lunar eclipse with orion over west bergholt
image size 1220mm x 920mm, paper size 1370mm x 1120mm
| A total eclipse of the moon in mid winter. During the eclipse cloud previously lit by the moon turned gun metal grey and the earth to a soft light black, as though the sky has shut its eye. In this rare atmosphere scattered house lights and the headlights of a passing car became more noticeable. On the horizon orange light over Colchester, once the capital of Roman Britain and now one of it's most rapidly developing towns, appeared to brighten under an immense blue-black vault. | ||
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During an eclipse of the moon sunligt is bent through the Earth's atmosphere, which turns it reddish before it falls on the moon. The amount of red is described on the Danjon scale. Here it is at about 3 in a range of 0 (very dark) to 4 (light coppery orange). This means that the earth's atmosphere was fairly clear that night. After a volcanic erruption eclipses are much darker. The position of the stars is accurate and Orion with his belt of three stars, red Beltegeuse and Castor and Pollux can all be seen. |
