That would probably work but it is not without its risks. Pointing the telescope by sighting along the tube (the usual method for basic scopes without automated modes or setting circles) means looking at the sun. The filter might fall off the end of the scope, and the focused sunlight could melt or damage the internal parts of the scope or eyepiece (I melted an eyepiece this way). There are solar filters specifically designed for scopes but they might be hard to come by at this late date.

That sounds pessimistic but all is not lost. Here is a helpful article that covers many aspects of viewing the sun safely, including filters and projection methods.

Perseid meteor shower: I set my alarm for 2:30 a.m. and spent two half-hour sessions outside (cozied up in my housecoat—it was a cool, clear night). While I did not see any fireballs this year (drat I love that sight!), I did view some glorious meteors. Our little village was utterly quiet, the sky was very clear, so it was a memorable time, to be sure.

Solar eclipse (partial—75-80% here in SW Ontario, Canada): whilst I would have loved to have been with the Mooters, that was not possible this year, but we did have relatively clear skies here: once the peak was reached around 2:30 p.m. EDT, the sky was cloudless and what a sight it was with my trusty solar viewers! It almost felt worshipful. Goosebump-inducing, definitely. The lighting was very eerie ... and beautiful! The chickens next door quietened down, as though confused.

Going back, though, as the moon first encroached upon the sun (just after 1 pm), lofty cloud appeared. At first I was bummed, but when looking through the viewers, realized what a unique sight it was seeing them waft across the sun, almost like tentacles. Very mysterious and other-worldly.

The whole experience was kind of surreal, and I only wish it came around more often. But then it wouldn't be as special, would it?

Here's to April, 2024, when my area looks to be on edge of the path of totality.

Perseid meteor shower: I set my alarm for 2:30 a.m. and spent two half-hour sessions outside (cozied up in my housecoat—it was a cool, clear night). While I did not see any fireballs this year (drat I love that sight!), I did view some glorious meteors. Our little village was utterly quiet, the sky was very clear, so it was a memorable time, to be sure.

Solar eclipse (partial—75-80% here in SW Ontario, Canada): whilst I would have loved to have been with the Mooters, that was not possible this year, but we did have relatively clear skies here: once the peak was reached around 2:30 p.m. EDT, the sky was cloudless and what a sight it was with my trusty solar viewers! It almost felt worshipful. Goosebump-inducing, definitely. The lighting was very eerie ... and beautiful! The chickens next door quietened down, as though confused.

Going back, though, as the moon first encroached upon the sun (just after 1 pm), lofty cloud appeared. At first I was bummed, but when looking through the viewers, realized what a unique sight it was seeing them waft across the sun, almost like tentacles. Very mysterious and other-worldly.

The whole experience was kind of surreal, and I only wish it came around more often. But then it wouldn't be as special, would it?

Here's to April, 2024, when my area looks to be on edge of the path of totality.

Who's hoping to watch the lunar blood moon eclipse next week? It's only a partial where I live, but I should be able to see some of it. Provided the weather cooperates that is.

This is the first total lunar eclipse for North America since September 2015, so I'd like to see it. However, I face challenges similar to yours, fantasia.

The long-range weather forecast indicates a cold spell coming up, with high temperatures the day of the Super Bowl (the Sunday after the eclipse) not reaching 0F/-17C. I may be a polar bear but that's a bit nippy. Skies permitting I'll probably be ducking in and out of the house to watch it (a far cry from that last one, which we could comfortably watch from chairs out in the yard).

The timing isn't good, however, as I'm too far east to see totality (centered over the Pacific). Totality starts at 0652 my time, but civil twilight (the strongest kind, and the one most people think of as dusk or dawn) begins at 0703 and the sun rises at 0734. Since the full moon is opposite the sun, it's going to be very low just when the show gets good, behind trees and houses as seen from here.

For more about this eclipse, including times and a map with visibility, see this page.

EDIT: This page may be more useful, at least in North America. It includes diagrams that show just how high the moon will be at the start of the partial and total phases for each of the 4 major time zones for the continent. (In my time zone it will be 17 degrees high at the start and only 6 degrees high when totality starts - well behind trees and houses as seen from here. Still, if the sky is clear, I'll give it a shot.

From what on of h Twin Cities papers said today I might be able too catch at least the partial reddening of the moon just before it dips below the horizon Wednesday morning.
From what the article said this is even more rare in that it will be a "blue moon".
Weather is looking clear, so far, but as stargazer said it also will be on the chilly side. So dress warm if you plan on getting out there.

I have my alarm set for 6am. I think the eclipse starts around 5am, but I don't care to get up that early hehe.
The plan is to bundle the kiddos into the car and then drive west where I know the trees end and the plains of Kansas begin... about 20 minutes away. Hopefully we'll find a good place to watch the partial eclipsed moon set.

It won't be a full moon until midnight so technically we don't get a blue moon, this side of the Blue Mountains. But the eclipse is supposed to start at 10 pm here. And it is also a supermoon. This is a rare event that last happened in 1866.

