usbackroads event--Total Lunar Eclipse

Late September found us landing in Benson, Arizona.  Just in time for a total lunar eclipse.  This was the third in a series.  Seems like we have had a lunar eclipse every six months.  The next lunar eclipse is in 2019.  So I hope everybody got to view this one!!

The next big event is on August 21, 2017 when North America finally gets another total solar eclipse.  Don't miss that one.

The picture above is the moon rising over the Dragoon Mountains just at sunset.

There were a few clouds in the sky and it did present a dramatic effect for a few minutes.  This is probably my favorite partial eclipse phase photograph.

Lunar eclipses are rather leisurely events.  So this is plenty of time to take photographs, drink a beer, visit with friends and just enjoy the evening sky.  The timing of this event was perfect.  A warm late fall evening.  By the time it reached this phase the Milky Way was clearly visible and the moon was a ghostly apparition high in the sky.

The total phase was fairly dark.  Not as dark, as the lunar eclipse in 1979 but a lot better than some recent ones in which the moon was very bright.

Of course, Benson is the center of lots of astronomical activity and was made famous by a country and western song written in the early 1970's as a movie score. The song is unique as it is one of the few country and western songs with a scientific basis for the song lyrics.  Yes, the theory of relativity works with memories as well as space travel..

Here is the link to the song on UTUBE with scenes from the movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j-MzxDad2c:


All photo's were taken with a Canon 6D and a 70-300 mm zoom lens.