Parking under the Moon

The partial lunar eclipse on 16. August 2008 in Dreieich-Götzenhain

Experience Report

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The second from Germany visible lunar eclipse of the year 2008 should begin with the moon rise on 16. August comfortably on a Saturday evening and end shortly after the end the first night half. Similarly as on 16. September 1997 there was hope, in case of good weather and appropriate foreground, to be able to photograph and observe the eclipsed moon over a domestic landscape.

The weather during the day was well, summery warm, a few fair weather clouds, perhaps a little bit hazy. But on rise the moon should be still clearly in the penumbral phase phase, i.e. no problem, if it should become visible only at a little bit more degrees over the horizon. I decided at short notice to observe in the northwest of Götzenhain or in the northeast of Dreieichenhain to see the moon coming up behind fields and trees lain higher. Together with Uwe Müller it started around 20:30. We finally found a place on a hill in the field few 10 meters distant from the place, where I had photographed 2004 sunsets in September, but now with view to the point of moon rise directly behind the "Höchten" (highest one) in Götzenhain. Where I expected the moon I saw it then already weakly shining behind clouds. On the height a lot of cars parked.

Parking under the Moon Cars park under the rising moon "im Höchsten" in Dreieich-Götzenhain. The moon is already (not recognizably on the image) in the penumbra of the Earth. Taken on 16. August 2008 around 20:55 CEST with a Canon EOS450D digital camera focally through a Scopos 66/400 APO with 0,8x field flattener.

The cars parked there because of a concert in the corn labyrith of Götzenhain, which took place in approx. 1 kilometer distance of the observation place close to the new road bridge. Clearly exotic sounds could be heard. These stopped, when the moon stood straight behind a cloud bank, and continued, when the moon became visible again. Whether that was coincidence or was connected with the lunar eclipse was not known to us. The darkening itself could not be recognized yet, but the moon delivered a beautiful red light at the still evening-blue sky.

Moon in the Penumbra 21:09 CEST - The moon continues to rise higer over the horizon and into the penumbra. The shading is already well recognizable at the lower left. Taken on 16. August 2008 around 21:09 CEST with a Canon EOS450D digital camera focally Through a Scopos 66/400 APO with 0,8x Field flattener, 1/8s exposed at ISO400.

The moon rose higher, became brighter, now changed the colours to orange and yellow. The penumbra became visible at the lower left edge of the moon. I went further about 100 to 200 meters to the northeast, to get different foreground views. The moon stood over the populated area "Im Höchsten", Jupiter about in the south also already visible. The moon wandered through two condense trails and continued to increase in brightness. It was not possible any longer to capture the lunar eclipse as well as the landscape, for that the landscape was already too dark and the moon already too bright, thus no views as on 16. September 1997. I tried then a series of photographs with an apple tree at different exposure times. Thus it would later perhaps be possible to unite the different brightnesses by means of a composite image.

Moon over Götzenhain The moon stands over the houses in the north of Dreieich-Götzenhain, taken on 16.08.2008 at 21:23 CEST with a Canon EOS450D.

Moon and Jupiter over Dreieich-Götzenhain taken on 16.08.2008 around 21:24 CEST in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS450D

21:33 CEST - The moon 2 minutes before the entry into the umbra taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS450D and a Walimex 650-1300mm super tele zoom at 650mm.

Then we drove home by cars. On the roof terrace again taken the next pictures, then the laptop setup for the live transmission on AstroNation. The server was loaded, but not unavailable. I could log in and start the live transmission. Why the laptop went to suspend mode with black screen ahortly, was not clear to me, provided a short annoyance and a reboot.

Afterwards I could not log in despite several attempts, thus continue to take pictures. A new 650 - 1300mm super tele was used and supplied sharp photographs. But starting at 0.5 seconds already a small shift by the earth rotation was recognizable at the moon at 650mm. The resolution of digital images is better than of analog pictures, therefore the maximum exposure time, which one can use without tracking, is shorter.

With the Celestron C5 and the Scopos 60/400 APO refractor I took some tracked photographs. Also the Sony DCR-VX700 video camera was used now at a lunar eclipse again. In the meantime the maximum phase was reached, a bow of a lunar crescent stretched itself opened downwards over the of the eclipsed areas of the moon. This was clearly recognizable in reddish brown tones. With the EOS450D good telescope photographs were achieved problem-free, manual mirror clapping before exposure activated.

21:56 CEST - Lunar Eclipse taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS450D

22:18 CEST - Lunar Eclipse taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS450D

22:51 CEST - Lunar Eclipse taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS450D

23:14 CEST - Lunar Eclipse taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS450D focally through a Celestron C5 telescope, 3s exposed at ISO 800

The crescent turned further to north to northeast, i.e. more and more opened to the southwest. It became larger. Light cirrus clouds had put over the moon, the scattered light was so strong that the umbra areas did not come out completely clearly, like a view of the eclipsed moon through very thin silk. At short exposure times of the lit lunar surface it however became no longer visible on the photographs.

23:36 CEST - Lunar Eclipse taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS450D

23:52 CEST - Lunar Eclipse taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS450D focally through a Celestron C5 telescope, 1/4s exposed at ISO 200

After end of the partial phase around 0:44 CEST there were to the right, to the left and above the moon beginnings of a halo could be seen. The brightness of a full moon night now came over the landscape of Dreieich. Already before end of the penumbral phase I terminated the live transmission, we packed the things together. It had become cool in the meantime, the summer night had changed itself towards an autumn night, a little bit humidity already settled on the rooflights.

00:53 CEST on 17. August 2008 - the still penumbrally eclipsed moon over Dreieich-Götzenhain in cirrus clouds. Beginningly a halo is recognizable. Taken in Dreieich-Götzenhain with a Canon EOS450D

That was a beautiful lunar eclipse with colorful moon rise over Dreieich, which I could experience and enjoy at quite good observation conditions. So many eclipse experiences in a short time as in August 2008 will now not any longer be for quite a while, at the earliest at the end of 2009 / at the beginning of 2010 again something comparable is possible, with a small partial lunar eclipse in Central Europe and a very long annular solar eclipse in Africa or south Asia.

Stephan Heinsius, Dreieich, in August 2008.

Last update of this page: 24. August 2008.
 

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