Election Day Observing Results

A total lunar eclipse graced the morning sky on Election Day 2022. At the Lake Michigan shoreline I had an unobstructed horizon, clearing skies, a pair of 16x70 binoculars, and a telescope.

Cloud cover predicted for 0300 at nearby Warren Dunes State Park on Tuesday, Nov. 8, gave way to mostly clear skies by 0440.

My notes state, "Partial eclipse underway, decidedly yellow rind on bottom half of the moon." Cool optical effects added to the show.

Minutes after totality started, the view through binoculars showed the moon moving away from the brighter edge of the shadow and deeper into its umbral shadow. Image below taken with handheld IPhone 14 Pro looking through binoculars.

Deep into totality, the usually bright white full moon is softened in ruddy colors. Image taken while holding iPhone camera to eyepiece of telescope. In the telescope, it appears darker with the naked eye than with the time-lapse photo.

Totality continues at 0630, with astronomical twilight encroaching.

Red and green harbor lights, with their flashes seized in the long duration image, compete with the eclipsed moon at 0630. The moon is only ten degrees above the horizon--about a fist held at arm's length--and shimmering much in the telescope as its light traverses thick atmosphere.

Name that public beach, with the red and green harbor lights and eclipsed moon in background. Or just read its name on the pseudo-lighthouse base.

I relocated my scope slightly with the bottom section of the moon near the horizon still partially eclipsed, The partially eclipsed moon bisects the gap between pier lights with their respective markers at 0734.

A last look through the binoculars at 0736. Wow! What a day it's been as an 2022 Election Day Observer of the Total Lunar Eclipse.

Time Stamp:

It's Election Day for the 2020 midterms. When I requested to set up a telescope at one polling location, they suggested its nearby property as an alternative viewing site because of elections anxieties. Of course, they were only doing their jobs. Instead, I sought a better horizon overlooking Lake Michigan.

This past weekend Mike Karl finished the New York City marathon, his 49th state in a quest for 50 marathons for the Sean Karl Foundation. A week prior to the November 8 eclipse I practiced with the telescope, getting a handful of steps for the 2022 Steps for Sean event before covering the scope for the night.