What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth’s shadow prevents the sunlight from reflecting off the moon. There are 3 types of eclipses: Total, Partial and Penumbral. One January 20, 2019 we will be treated to a Total Lunar Eclipse. Two things must be present for a total lunar eclipse to happen: 1) The Sun, Earth and Moon must be in a straight line, and 2) There is a full moon. This upcoming Lunar Eclipse will be visible in North and South America, Europe and western Africa. Here in Phoenix AZ the Super Blood Wolf Moon (named by the natives, the Wolf Moon is a full moon that appears in the middle of winter) will rise at 5:20 PM (MT) and the sunset will set at 5:47. At 7:36 PM (MT) the moon will enter the penumbral phase as the Earth’s shadow begins moving over the moon. As the Earth’s umbra starts covering the moon it will become more visible, beginning around 8:34 PM (MT). The total eclipse will begin at 9:41 PM (MT), lasting until approximately 10:12 PM (MT).
The moon will be cast in darkness with some sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere. The red moon is possible as some of this sunlight is bent toward the moon as it passes through Earth’s atmosphere. This occurs because red light makes it through Earth’s atmosphere more easily than the other colors. Our meetup.com group will be headed to the Superstition Mountains if anyone wants to view and photograph this event as a group!
Here are some tips for photographing the Total Eclipse this weekend.
1. Do your research and know the weather. You will want to be comfortably dressed as it may take hours from the beginning to the end of the eclipse.
2. Charge your batteries and clear your memory cards!
3. It’s recommended that you use the longest lens you have available to you for a close-up view. 300mm or more is suggested. It’s not out of the question to use a wide-angle if you prefer a wider view of the night sky, including stars and any other scenery.
4. Use a tripod, and be sure to turn off Vibration Reduction or Image Stabilization.
5. To help avoid camera movement as you press the shutter you may want to bring a remote shutter, or use a delayed shutter setting in camera (2 second timer, etc).
6. It’s recommended to shoot in RAW format so you have more leeway during post processing and for higher quality images.
7. Set your focus on the moon using automatic focus if you begin shooting during the full moon. If you start photographing during the latter portion of the event you may need to use manual focus as the moon darkens.
8. In regards to camera settings, use these settings as a start and adjust as you see fit. These are just starting points (based on Fred Espenak’s Lunar Eclipse Exposure Guide). As we enter the total eclipse, it is actually recommended to start raising your ISO to prevent blur from the moon’s movement:
a. ISO 200, F11, 1/500 (full moon).
b. ISO 200, F8, 1/500 (penumbral).
c. ISO 200, F5.6, 1/125-1/2000 (partial eclipse…depending on the phase).
d. ISO 200, F2.8 .5 sec-30 sec (total eclipse). As you can see one school of thought is to just keep opening your aperture as it gets darker. If you start to see movement in your moon and it’s not as sharp as you would like you can increase your ISO to increase the shutter speed (or open your aperture more if you aren’t already wide open). Typically you will start to see movement in the moon as your shutter speed hits about 1/100 of a second, at which time you will want to increase your ISO or open your aperture (especially when using a zoom lens). You will have plenty time to play and adjust your settings, so see what works well for you and go from there.
9. Download Bonnie Taylor’s Total Eclipse of the Heart, grab a cold beer or glass of wine, and start editing to your heart’s content.
I hope these tips help, and if you are in the Phoenix area, please consider joining us as there is safety and laughter in numbers! Wherever your physical location may be, we hope you join our Exploretography – A Community of Photographers on Facebook and share your images of the eclipse!
Mary Heern, Exploretographer
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