only several degrees over the horizon. The thunderclouds moving towards Odenwald and Spessart should shrink enough with sunset, in order to let at least a large part of the lunar eclipse become visible.

That meant thus better to stay at home, particularly since the satellite photographs at astrowetter.com showed that thunderclouds formed also south of Würzburg.

Shortly before 17:00 clouds came up from the west. In the meantime it had become very windy. Blur-free eclipse pictures without wind protection would so hardly be possible. About half an hour later the clouds are reduced with falling solar altitude. In the east further there are only quite a few clouds. It looks good for the observation of the lunar eclipse.

But due to the wind and the deep clouds the weather is able to be change very quickly. Deep clouds move into southeast, medium high clouds in northeastern direction. After the passage of a broad band of deep clouds around 19 o'clock it clears in the west again and the sun offers some beautiful photo chances.

Around 20 o'clock it becomes clear: The cold front moves through. Air became more clearly, the sight is now about 50 km. But apparently the clouds are torn by the strong wind: Deep cloud banks mix with clear sky between them. In the east, where the moon has now already come up, however still everything is close. Hope is directed towards clear areas, which move from northwest over the Taunus mountains.

Wolken im Osten

20:14 CEST- The cold front moves through

Clouds in the east block the view of the rising eclipsed moon. Taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a JenoptikJD5.0z3 digital camera, automatically exposed.

In the meantime the meal ordered at a Pizza service has come and the cloud break is for used for dinner.

We approach 21 o'clock, the eclipse has reached its maximum at 20:51 CEST. The cloud banks of the cold front accumulate at the Spessart, however slowly move further, and behind it the moon climbs up untiringly. My two coobservers Uwe Müller and Harald Petrich and myself watch behind our observation instruments. The glow of the moon light consolidates itself more and more at the upper edge of the cloud bank.

There he comes! With the darkened part first. For a short time the red-brownish light of the umbra area is well recognizable, before the moon works through the clouds completely and lets this part become again more inconspicuous by the glare.

Partial Lunar Eclipse

21:05 CEST- The partial lunar eclipse becomes visible!

The moon works itself out of the cloud front about a quarter hour after maximum eclipse! The upper roundness of the moon disk lies in the shadow of the Earth. Taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS500N and Canon 75-300mm tele zoom at f5.6, 6 seconds exposed on Fuji200 negative film.

I see through my Skywatcher 70/700 refractor with 30mm eyepiece the moon shining marginally over the upper edge of the cloud bank. Circular cut the upper roundness of the moon disk lies in the shadow of the Earth. Inaudibly a far airplane tracks from the right to the left parallel to the upper cloud edge over the lit range of the moon and draws a dark short condense trail behind it. A beautiful sight! Unfortunately none of my cameras is ready.

Partial Lunar Eclipse

21:08 CEST- Partial lunar eclipse over cloud bank

The moon stands beaming beautifully over the cloud bank. Taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS500N and Canon 75-300mm tele zoom at f5.6, 0.7 seconds exposed on Fuji200 negative film.

Partial Lunar Eclipse

21:08 CEST- Partial lunar eclipse

Taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a JenoptikJD5.0z3 digital camera, through a 30mm eyepiece at a 70/700 Skywatcher refractor. Focusing was done by the positioning of the tripod, on which the camera was separately mounted.

Partial Lunar Eclipse

21:14 CEST- Partial lunar eclipse

Taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS500N focally through a Revue refractor (f=910mm, D=60mm) 1/10 second exposed on Fuji200 negative film. The focusing was done by the positioning of the tripod, on which the camera was separately mounted. A cardboard tube protected against disturbing beams of light.

Partial Lunar Eclipse

21:40 CEST- Partial lunar eclipse

The umbra of Earth moved to the right. Taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a JenoptikJD5.0z3 digital camera, through a 30mm eyepiece at a 70/700 Skywatcher refractor. Focusing was done by the positioning of the tripod, on which the camera was separately mounted.

In the progress of the further eclipse the moon remains well visible in a clear sky. Now and then smaller clouds move to its proximity and from time to time one covers it briefly. The shadow moves upward right out of the moon and the time passed so quickly that the egress out of the umbra terminates the partial lunar eclipse at 21:37 CEST.

The following penumbral phase can be pursued until around 22:30 CEST, but the darkening came more and more pale until it reached a range, where it is no longer clear whether one still sees it or just wants to see it.

Penumbral Phase

22:18 CEST- Penumbral phase

The umbra has left the moon. During the penumbral phase clouds decorate the moon. Taken in Dreieich Götzenhain with a JenoptikJD5.0z3 digital camera, through a 30mm eyepiece at a 70/700 Skywatcher refractor.

In the meantime the wind turned, so that the route of planes landing on Frankfurt airport south of the observation place in the north of Dreieich-Götzenhain is used now by airplanes. Twice the moon is touched by wingtips, but the only transit flight happens at a moment where the moon was weakened by small clouds.

A picture with an airplane before the moon should not succeed in this evening, but there was an impressing lunar eclipse over the cloud bank of the moving off cold front. A brilliant meeting in the evening sky over Dreieich-Götzenhain!

Stephan Heinsius, on 08.09.2006.

Last update of this page: 09. September 2006.
 

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