Were you able to see it later, Auntie?

Skies cleared around dusk here and it was a perfect autumn evening (around 43F/6C as totality began). I'm a night person though, and it almost would have been easier to stay up all night rather than get up at 4am.

This eclipse seemed darker to me than last April's. By the time totality ended, the moon was sinking into the trees to the west and the sky was quite bright with the coming day.

A highlight was seeing the dim planet Uranus less than 1 degree from the moon (in binoculars) - especially since I live in a well-lit large urban area. I also had to dodge the trees and local lighting as the moon sank lower in the sky as totality progressed.

Eclipses almost always come in pairs, and this one's partner is a partial solar eclipse on October 23, with a similar area of visibility over the eastern Pacific and western North America.

I happened to be up at about 4:20am or so, very briefly, and took a peek at the moon. I would say it was halfway eclipsed at the time? But I was so exhausted I went straight back to bed. So I did not see the blood moon this time around but several of my friends' pictures looked pretty impressive.

Isn't there another one coming up soon? This spring?

You're right, fantasia. The next total lunar eclipse (third in this series of 4) comes next April 4. However, it's another pre-dawn event like this one, with the moon setting during the eclipse for those of us in central North America. Also, totality only lasts 4 minutes 43 seconds (compared to 59 minutes for the one we just had).

The last eclipse in this tetrad comes in September and favors the areas around the Atlantic Ocean. Totality will last 72 minutes.

The partial solar eclipse later this month is the last one for North America until the spectacular total eclipse of August 2017, which will cross the continental US coast to coast (the last eclipse to do this was in 1918).

Had a chance to see some of the eclipse when I first got up. But I had to get my morning chores done, so I was not able to look again until I was on the way to work. By the time I was in the parking lot the man-in-the-moon had grown a white crown.
Perhaps next April will offer me some better opportunity. Or I could just get to bed at an earlier time.

Glad you got to see some of the eclipse, fantasia and Puddleglum.

This Thursday offers a partial solar eclipse for western North America and much of the Pacific basin. Check out details here. As that article mentions, resist any temptation to look directly at the sun. Pinhole projection or #14 welder's glasses are a safe way to watch - and if the trees still have leaves where you live, try looking in their shadows for little crescents on the ground (the spaces between the leaves act as multiple pinhole projectors).

actually did the pin hole, with a magnifying lens, stargazer. Unfortunatly it was a rather small projection, so not very "awesome" as some humans say
I recall reading about the tree leafs trick. If I am about, and my memory has not faded, I shall have to try it.

Glad you were able to see the eclipse, Puddleglum. Here is a photo submitted to spaceweather showing the leaf trick.

I had a good view of the eclipse - though some mosquitoes (in late October!!) crashed the party. There is a huge sunspot group near the center of the sun that was very prominent even to the unaided eye.

Here is an amusing picture of someone's cat not at all interested in the eclipse projected on a nearby wall.

Last night I had the pleasure of showing a dark sky to some friends and their two teenage nephews who were eager to see what was up there. We arrived at the park around sunset and started the campfire. The clouds slowly dissipated until we could see the Milky Way and quite a few of the dimmer stars. We enjoyed S'mores and a nice view of the ISS before calling it a night at about 10 pm (the time the park closed for day use).

Out, and about with the Mrs. tonight. we had just left a fine meal at a local establishment when we look up to see the moon in all it's reflective glory shining through a gap in the clouds.
OH for something other than a cell phone to take pictures with!

There are two astronomical events of interest this week.

The first is an easy viewing opportunity for normally-elusive Mercury, which always stays near the sun from our vantage point here on earth. Right now it is close to bright Venus and easily visible about 45 minutes after sunset.

The only problem is that Venus is fairly low in the southwest from mid-northern latitudes, so the planets are easily hidden by trees or buildings. The trick is to look long enough after sunset to allow Mercury to be seen, but before it sinks behind obstacles in the foreground. The farther south you live, the higher the planets will be.

Comet Lovejoy shines at about magnitude 4, which means it's a binocular object for city dwellers or a naked-eye object for those with dark skies - though you'll need to know exactly where to look to distinguish it from ordinary stars. It's rapidly moving toward the north, west of Orion and Taurus.

More information about both of these events, including diagrams and finder charts, can be found here.

Mercury was easy last night, but windchills approaching -30F put a damper on watching it or looking for the comet. For some reason I was reminded of standing out in the January cold 41 years ago trying to find the 'comet of the century,' Kohoutek, which was something of a dud. But Lovejoy is behaving pretty much as expected and should provide a nice view.

