After the great success of our Action for the last blood moon on 07/27/2018 we have decided to take you to the Next total lunar eclipse on January 21st, 2019 again with great offers all around Photo accessories and Blood moon photography tips to supply. Unfortunately, the blood moon in January 2019 will not last as long as the last total lunar eclipse in July 2018. We will again answer all relevant questions about photographing a lunar eclipse and the process in January.
- What should I watch out for when photographing a blood moon or a total lunar eclipse?
- Which camera filters are useful?
- What is the timing of the lunar eclipse in January 2019??
- What phases are there during a blood moon?
What is a blood moon?
Unlike the sun during a solar eclipse, the moon never completely eclipses during a lunar eclipse. As soon as it enters the umbra of the earth, it often often shines in a pale or copper-red colouring , which is why one also from one blood moon speaks. During a lunar eclipse, the earth is between the moon and the sun. During a blood moon, the sunlight is refracted in the earth's atmosphere and casts a reddish glowing shadow on the moon.
Blood Moon by Rachel Powers
Photograph of the lunar eclipse during totality
In the phase of totality, the red sunlight refracted in the earth's atmosphere falls on the moon as a shadow and colors it deep red, which is why one also speaks of the blood moon. The color varies from orange to yellow towards the edge of the umbra. While it became constantly darker as the moon moved into the penumbra and umbra, when photographing the blood moon you absolutely have to Take into account the increase in brightness towards the umbra . This means that the edge sometimes appears overexposed and white if you take pictures shortly after the beginning or before the end of totality. On the photos, this can have the effect that it is sometimes no longer possible to distinguish between a total and a highly partial eclipse.
Here, particularly bright optics are recommended for photography of the moon in the umbra. The ISO sensitivity between 400 and 800 is also helpful here.
The required exposure time depends on the so-called size of the eclipse, which cannot be predicted. The size describes the unpredictable residual brightness of the moon in the umbra and its penetration depth. Usually the Exposure time without ND filter for one Aperture of f/10 and ISO 400 between three and ten seconds . However, this depends heavily on the lens used and the focal length. Because the moon moves in the sky just like the stars from east to west. With longer exposure times, motion blur occurs relatively quickly . The higher the chosen focal length, the shorter the exposure has to be .