Totality: 1975 May 24/25 Total Lunar Eclipse. Scan of Ektachrome 35-mm slide. Data unkown but probably from Gainesville, Florida with a Canon 35 mm SLR and unknown optics. Moon entered Penumbra abt. 10:59 p.m. EDT. Partial Eclipse began abt. 1:03 a.m. EDT. Totality from abt. 1:03 to 2:32 a.m. EDT with Max. at 1:48 a.m. EDT at altitude 39 deg. Partial Eclipse Ended abt. 3:36 a.m. and left Penumbra abt. 4:38 a.m. EDT. Slide slightly trimmed from original.

Totality: 2004 October Total Lunar Eclipse. Sunlight, streaming through Earth's atmosphere, is bent into the Earth's shadow filling the shadow with sunlight. Thus, the shadow may not be dark but can also be colored reddish since bluer colors are filtered out by the Earth's atmosphere. Darkness and the hue depend on conditions in the Earth's atmosphere at the time of the eclipse. Dust, moisture, temperature, etc. play a role. Some lunar eclipses are very dark, others bright. Colors can range from a dull copper color to a deep red and may vary across the lunar disk. Distance of the Moon from the center of the Earth's shadow also plays a role. Darkness and color can also vary across the lunar disk during the eclipse. Location: Gainesville. Florida. Photo Taken: 2004 October 27.

Lunar Eclipse Composite. Images from the 2004 October Total Lunar Eclipse.
Location: Gainesville. Florida.
Photo Taken: 2004 October 27

The Total lunar Eclipse of 2008 February 20/21. Totality lasted from 10:01 to 10:51 p.m. EST. Left: Partial Eclipse 09:20 p.m. EST, 1/400s;Center: Inside Totality 10:35 p.m. EST, 10s; Right: Reentering Penumbra 10:55 p.m. EST, 10s. Location: Gainesville, FL • 2008 Feb. 20/21. Photo Details: Tele Vue 76, f/6.3 APO Refractor + 20 mm Plossl + Canon Powershot A710 (Afocal Method), Foc. L. 5.8mm, ISO 200, f/2.8

The Solstice Lunar Eclipse of 2010 December 21. This eclipse coincided with the December solstice. The totally eclipsed Moon appears against background stars at 03:19 a.m. EST. (Photograph is not a composite of the eclipsed Moon and the star field but a single picture.) Click for larger version (necessary to see stars). Also see larger annotated version with some stars identified with their SAO Numbers (magnitudes in parentheses with decimal points omitted to avoid confusion with stars – some near magnitude 11). Location: Gainesville, Florida. Photo Details: December 21, 2010, 08:19:21 UT, Tele Vue 76 mm APO Refractor, Focal Length 480 mm, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Exp. 1.0 sec at f/6.3, ISO 1600, White Balance Daylight. Taken 2m24s after greatest eclipse.

The Lunar Penumbral Eclipse of 2013 October 18. Did a lunar eclipse really occur Friday evening, 2013 October 18? Yes, it did—a penumbral lunar eclipse of the Hunter’s Full Moon! Skies were surprisingly clear at sunset and astute observers should have detected a subtle shading on the lower right side of the rising Moon. The public, however, probably would not have noticed anything different. Lunar penumbral eclipses are not exactly overwhelming! Still, look at the attached composite photo and one can easily see the eclipse. The shading on the lower right part of the Moon is obvious in the left image. The right image is essentially a normal full moon taken just before the Moon completely left the Earth’s penumbra. Left Image: 7:50 p.m. EDT taken at time of greatest eclipse (Moon's altitude 12 deg., penumbral mag. 79%) Right Image: 9:40 p.m. EDT taken 10 min. before Moon left Earth’s penumbral shadow. (Moon's altitude 38 deg.) Location: S.W Gainesville Environs, Florida. Photo Details: Canon DSLR EOS 5D Mark II, Lens Canon 100-400 mm, f/4.5-5.6, Ultrasonic IS with UV Filter at 400 mm, Exp. (left) 1/500 sec at f/11, ISO equiv. 1600; (right) 1/500 sec at f/8, ISO equiv. 200. Processed in Corel PaintShop Pro and cropped from original.

