Total eclipse 2015 - live from Svarlbard!

Svarlbard! Svarlbard! Svarlbard!

The total eclipse of 2015 was predicted to be a good one, with totality lasting longer than many due to the Moon being at perihelion at the time.  However it was only making landfall on the Faroe Islands and Svarlbard.  So you could travel to Svarlbard like Tim did, or you could watch the webcast in the warm comfort of your own home and play cards - like we did.

The Faroe Islands were clouded out, but fortunately the skies over Svarlbard were clear and the was a great stream coming from the local news station.  We panicked a couple of times as the feed seemed to get overloaded and lag, but it cleared up in time and we got to see it all.

Not quite like being there, but pretty awesome anyway.

Blood moon

We had two total Lunar eclipses this year, one on 15 April and the other tonight 8 Oct.  This is the last total Lunar eclipse for a while, the next is 31 Jan 2018, and we luckily found a gap in patchy cloud cover to see the eclipse just as it finished totality at 10pm, and watch the shadow slip away for a while.
Got to use my new tripod for the first time and snapped a few photos, mostly using the 200mm zoom, 4 seconds at f5.7 (the minimum available at 200mm)

The gear aimed at the Lunar eclipse

Not a bad shot

When a plane came over, I managed to adjust the camera just in time to capture this...

As I was mucking around with the camera, L was enjoying the view through the telescope and then had a go at getting some shots on my mobile.

Totality just slipping away

more

and more...

As a happy bonus, while I was researching on Stellarium I noticed that Uranus would be near the Moon at the time of the eclipse.  Maybe...

It seemed to be in the right position, and even though the light pollution and cloud and atmospherics made it a bit blurry - I'm sure that the bluey green target on the left was a disk, and not a point source.  So I'm claiming that as my first sighting of Uranus through my own telescope (I once got to look at it through one of the telescope up on Mt Stromlo when having a tour once)

And then the clouds rolled back in, and we were done for the evening.

Partial solar eclipse

Wednesday, 14 November.  0730 - 0900

A beautiful clear morning dawned for the 54% partial solar eclipse that we were to enjoy today.  We had decided at short notice to take the telescope and light box to the school again.  
As the show was going to be over by 0845 there was going to be a fair opportunity for the kids and teachers to see what was going on if they wanted.
By the time we were set up the eclipse had started and there was about an eighth of the moon already over the face of the sun.  
We took a couple of photos and the kids started arriving soon after that.  

 Setting up at the school.

 Just in time - the moons moving in now.

 Almost as good as it is going to get.  A good amount of sunspot activity to be seen as well.

 That's the max for today!

 Some of the kids checking it out.
Again, like for the transit of Venus, it is so much fun sharing this with the kids (and teachers!) at the school.  Lots of questions kept me on my toes, and it was clear they were thinking about what was going on.

Will have to find an excuse to do this again next year somehow.