"Bluebeard" wrote in message
...



Anybody know what the (integrated) magnitude of a total eclipse like
tonight's would have been? Even in 100mm binoculars it was on the dim
side, though admittedly the dew didn't help...


Bluebeard

Observed throughout at University of London Observatory (UCL), definitely
the best local conditions for a lunar eclipse since December 1992. The
entire event was followed by a group of UCL astronomy students, viewing
through the 8-inch Fry refractor with a 50-mm diameter eyepiece, so the
whole Moon could be seen. They also used binoculars and small portable
telescopes.

I made an eye estimate by putting on some strong reading glasses that made
stars and planets defocussed to about the same apparent size as the Moon!
At around 2330, I estimated the integrated magnitude as -2.7 by comparison
to Regulus (1.35) and Saturn (0.0).

Students made estimates of crater immersion and emersion times. This was
great practice as they learned lunar topography, Greek philosophy and
science history (names, anyways) and got some experience of visual observing
instead of computer reduction of CCD images.

The darkness around the NW part of the umbra was plainly seen, but the NE
region was much brighter, as was clearly seen in the 20 minutes before end
of totality.

--
Mike Dworetsky

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