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2014 April 15. This is the first total lunar eclipse of the 2014/15 lunar tetrad. (A tetrad is four successive total lunar eclipses.) The remaining three eclipses of this tetrad occur 2014 October, 8, 2015 April 4 and 2015 September 27/28. The bright star Spica (Alpha Virginis) appears about 1.5 degrees from the eclipsed Moon. Clouds filled the sky during the night but the sky cleared sufficiently in early morning hours to reveal the eclipsed moon. This eclipse not only occurred on "tax day" in the USA but also coincided with the beginning of the Jewish festival of Passover, which began on the evening of April 14. Location: Gainesville, Florida. Photo Details: April 15, 2014, 08:17 UT, Tele Vue 76 mm APO Refractor, Focal Length 480 mm, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Exp. 8.0 sec at f/6.3, ISO 800. Image trimmed from original.

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2014 October 8. This is the second total lunar eclipse of the 2014/15 lunar tetrad. (A tetrad is four successive total lunar eclipses.) The first occurred six months earlier on April 15. The remaining two eclipses of this tetrad occur next year on April 4 and September 27/28. This was a moonset eclipse for the eastern USA with the eclipsed Moon setting in the west as the Sun rose. This eclipse nearly coincided with the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Sukkoth, which begins at sunset this day.
The first picture was taken about one minute after the total phase of the eclipse began (6:25 a.m. EDT). The moon is darker on the upper left because this part of the Moon is more deeply immersed in the Earth's shadow.
The faint planet Uranus (magnitude +5.7) appears to the upper left about one degrees from the eclipsed Moon.
The second picture was taken about 14 minutes into totality as the Moon began to disappear behind trees as the dawn sky brightened. Clouds again filled the sky during most of the night as during the previous eclipse but the sky cleared as the eclipse progressed. Location: Gainesville, Florida. Photo Details: April 15, 2014, 08:17 UT, Tele Vue 76 mm APO Refractor, Focal Length 480 mm, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Exp. 8.0 sec at f/6.3, ISO 800 and 10 sec at f/6.3, ISO 1600. Images trimmed from originals.

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2015 April 4. This is the third total lunar eclipse of the 2014/15 lunar tetrad. (A tetrad is four successive total lunar eclipses.) The first two occurred 2014 April 15 and 2014 October 8. (See above images.) Unfortunately only the beginning partial phases of this total eclipse could be viewed from the eastern USA as the Moon set in the West. However, a lunar eclipse can be a teaching moment.
For example, many people seeing the partially eclipsed Moon might have remarked, "Looks like a quarter or possibly gibbous Moon." In fact, I wonder how many early morning joggers glanced at the partially eclipsed Moon and thought it just another "half moon." Not so! Look at this composite image of this partially eclipsed Moon taken about 25 minutes after the partial phases began at 6:18 a.m. EDT (with a 400-mm telephoto).
Next, compare this image with that of a 9-day-old Moon (73 percent illuminated) photographed at the 2010 May Kanapaha Moonlight Walk in Gainesville with a telescope. The two images have roughly similar "phases." Of course detail is better on the Gibbous Moon due to the presence of shadows (and better optics). This happens because an eclipsed Moon is actually a Full Moon so shadows are lacking and detail is lost. Yet this is not the most important difference.
Compare the shape of the terminator (day-night line) on the Gibbous Moon with the edge of the Earth's shadow on the partially eclipsed Moon. Very different. The partial phases of lunar eclipses do not mimic the appearance of the Moon in its usual monthly lunar cycle.
This is a lesson from antiquity. The circular shape of the shadow edge that one observes on an eclipsed Moon was one of the earliest indications that the Earth was round since a sphere is the only solid always producing a round shadow! A teaching moment. Photo Details: Canon DSLR EOS 5D Mark II, Lens Canon 100-400 mm, f/4.5-5.6, Ultrasonic IS at 400 mm, Exp. 0.3 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1600. (Image trimmed from original.)

