A respectable gathering assembled at the Gaelic Chieftain just outside Boyle this evening to view the lunar eclipse. Personally, such events don't hold a great deal of interest for me, however my 9 year old son was most anxious to witness this fairly rare phenomenon. At about 10.15pm, a crescent moon began to materialise through a haze covered horizon, we didn't see the total eclipse at all. It was very subtle at first but gradually it brightened as it climbed into the night sky. Over the subsequent 50 minutes or so, the shadow cast by the Earth on the surface of the moon receded until it eventually disappeared to reveal a bright full-moon. Although it was a pleasure to stand there for an hour or so in the cold to witness the event, it was not as dramatic as I had hoped. I believe it was to be much more dramatic in the Eastern parts of the country. None the less, I was grateful for the clear sky and absence of rain and I'm sure it will be very memorable for my son too.
Photo: A single exposure. I wasn't bothered trying to shoot the moon on it's own in the sky, instead I wanted to record the scene and light as accurately as it existed. Shot with a 70-200mm lens @ 155mm simply resting it on the tripod. ISO 800. 1/80 @ f/2.8. Focusing on the foreground area with a wide aperture, I was content to sacrifice the detail on the surface of the moon.
Photo: A single exposure. I wasn't bothered trying to shoot the moon on it's own in the sky, instead I wanted to record the scene and light as accurately as it existed. Shot with a 70-200mm lens @ 155mm simply resting it on the tripod. ISO 800. 1/80 @ f/2.8. Focusing on the foreground area with a wide aperture, I was content to sacrifice the detail on the surface of the moon.
