Total Lunar Eclipse
November 8-9, 2003

Connelly's Springs, NC





Photograph (c) 2003, David Cortner.

Beginning about 6:30 PM, EST, I photographed the Moon every 8 minutes
using a Nikon D1 at prime focus behind a 5-inch F6 Astro-Physics refractor
on a Losmandy G11 mount. Nearby, I mounted a D100 with a 12-24mm lens on
a fixed tripod. A series of photos with the D100 established the path of the
Moon in the sky and its position at critical moments. I finished with a long
exposure of the thickening clouds by the light of the still-partially eclipsed
Moon after it exited the top of the frame.

I digitally composited the telescopic views of the Moon at the appropriate
points along the path of the rising Moon. These images are 40% larger than
they would have been had I photographed the event "straight" using the fixed
camera alone. I wanted viewers of the finished photo to be able to see the
phases of the eclipse, lunar "seas," and the bright rays of the crater Tycho
while still preserving a realistic appearance.

Another lunar eclipse and its lessons for Lewis and Clark fans and scholars
can be seen here: the Mandan Moon.

Please get in touch to license high-res files
of these and many other images on this site.

Email: DavidCortner@pobox.com

Website: http://www.davidcortner.com