August 27, 2026 marked the best lunar eclipse in several years. Those in 2027 will not be as good. I joined my stargazing friends Mike Lynch and Will Olliges along Whittington Parkway on the old University of Louisville Shelby Campus. The good thing about lunar eclipses, light pollution isn’t a big issue.
Mike and I took pictures as the eclipse proceeded while Will gazed naked eye and with binoculars. I used two different 300 mm lens, one was Emily’s and the other mine. I quit when the lens began to fog up – after maximum eclipse.
Using Mike’s binocs, when the moon was about 50% covered, my brain played a trick on my making the moon appear spherical rather than disk shape. (The moon is too far away to look spherical with our binocular vision.) I believe the effect was due to the brightness on the top, the hazy shadow of Earth’s atmosphere in the lunar surface coupled with the darkness and reddish sliver on the southern edge of the moon.
Here are a few of my photographs from about 10:30 to a bit after midnight.
Beginning of the lunar eclipse – about 10:34.
The moon is about 25% covered. Not the fuzzy border from the shadow of Earth’s atmosphere.
This was the eclipse when the moon looked spherical. The subtle shades are not possible with a camera.
About maximum eclipse – 96% covered at 12:13 AM.Edit