27 July 2018 I had luck - I was in Europe (like always), and I had clear skies in my city. It was a simple decision - I grabbed my astrophotography equipment, keys to the car, and went out. I didn't have a real plan for the July 2018 Lunar Eclipse astrophotography session; it was a spontaneous trip to shot a few pictures of the Blood Moon.
First location - small parking at the edge of my town with a view of local forests. In the beginning, I wasn't even able to spot the Moon! I checked the Moon location in the sky with my Sky View iOS app of choice, and yes, the Moon should be right there! A few seconds later our natural satellite shined; a cloud was covering it before.
July 2018 Lunar Eclipse in Bogatynia, Poland
Blood Moon is rising at dusk, before 10 pm. Polish-Czech border. Fuji X-T20 + Fujinon XF 23mm f/2.
135mm focal length in action (Samyang/Rokinon).
Blood moonrise over Czech windmills captured from Bogatynia, Poland.
After a few shots, I decided to change my location. The next destination was Frydlant, a neighboring city just behind the Czech border. I often go there; it has the darkest sky within 30 minutes car ride from my home. Perfect spot for the July 2018 Lunar Eclipse. And the beautiful Jizera Mountains starts here!
July 2018 Lunar Eclipse in Frydlant, Czech Republic
Blood Moon and its neighbor, Mars, just behind the city lights in Frydlant, Czech Republic. Fuji X-T20 paired with Fujinon XF 23mm f/2.
Single Blood Moon exposure, non-tracked, Fuji X-T20 + Samyang/Rokinon 135mm. And some UFO appearing between Moon and Mars.
Non-scaled, cropped-only frame from full size (6000 px x 4000 px) capture. Fuji X-T20, non-tracked, Samyang/Rokinon 135mm, NiSi Natural Night filter.
When wolves started to howl, I decided to go back home and make use of my equatorial mount. I have a balcony to the South, so it's an excellent location to shoot both Milky Way and the Moon. I put my X-T20 with Pentax Super Takumar 200mm f/4 on my Fornax Lightrack II equatorial mount and shoot the Blood Moon.
July 2018 Lunar Eclipse Final Shot
July 2018 Lunar Eclipse captured by my currently longest focal length lens, Pentax Super Takumar 200mm. Sadly not as sharp as my shorter Samyang/Rokinon 135mm.
It was a productive night. I learned that 200mm focal length is not enough to successfully photograph the Moon; it's basically too short. But I have plans to upgrade to a small refractor telescope soon, so the next Blood Moon I hope to take much better astro pictures. See you soon in the upcoming Lunar Eclipse on 21 January 2019!
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