06:34 As today marks the winter solstice, (the longest night and shortest day), and a full eclipse of the moon is expected, (the first occurring on the winter solstice in 400 years), I was up at twenty past five. The full moon in a clear sky was visible from the bedroom window, and that was enough to persuade me to leave a warm bed in the certain knowledge that I could return to it later. So I have had my breakfast, well ahead of schedule, and I have been out to take some pictures. According to radio broadcasts last night and this morning, the eclipse starts at about 6:20 and is full by 7:40. So here we go...
06:48 Well the eclipse has started and with my average digital camera on zoom, I have taken a few pictures, so I will take them every ten minutes or so. And a trial run earlier was no bad thing, for it allowed me to find a good spot in the garden where the light from the flash is not distorted in the snow. As for the sub zero temperature, I am well wrapped up, and my binoculars are hanging at the ready.
07:05 I have no idea as to what I have managed to capture, for despite my earlier success, I have had persistent problems with the light from the flash vis-a-vis the snow. Even standing in the middle of the gritted ............ Road, didn't solve the problem, so I moved around to the front of the house, where, within the space of a few seconds, the moon, half obscured by the earth, was completely obscured by cloud.
07:18 Now what is amazing is, that the sky is largely clear, but just at that point where the moon is setting, fast moving cloud is cutting across its path, and I mean, fast. And just now, the moon is nowhere to be seen.
07: 28 Well the dawn is upon us, and I think it's a case of "what will be will be", for I have had to content myself with a picture of where the moon should be. And looking through the study window, as I type with cold hands, there is no reason to believe that it is going to re-appear. But I tried...
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