Harvest Moon / Partial Lunar Eclipse, Sept. 17, 2024
How 'bout that moon last night, huh?
I semi-recently got a new phone, and went for the best camera I could get, on the theory that I use it a LOT and might as well get something that will remain of good quality for the length of time I tend to keep phones. But this is the first time (other than the other week, when I posted the crescent moon photos) that I truly tried to get some moon pics with it.
First, commuting home, the full Harvest Moon was low and rising, and a GORGEOUS golden color that was turning the clouds around it gold. I really wasn't sure I'd be able to capture it, so imagine my surprise (middle row) when, after taking a bunch of pics, I actually got a few where the details of the moon were visible! As well as the golden color.
But that wasn't the end of the night's Moon Show. I found out that 10:44pm should be the greatest extent of the night's partial lunar eclipse, so I set my alarm to go out and see if I could get a look. I got lucky in that the moon WAS visible (there is a big tree out back and then houses, and I was worried those would be blocking it), and also from an angle at which I could use the roof of my neighbor's car as a makeshift tripod to steady my phone.
That bottom left shot shows the rainbow halo, caused by the high wispy (icy) clouds moving through. Again, it took some fiddling and a lot of attempts, but I was surprised that I was able to get a few shots that showed the eclipse and some detail on the moon itself.
Very satisfying night, moon-wise!