What a gorgeous effect that leaf trick has, wow! And glad you both were able to see the eclipse, friend Wiggle and stargazer.

I am way late in posting in here, but that sunspot group last October was so cool to see (through the eclipse glasses, I hasten to add ).

Fun cat/eclipse pic, 'gazer.

*loves reading about the various special night sky events in people's lives* Everyone one that you two have described above is so evocative.

It is very cold here now, so I bundled up and went out just after the sun had set to view Venus and Mercury, and what a sight that was. Here are a few photos (3), after which are my partial solar eclipse pics from back in the autumn (10), including the resulting sunset, which was glorious, especially spread across the vastness of rolling farmers' fields. There are more pics after the eclipse, and while you are welcome to look through them, they were from earlier years. (Many of the more delicate (ball of sun!) eclipse photos were through eclipse glasses, just for the record. No hobbits' eyes were harmed in the shooting of these pics. )

While I did spot Comet Lovejoy last night through my binoculars, I found it a greater challenge. Maybe largely because its tail can be quite dim, and, for me, that's a mighty distinguishing feature. Anyway, lining up all the starry info from skyandtelescope, I pinpointed the location, and there it was ... such a fuzzball. I think I also saw it with my naked eye, but thought it would be more obvious since we live in the country now. Anyway, it was such a cold night, but these were two beautiful events I will not soon forget.

/edited

Nice pictures, jo! They made for an enjoyable addition to your stargazing account.

I was out of the big city for the past few days, which would aid in the viewing of Comet Lovejoy, but the weather wasn't very cooperative. Either it was clear but cold and windy (the low Monday morning was -15F/-26C with windchills pushing -35) or it was warmer but cloudy. Typical winter fare in this part of the world.

But last night was clear and relatively warm (about 25F/-4C) and clear (except for some haze and fog from snow melt earlier in the day). I waited until the comet wasn't so high in the sky (around 11:30pm) before venturing out. Using the same online star chart jo mentioned, I found the comet fairly easily in binoculars. I was a little surprised, in fact, at how easy it was given the haze and local lighting. A naked-eye observation was not in the cards, however, but I enjoyed seeing this fuzzball, the first comet I've seen since 2009.

johobbit. I enjoyed seeing the pictures. Wish I had the chance to take some myself, but I was on the road at the time, and would have probably had some pics of the ditch as well.
I was wondering if anyone has advice on taking photos of planets, or comets with a digital camera. Everything I have tried is a dismal failure.

We had quite the time with the comet this weekend. We managed to locate it with our telescope Friday night. I was surprised at how incredibly hard it was to find. Really impressed you could see it even with binoculars Jo.
Saturday night I didn't go out and look. My husband and his brother were out trying to figure out how to take some pictures of it (with no success). And then Sunday night we tried finding it again for my parents to see but we absolutely could not locate it. (They checked out Mars, Jupiter, and the Orion Nebula instead.)

Great about seeing the comet, stargazer and fantasia!

(They checked out Mars, Jupiter, and the Orion Nebula instead.)

Still pretty special!

I waited until the comet wasn't so high in the sky (around 11:30pm)

That was probably wise: my neck got cricks in it from being bent back for so long.

Friend Wiggle, I know 'diddly-squat' about taking photos of planets and comets. But I wish I was knowledgeable in this area!

My first Lovejoy viewing last week was more of a challenge than Saturday night, when it seemed easier to spot. Maybe it was because of the Pleiades' proximity, or possibly because the evening wasn't nearly as cold so I could last longer out-of-doors at one time, but something 'clicked' and there it was, quite prominent through the binoculars. It was hard to come inside, as the sky was so stunning, overall. For some reason, the comet seemed even a lot more fuzzball-y than the other night. Clouds reign this week, so viewing is out of the question.

Clouds reigned here as well, jo, for a week after my first sighting. With more clouds in the forecast, the return of the moon to the evening sky, and my return to the city with its lights, I wasn't sure I'd see Lovejoy again.

I was surprised Friday evening when the clouds cleared at dusk (not in the forecast!). I was visiting friends and around 11.30 we went to their backyard for comet viewing. It took a few minutes to find it due to the brighter sky and dimmer comet, but the online finder charts were invaluable and we were fortunate to enjoy another view.

About 10 minutes later there was a beautiful magnitude -5 fireball in the northwest, glowing blue-green as it traveled toward the horizon. Spectacular!