However, at last we are getting some rain so it might be too cloudy to see much.

Any fun stories of eclipse viewing to share?

I was lucky in two ways this morning. First, the frigid weather I mentioned above won't arrive until tomorrow, and this morning's temperature was a balmy -1C with a hint of a cold north wind.

Second, the predicted snow blew through around 2am and didn't last long. I set the alarm for 6am (shortly after the eclipse began) and it was still cloudy, but woke up again at 0625 to see the eclipsed Moon out the window. It was already almost half gone and was only about 10 degrees high in the west.

The view was quite convenient but I still went outside to get the big picture. Jupiter, Mars, and a few stars were also visible but clouds remained in the south and east. Twilight was quite noticeable by the time totality began at 0651. The Moon was beautifully framed by two trees, just above the house across the street (thankfully the trees are bare for winter, or I wouldn't have seen much). By the time civil twilight began at 0703, the Moon was sinking too low behind the trees to the west to be seen, and it was quite faint. So I saw about 10 minutes of totality. Definitely a unique view compared to those events when the Moon is high in the sky.

The next lunar eclipse for North America is another total one next January.

Unfortunately we didn't see it, though both the Daily Telegraph and Sydney Morning Herald showed some lovely pictures of our True Blue Blood Super Moon in today's press. Well before the time the eclipse was due over Sydney, the sky in the hottest corner of the Hot place was so overcast nothing could be seen. But no rain, either, annoyingly.

At least the weather has cooled down somewhat. We will have another blue moon at the end of March.

PS. This moon has been nicknamed the Super Blue Blood Moon.

It was a rainy and overcast day here, so I didn't venture out to try to see it.
I doubt there was anything to see except black sky and rain.

Did you get to see the eclipse, friend Wiggle? wagga and coracle, sorry to hear it wasn't 'viewable' in your respective locales.

stargazer, your experience sounds wonderful.

fantasia, I'd love to hear more about your viewing!

While the Moon was visible on Eclipse Eve ('though through clouds—very haunting), by the time the next morning came, we had dense cloud cover. I could've wept. But this morning's walk almost made up for it. The bright full Moon was fairly high in the sky around 7 a.m., shining through fitful clouds, giving the sky a wonderfully mysterious aura. I couldn't take my eyes off it, with the strange light that radiated in the surrounding clouds. As I turned east again, to my delight, over the fields came bounding 9 deer! (Unfortunately they were headed directly towards a hunt camp close by ... wish I could have warned them. ) They flew across the quiet road I was on and continued northward. At the top of a hill, four or them kept going; the other five stopped for a time. (This somehow put me in mind of the Black Riders in The LotR at Amon Sûl —while four pursued Gandalf, five stayed to attack the hobbits.)

Anyway, I digress 'though I hasten to add the dawn this morning was stunning. Even a bright sundog as the sun rose!

In nightly news, we are enjoying watching mighty Orion rise in the evenings. What a sight! ♥

fantasia, I'd love to hear more about your viewing!

Well, my baby woke me up at about 5:15am (I think, it was little fuzzy ). I did look out the window at that time and saw the very full moon, and the eclipse didn't appear to have started. I laid back down but got up around 5:45am? At that point it was obviously partially eclipsed. I got my husband up at 6:10am (my eldest son was already up because... he gets up too early ) and we watched it through the kitchen window until about 6:30am. Then we loaded everybody into the van and drove out to the country with the hope of watching it set. However, even though we saw it down to just the smallest slit, the moon dropped behind the clouds at about 6:50am and we didn't see it after that.

Indeed I did my good Hobbit. I was able to get some excellent viewing before going off to work. My attempts at photography with my little digital were far from excellent however. Instead of a moon I was taking pictures of some blurry bright pixie that must have been "photobombing" Despite straining to hold a steady hand it was all in vain.
I did however do somewhat better after arriving to work near a quarter too 7. With just a sliver of silver I tried the camera on the "smart phone" gadget the Mrs. talked me into getting. Perhaps it was my hands being more steady after my morning caffien intake, or the "smart" technology lived up to it's name. ( or the pixie got bored with bothering me ) But the photos were at least still, and the shadow was discernable.

It was 39 years ago today that a good friend from university (now Ryadian's father) and I were in Brandon, Manitoba for our first total solar eclipse. The weather was crisp and clear, with thousands of people traveling to the snowy Canadian prairie for a glimpse.

We joined many others in watching totality from the parking lot of a Husky truck stop just south of the Trans-Canada Highway. We were just north of Brandon and only 2km from the center line.

It was a glorious experience, and as people often do, we found ourselves asking "When's the next one?" as soon as it was over. The answer then was over 38 years in the future, August 2017. To college kids that feels like forever!

Last August's eclipse was also a wonderful experience, made all the better by sharing it with friends from the forum. Here's to the next North American eclipse, on April 8, 2024.