Re: [APML]: Any Lunar Eclipse Photos?

[patrickg@nosc.mil (Patrick W. Greenlee)]

>I haven't seen one message about photographing the lunar eclipse.
>Was everyone clouded out? If you'd like to see my photo from my
>backyard use this URL:

I was above 6000 feet in the Laguna mountains east of San Diego, with 2
OM-1Ns, an OM-2, an OM-2N, Celestron C-8 set up for prime focus, a
piggyback mount on the C-8 as well, and 2 Hi-8 camcorders and a Yashica 1/2
frame 35mm..   There was a "dirty bathtub ring" around the eastern horizon
but it did not extend many degrees vertically in our view.  Shot 3+ rolls
of Kodak 400 pro gold.  Prime focus stuff with OM-2N on automatic (some
manual experimental compensation +/-) was pretty good (7/10).  Some of the
piggy back was about 5 to 7 on a scale of 10 (5-7/10).  Some of the piggy
back was mediocre (4-5/10) to poor (3-4/10).  I will be holding a post
mortem over some of the shots due to less than impressive results with one
of my lenses and an as of yet unexplained red blob/flare in several
consecutive images on the piggy back.

??? I have an ARTIFACT?? on several consecutive prime focus shots.  It is a
small white dot.  The first time it appears just outside of the moons disk,
then progressively further away until in the last frame in which it appears
it is about 1/5 to 1/4 a moon radius away.  In all but one of the pictures,
in which it appears, it is a small round dot.  I thought maybe I got a
picture of a star slowly changing in angular distance from the moon but...
in one of the pix the "dot" is a short curved trail but the moon's disk, at
first glance, doesn't seem to be less clear that the preceding or following
pix.  If motion/vibration were the cause the whole frame should have been
shaken or stirred (sorry, James).

The "circus" was in town, lots of clowns in evidence.  Lots of Bozos doing
extremely dumb things with their headlights, tail lights, backup lights,
interior lights and flashlights.  The funniest thing I witnessed was some
fairly well equipped serious types with many thousands of dollars worth of
equipment running around chiding tourists for taking flash pictures of the
moon, jumping down the throats of people with flashlights etc.  If amateur
astronomers want to have good PR and a sympathetic public when light
pollution issues are aired then we need to be more careful how we interface
with John and Jane Q. Public.  If you don't want to see the clown don't go
to the circus.  Don't go to a public place and try to impose your rules on
the masses.  It is like wrestling with a pig, you get dirty and the pig has
fun.  There are usually less popular places in which to sequester your
activities and avoid confrontation with the unknowing.

Patrick