# Lunar Eclipse Tonight **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 21, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479 "2008-02-21T01:03:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/21 "2008-02-21T03:09:10Z")
damned motion-blur on pretty much every pic I took… S^G ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/22 "2008-02-21T03:12:14Z")
Got some reddish orange color here, but um…turquoise? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/23 "2008-02-21T03:15:22Z")
Crystal clear here too! Looks like the color of iced tea. About as cold too. And remember… DO NOT STARE DIRECTLY AT AN ECLIPSE. You might think it’s not doing any damage, but that’s because your retinas don’t have any nerve endings. Not only can you go blind, but the magical eclipse moon rays can blister your skin and melt your bones. I use an indirect method to avoid these dangers, a mirror. Once it reaches totality it’s okay to look. But even then, the umbra has known properties for inducing vomiting, diarrhea, and what’s known as a “moon tan” where your skin will turn an unsightly shade of eggplant. Otherwise, enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/24 "2008-02-21T03:21:29Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] And remember… DO NOT STARE DIRECTLY AT AN ECLIPSE. You might think it’s not doing any damage, but that’s because your retinas don’t have any nerve endings. Not only can you go blind, but the magical eclipse moon rays can blister your skin and melt your bones. I use an indirect method to avoid these dangers, a mirror. Once it reaches totality it’s okay to look. But even then, the umbra has known properties for inducing vomiting, diarrhea, and what’s known as a “moon tan” where your skin will turn an unsightly shade of eggplant. Otherwise, enjoy! [/QUOTE] My favorite part of this eclipse? The whooshing sound! 😛 S^G ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/25 "2008-02-21T03:21:44Z")
😉 [Another lunar eclipse victim.](http://londonist.com/attachments/sizemore/toht.jpg) Shoulda used a mirror. Fool. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/26 "2008-02-21T03:21:49Z")
Whoa, pretty cool looking, and cold in St Louis. Not a cloud in the sky. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/27 "2008-02-21T03:21:55Z")
Looking great in Boston! About 1/3 covered. ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/28 "2008-02-21T03:24:25Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Looking great in Boston! About 1/3 covered. [/QUOTE] um, it’s totally covered right now. One side is a little brighter than the other, because it’s closer to the light at the moment. S^G ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/29 "2008-02-21T03:28:03Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Looking great in Boston! About 1/3 covered. [/QUOTE] It’s lighter on one side, because the earth’s shadow is “blurry”. It’s mostly covered by the [penumbra](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penumbra) part of earth’s shadow. And am I correct to say, the shadow’s reddish color is due to the earth’s atmosphere’s refraction? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/30 "2008-02-21T03:36:07Z")
When I got out of my car around 9PM, the bottom left of the moon was covered up. By 10PM when I left again, it was all orangey! I stood out in my yard and made a dog’s head with my hands, and I saw it on the moon! Woohoo! I also attempted to take a picture of it with my SLR. It went click…wait wait wait wait…click. We’ll see how THAT turns out. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/31 "2008-02-21T03:36:11Z")
I’m in the Costco parking lot where the view is good. Pleased to see others out watching. Amazed at how oblivious the shoppers are. Posting from phone, also amazing! ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/32 "2008-02-21T03:42:32Z")
It was cloudy in the west all afternoon and I figured that the eclipse would would be a wash but, nope, it totally clear now with lots of sparkly stars in addition to the moon. Turns out I can see it from my patio too. Very nice! **Cmyk,** you forgot to add that because the gravity is so much stonger right now, horrible natural disasters should be happening worldwide at this very moment. At least that’s what a friend with some “unique” ideas was talking about this morning. Here’s hoping we all survive to see the sun rise! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/33 "2008-02-21T03:49:08Z")
Yay! Finally, the magical eclipse moon rays burned away the clouds and I got a fairly good look at it just after totality. Very, very cool. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/34 "2008-02-21T03:51:35Z")
**Tikki,** your friend is right, of course. If you think about it, the moon’s gravity is what keeps the earth from hurtling into the sun’s fiery corona. If the moon would ever to be completely blotted out from the earth’s shadow (thereby erasing the moon’s gravity) we would succumb to the aforementioned fate. But, thank og, it’s only partially occluded. While we experience greater gravity by the pull of the sun made stronger by a weakened moon, we will prevail! ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/35 "2008-02-21T03:52:31Z")
Here’s a link to the photo I took at about 8:55. [Eclipse](http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/GaryM_photo/Lunar%20Eclipse/moon18.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/36 "2008-02-21T03:54:14Z")
[QUOTE=GaryM] Here’s a link to the photo I took at about 8:55. [Eclipse](http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/GaryM_photo/Lunar%20Eclipse/moon18.jpg) [/QUOTE] Great picture! I’d post mine, but you all would laugh. But, Gary, yours is awesome! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/37 "2008-02-21T03:55:55Z")
[QUOTE=GaryM] Here’s a link to the photo I took at about 8:55. [Eclipse](http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/GaryM_photo/Lunar%20Eclipse/moon18.jpg) [/QUOTE] NICE! Makes it look like it really _is_ made out of cheese. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/38 "2008-02-21T04:03:09Z")
Thanks for the complements. Shot with a Nikon D40X and a 200mm lens. Found out a few things too. Focusing was easy at the beginning, but very difficult during the totality part. Also except for during the totality, I had to under expose by 2.5 stops. The moon is really a lot brighter than you’d think. Here’s one from about half way. [Eclipse 2](http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/GaryM_photo/Lunar%20Eclipse/moon10.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/39 "2008-02-21T04:03:37Z")
WAAAAY better than mine, which are all motion-blurred, and not anywhere near as zoomed in… S^G ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479/40 "2008-02-21T04:04:12Z")
uh… here’s my… uh… [shot](http://goodcomics.com/sdmb/LunarEclipse.jpg) of the eclipse. _ahem_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/438479.md?page=3)