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2015 September 27/28. This is the forth and last total lunar eclipse of the 2014/15 lunar tetrad. (A tetrad is four successive total lunar eclipses.) The first thee occurred 2014 April 15, 2014 October 8 and 2015 April 4 (See above images.) Although the entire eclipse should have been visible from my area, weather did not cooperate.
If anyone observed from the Gainesville, Florida area, most probably saw nothing. In fact, heavy overcast skies here made it impossible to find where the Moon was on the sky.
Reports coming in from locations with clear skies state the eclipse was surprisingly very dark. It was certainly dark in Gainesville due to the heavy cloud cover! Totality passed and nothing was seen due to the dark overcast above.
However, shortly before midnight clouds thinned enough over my backyard to show the partially eclipsed moon near the end of eclipse faintly shining from behind passing clouds.
A few drops of rain were actually falling when I snapped the attached photo and a few others before the Moon again disappeared behind heavy clouds. This eclipse photo would normally be unremarkable except that the photo shows that this was probably the only view most of us had of the eclipse -- a brief, hazy peek after totality ended.
As the eclipse ended near 1:22 a.m. EDT, the Full Moon shone brightly through a cloud hole but only again for a brief time. Then it began to rain!
The attached photo, softened by clouds (taken 2015 Sept. 27, 11:59 p.m. EDT or 2015 Sept. 28, 03:59 UT) verifies what we saw as the Moon was coming out of Earth's umbral shadow before clouds again hid the Moon. Photo Details for Eclipsed Moon: Canon DSLR EOS 5D Mark II, Lens Canon 100-400 mm, f/4.5-5.6, Ultrasonic IS at 400 mm, Exp. 1/180 sec at f/9.5. (Image trimmed from original.)

Deep Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2017 February 10. February's Full "Snow Moon" produced a very deep penumbral lunar eclipse (mag. 0.989). This was almost an ideal penumbral eclipse with the Moon almost exactly fitting within the Earth's penumbral shadow.

In Gainesville, Florida, the Moon already rose in eclipse since the eclipse began about 5:32 p.m. EST with moonrise about 6:01 p.m EST. (sunrise 6:15 p.m. EST). Shading was already very obvious as the Moon rose above tree lines at 6:50 p.m. EST (Photos 1 and 2), about 60% into the eclipse. The shading was more obvious with the camera with Maria Frigoris, Imbrium and Serenitatis unnaturally dark for a full moon!

At maximum eclipse (Photo 3), at 7:44 p.m. EST or 00:44 UT on February 11, shading was exceptional on the lunar edge facing the umbral shadow toward the northeast.

Location: Gainesville, Florida. 2017 February 10.

Photo Details: Canon DSLR EOS 5D Mark II, Lens Canon 100-400 mm, f/4.5-5.6, Ultrasonic IS at 390 mm, tripod mount. Exposures at ISO 400.

Photo 1: 6:45 p.m. EST or 21:45 UT. Exp. 1/6 sec at f/5.6.

Photo 2: 6:51 p.m. EST or 21:51 UT (40% toward max. eclipse). Exp. 1/1500 sec at f/5.6.

Photo 3: 7:47 p.m. EST or 00:47 UT (3 min. after max. eclipse). Exp. 1/2000s at f/6.7.

(Both images trimmed from original.)

Don't forget to click images for larger versions.

