End of Total Lunar Eclipse

It was always going to be pot luck with this eclipse, being close to the horizon from the UK, but the clouds made it even less likely of getting anything, but it was worth a shot. The Skywatcher 200P was set up on a tripod on a quiet lane with a clear view of the eastern horizon, ten minutes before the start of moonrise under a very cloudy sky.

As the end of the eclipse approached and the clouds were clearing to the west whilst thickening in the east, a decision was made to pack up and go home. With the telescope back in the car, the clouds parted and the Moon appeared in a small gap. Fortunately, the second camera was still set up with a 300 mm lens which allowed a rushed attempt to grab a few photos. After checking the first images, it was necessary to change the settings and try again, which resulted in two images free of clouds, with only one in focus! When life gives you lemons, what do you do? Make moonshine, of course!

With only low-res images in the bag, several of which had clouds crossing the Moon, the only sensible thing to do was create a collage. The images are arranged in the order of capture, with the first one being acquired at 19:53:58 UTC, when the Moon was at a distance of 368 249 km and 10° 06' altitude.

Exposure: F/8, 1/500s, ISO-800

Nikon D7200
Nikon 300 mm F/4 prime lens

GIMP: Create collage, adjust colour balance, levels, sharpen