A Digital Lunar Eclipse

Recorded on May perchance presumably presumably additionally 15/16 this sequence of exposures follows the Beefy Moon one day of a total lunar eclipse because it arcs above treetops within the clearing skies of central Florida. A physique taken every 5 minutes by a digicam reveals the progression of the eclipse over three hours. The phenomenal lunar disk grows dark and red because it glides through planet Earth’s shadow. The truth is, counting the central frames within the sequence measures the roughly 90 minute duration of the total a part of this eclipse. Spherical 270 BC, the Greek astronomer Aristarchus also measured the duration of total lunar eclipses, nevertheless potentially without the supreme thing about digital watches and cameras. Serene, utilizing geometry he devised a straightforward and impressively correct manner to calculate the Moon’s distance by manner of the radius of planet Earth, from the eclipse duration.