video#35

video#37

This video shows the lunar eclipse of December 10th, 2011. The time-lapse video was photographed in southern California, United States. Accompanied by a sort of lullaby musical score, this nighttime video begins with a high exposure wide shot of the Moon moving from screen top to bottom. As the Moon descends, a tiny twinkling star moves with it through the celestial sphere, like a loyal dog following its human master. The eclipse is just beginning, and although with this exposure, the Moon looks a little like the Sun against the blackness of space, there is the tiniest sliver of Earth's shadow. Nearby trees on the Earth frame the outside of the picture, and periodically, the branches and leaves are lit by passing cars, the headlight illumination accelerated into quick flashes by the time-compressed video. The same exposure is used for the next shot, which shows a close-up of the Moon. The Earth's shadow gradually descends over the descending Moon. The lunar 'seas' are faintly emerging. An X-shaped lens flare is made by the high photographic exposure.

In the next shot, we see a medium shot of the Moon, with a more typical photographic exposure setting. Our planet's satellite descends from screen right to screen bottom. The Moon appears perfectly spherical, like a gently floating marble in the sky. The Sun's light is gradually becoming a crescent on the Moon's left side. The lunar seas, darker areas on the gray surface of the Moon, are very visible now. At the same photographic exposure, a subsequent shot shows the last remnants of sunlight visible as the Earth's shadow has nearly obscured the Moon completely.

A final shot shows a high camera exposure. Despite the Earth's shadow, the shadowed part of the Moon looks slightly orange, lunar seas and all. At top left of the Moon, is the remaining sliver of direct sunlight. The sliver looks pure white. The eclipse of the Moon is nearly complete.

There are many such time-lapse videos of this particular lunar eclipse, but this video is one of the smoother time-lapse videos around.

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