Eclipse tonight Updated with PICS.
 

Anybody watching the eclipse tonight? It's supposed to start in about an hour or so. I'm setting up on my back patio with my little Orion 4.5 inch dob. So far I've managed a couple of halfway decent shots thru the Scope using my I-Phone. I hope to be able to get a couple of the "blood moon" if I can persuade myself to stay up that late. Damn work:mad:

Mars is a spectacular sight thru the scope with the naked eye as well. The seeing here in Phoenix is pretty decent and using 90x magnification it's a nicely defined disk with some dark splotchy surface patches just visible to the naked eye. Even a slight hint of a polar cap.

- Peter.

And I've just seen my first ever UFO. Looking at the moon thru the scope I saw a tiny round dark object, either a satellite or a high altitude balloon pass across the face of the moon. My suspicion is it was a balloon as it was not quite a perfect sphere but reminded me of a slightly elongated shape like a lemon. Can't identify it for sure though so it remains officially an unidentified flying object:D

- Peter.

I happened to get up and see it. Had pretty clear sky and cold out. Was nice to see :)

Got some pics
 

These were all taken with my Iphone hand held at the Telescope eyepice. Not the greatest quality but I had to work with what I had.

Before it all began
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pse9061d79.jpg

About a third of a bite taken out of it...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps21024acd.jpg

Halfway there.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psacb9fe3a.jpg

Just a sliver of light limmning the edge.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psc50c5a0c.jpg

Blood Moon.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps7af986a5.jpg

- Peter.

Nice pics. Thanks for sharing.

A short while ago . . . that would probably have been a sign of "bad ju ju" and if you were a chief, leader or otherwise in charge of the tribe . . . bad news for you or someone close.

Thanks. There's better pic's out there I know but these weren't too bad considering. There will apparently be more of these events in the relatively near future. I hope to be better set up for them then.

- Peter.

Nicely done. #3 is a gorgeous portrait.

Thanks. Interesting to see how the stars appear when the moon is dimmed. The two blood moon ones show a star visible to the lower right of the moon that is simply not there in the other pic's with the full lunar glare overwhelming the scene. There is also a very faint star just below the moons rim that's hard to see even in the last two pics.

- Peter.

Nice pics Peter! Great captures.

I wanted to take a stab at it but I was sorely lacking in sleep so I hit the sack as the moon went halfway dark.

Thanks. I have to say that right now I'm kicking myself big time for not having bought a motorized Celestron C8 about a year ago when I could have done so for less than a grand. That would have been perfect to track the event with and get some really good pic's with a properly mounted camera. Still. I am glad I managed to get these. I must say Orion makes a decent telescope.

- Peter.

These are great, im glad you posted this!

I forgot all about it and slept through everything