Lunar Eclipse Over Kitt Peak Observatory

A photo composite of multiple exposures. From the photographer: “The total lunar eclipse on Nov. 8 I was allowed to observe from NSF’s NOIRLab Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona, USA. Here comes a  sequence of the lunar eclipse trail over the Nicolas U. Mayall Telescope of NOIRLab’s Kitt Peak National Observatory from its very beginning to the end, with central reddish totality. Just a few minutes before the partial eclipse ended, an observer from the telescope returned with his car down, creating a dramatic light show on the road. In the right upper corner, the Polaris star can be found nearby the northern celestial pole, while the stars on the left part belong to the majestic Orion constellation.

Technical details: The whole sequence took about 3,5 hours. Used Canon 6D, Samyang 12mm, f5.6, ISO 800, 379x30s.

The secondary image (also an Astronomy Picture of the Day) shows the 1m telephoto-lense eclipse-phases comparison (start, middle, end). The eclipse was just so clear, full of changes in colors in the Earth’s shadow, the deep part influenced by Tonga volcano’s ash (darker in the first half of the eclipse), start and end also by the ozone layer (blue).”

Technical details: Canon Ra, MTO 1m/f10, ISO640, 6s exposures (from Vixen GP-2 mount).