Progress of Lunar Eclipse, change of coloration (Jul 16, 2000)

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Date & Time: Jul 16 2000 (Times in image are JST, 4 to 10 sec. exposed each)
Optical: VIXEN 20cm(7.9") VISAC (f=1800mm, F9.0)
Auto-guided with TAKAHASHI EM-200 Equatorial
Camera: VIXEN VX-1
Film: Fujicolor Super G Ace 800
Location: Subashiri halfway up Mt. Fuji, Shizuoka pref.


This nine set of lunar eclipse images shows you the change of color of eclipsed shadow by exposing long time. Because of the very large difference of brightness, any photo films and CCD chips cannot capture eclipsed and non-eclipsed parts simultaneously. However our naked eyes can detect both parts clearly because we have eyes with extremely wide dynamic range, any contemporary imaging technology cannot exceed that.
This picture tells us that the coloration of eclipsed moon has full of variety by the magnitude of eclipse. The impressive colors are made from the sunlight refracted and dispersed by the Earth's atmosphere. So every lunar eclipse shows us different color and brightness according to an amount of dusty particles contained in stratosphere of the Earth. For example when large-scaled volcanic eruption occurred, we can observe a lunar eclipse with very dark moon. In present case, we had eclipsed tanned moon with standard brightness.


Progress of Lunar Eclipse
Lunar Eclipse, shadow of Earth

Copyright(c) 2000 by Naoyuki Kurita, All rights reserved.
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