Yes, I'm definitely planning to head out for this one! It has great potential: the moon will be down low near the landscape, and that landscape will be getting light from the dawn (here in central/northern NM the time of total eclipse, 7:05, is almost exactly sunrise). I just need to make up my mind where to go.
I know what ya mean about locations Paul. I have a feeling I'll wind up somewhere between Longmont and Fort Collins or city park in Denver or maybe GOG.
Posted by Bob Falcone on December 8, 2011 at 11:36 PM
Judging by the times it will be visible in Colorado, the Garden of the Gods should be a great place to shoot this.
Posted by Ken Wyatt on December 9, 2011 at 10:52 AM
For those desiring to shoot from Garden of the Gods, here's the Colorado Springs data from the Naval Observatory:
Moonrise.........................2011 Dec 09 16:03............60.9.....----
Moon enters penumbra....2011 Dec 10 04:31.8.......277.5.....27.1
Moon enters umbra..........2011 Dec 10 05:45.4.......287.5.....13.6
Moon enters totality.........2011 Dec 10 07:05.7.......299.0.......0.2
Moonset...........................2011 Dec 10 07:09..........299.4.....----
Because the rocks/mountains are so high, I suspect you'll not be able to photograph totality right at sunrise, however, you should be able to get some nice partial eclipse shots earlier with the rock formations in silhouette or even better; light-painted for some foreground interest.
Since the moon starts to enter the umbra (starts to eclipse) at 5:45 AM and is 13.6 degrees in elevation, I'm guessing the best spots for GoG shooting might be the visitor center parking lot or the Mesa Rd. overlook. Because of the rather low elevation at the start of the eclipse, setting up too close to the formations will likely hide the moon.
One other thought would be to set up at Wilkerson Pass to try and get a shot over the Collegiate Range. Bring big glass (400 to 600mm with teleconverters) for that, though.
Posted by Ken Wyatt on December 9, 2011 at 11:55 AM
Much more detail from my blog posting for Colorado Springs shooters....
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on December 9, 2011 at 2:20 PM
Did Colorado Springs have a fog bank along the mountain front this morning?
The north Denver Metro forecast for today and tomorrow morning is sunny/minimal to no cloud cover.
Well, true, but it was not until late morning that the fog bank burned off and you could actually see the Flatirons.
I'm assuming the same for tomorrow ??? Any input from the weather experts would be appreciated.
Maybe a great sunrise/eclipse shot from the top of a downtown skyscraper.
Posted by Paul Martin on December 9, 2011 at 5:03 PM
Hey thats not a bad idea Bill If there is a repeat of the fog up here tomorrow morning we probably wont see anything
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on December 9, 2011 at 7:51 PM
Paul, after sunrise and no clearing, I headed up Flagstaff road to the Lost Gulch overlook. It was a bluesky morning up there. Wish I would have given up earlier. From the overlook there is a panoramic view of the continental divide. I've included a 500mm shot taken at 9 AM.
That's where I plan to be tomorrow morning, unless someone can guarantee no fog in the lowlands.
Posted by Ken Wyatt on December 9, 2011 at 7:51 PM
I understand there's high-pressure building for the weekend. Because I have my Boy Scout weather merit badge, I suspect no clouds...sorry Todd.
Discussion
12 repliesThanks for the reminder. Fingers crossed to catch the eclipse over GC.
Here's an inspirational shot taken under similar conditions in Iran.
And here's a helpful resource for brushing up your eclipse technique: How to Photograph a Lunar Eclipse.
Thanks for the amazing links, Jackson!!!
(http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/lunar-ecl-us)
Total Eclipse of the Moon
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
W104 48, N38 51
Mountain Standard Time
...................................................................................Moon's
..........................................................................Azimuth Altitude (degrees)
Moonrise.........................2011 Dec 09 16:03............60.9.....----
Moon enters penumbra....2011 Dec 10 04:31.8.......277.5.....27.1
Moon enters umbra..........2011 Dec 10 05:45.4.......287.5.....13.6
Moon enters totality.........2011 Dec 10 07:05.7.......299.0.......0.2
Moonset...........................2011 Dec 10 07:09..........299.4.....----
Because the rocks/mountains are so high, I suspect you'll not be able to photograph totality right at sunrise, however, you should be able to get some nice partial eclipse shots earlier with the rock formations in silhouette or even better; light-painted for some foreground interest.
Since the moon starts to enter the umbra (starts to eclipse) at 5:45 AM and is 13.6 degrees in elevation, I'm guessing the best spots for GoG shooting might be the visitor center parking lot or the Mesa Rd. overlook. Because of the rather low elevation at the start of the eclipse, setting up too close to the formations will likely hide the moon.
One other thought would be to set up at Wilkerson Pass to try and get a shot over the Collegiate Range. Bring big glass (400 to 600mm with teleconverters) for that, though.
The north Denver Metro forecast for today and tomorrow morning is sunny/minimal to no cloud cover.
Well, true, but it was not until late morning that the fog bank burned off and you could actually see the Flatirons.
I'm assuming the same for tomorrow ??? Any input from the weather experts would be appreciated.
Maybe a great sunrise/eclipse shot from the top of a downtown skyscraper.
That's where I plan to be tomorrow morning, unless someone can guarantee no fog in the lowlands.