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2018 January 31. Many news media reported the 2018 January 31 total lunar eclipse would be difficult or impossible to view from the Eastern USA. Why? The Moon would be too low and washed out by morning twilight to see much of anything. However, clear North Florida skies gave a splendid view of the eclipsed Moon although the Moon set before being completely immersed in Earth's umbral shadow. (Temperature near ground level about 27 deg F!)
The Moon setting in eclipse was spectacular. Picture shows composite of nine images taken during stages of the eclipse:
Photo Times: 5:54, 6:15, 6:36, 6:40, 6:50, 7:00, 7:04, 7:07, 7:09 a.m. EST (add 5h for UT). Penumbral Eclipse Began: 5:49 a.m. EST Moon Entered Umbra: 6:48 a.m. EST Totality Started: 7:51 a.m. EST.Moonset and Sunrise: 7:20 a.m. EST so Moon set before totality began.
Although orange or reddish colors common during lunar eclipses, most of color here due to scattering of bluer colors by Earth's atmosphere, typical for rising or setting sun or moon.
Location: Gainesville, Florida suburbs. Tripod and camera set up about 5:00 a.m. EST, about a half mile east of SW 75th St. on the north side of SW 85th Ave, about 100 ft. off the road on a north dirt entryway to a cleared field. Here, one could see to about 1-1/2 degrees above the western horizon where the Moon would set, a requirement since the eclipse would occur with the Moon very low.
Details: Camera Canon DSLR EOS 5D II. Canon EF 100-400 mm, f/4.5-5.6 lens at 400mm .ISO 400. Various exposures. Some post processing. In this composite, line of setting only approximate, time intervals not uniform, and moon positions adjusted for equal spacings.
Second photo taken at 7:06 a.m. EST (12:06 UT) shows Moon partly within Earth's umbral shadow, 14 minutes before moonset and sunrise, with Moon altitude only two degrees. Moon finally set behind trees when only 1-1/2 degrees high. Exp. 1/30s, f/8, ISO 400. Image trimmed.

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2019 January 20/21. Clear skies greeted Florida observers with the Moon high in the sky for the entire eclipse. The Moon entered into partial eclipse about 10:34 p.m. EST, totality at 11:41 p.m. EST, greatest eclipse at 12:21 a.m. EST,, totality ended 12:43 a.m. EST after 62 minutes of totality. Partial eclipsed ended 1:51 a.m. EST. Photo shows totality eclipsed Moon (about 3 min. before greatest eclipse) in Cancer star field, and is a composite of two separate exposures.
Location: Gainesville, Florida.
Photo Details: Tele Vue 76 mm APO Refractor, Focal Length 480 mm with Canon DSLR EOS 5D Mark II.
Star Field: 2019 Jan. 21, 12:13:48 a.m. EST. Exposure f/6.3, 15 sec (ISO 1600).
Moon: 2019 Jan 21, 12:17:42 a.m. EST. Exposure f/6.3, 1.5 sec. (ISO 1600).

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2021 May 26. Again Florida had another "total" lunar eclipse but the Moon unfortunately set before totality like the 2018 November eclipse. Still, once more clear North Florida skies gave a splendid view of the eclipsed Moon though the Moon set 35 minutes before totality began.

Picture #1: Twenty-eight image composite. Exposures 2m 27s apart beginning 4:47:26, ending 5:53:35 a.m. EDT
Picture #2: Shows lunar eclipse trail with images spaced 21 seconds apart.

Moon Entered Penumbra: 4:46 a.m. EDT (Add 4h for UT)
Moon Entered Umbra: 5:44 a.m. EDT
Moonset/Sunrise: abt. 6:35 a.m. EDT (72% within umbra)
Max. Eclipse: 7:16 a.m. EDT.

Orange/reddish colors common during lunar eclipses, but colors here mostly due to scattering of bluer colors by Earth's atmosphere as Moon set.

Location: S.W. Gainesville, Florida Suburbs.
Photo Info: Canon DSLR EOS 5D II, Lens EF 28-135, f/3.5-5.6 IS USM @ 70 mm.
Exposures 1/125 sec at f/8; ISO Equiv. 400. Fixed Tripod Mount.

For spectacular animated view of pictures #1 and #2, see GIF Movie:


Click Above to View Animated GIF Movie of Pictures #1 and #2
(or See MP4 Movie Here)