~ Witnessing the Lunar Eclipse ~

10 Dec 2011 - It was a rare phenomenon. A natural and fascinating astronomical event that nobody should miss! To have a total lunar eclipse (when the moon passes through the earth's shadow) to happen in Singapore's evening time is extremely rare! Did you saw a 'reddish' moon?

We are extremely excited to be part of the astronomy watching on Saturday at One Fullerton where there are telescopes being setup. Special thanks to the SingAstro volunteers (a local astronomical community) who assisted to guide the public and our kiddos during the viewing session. Apart from being able to see the magnified view of the moon during the eclipse, we also had the opportunity to see the planet,  Jupiter and the moons of Jupiter! Awesome!

It was our first time looking through the telescope with such detailed view of this rare celestial event! Excitement is written all over our faces!

Thanks to URA, not only do we have the opportunity to witness the total lunar eclipse, Denver & Gladys found company with Andy's kids and transformed One Fullerton's rooftop as their play area! Just be careful!! Do not damage or trip over the delicate and expensive equipments!

The cameras and equipments looked sophisticated to me. (*shy) Everyone seems to know what to do while I am struggling with my settings. :p Big Thanks to Darren who guided me with the manual settings on my camera. (Gosh.. mommy needs more lessons and practice!)

Was extremely HAPPY to be able to take a shot at the moon! So far up in the sky yet so close to us on the screen.

Here's the guideline of the Eclipse sequence (Singapore Time) - abstracted from The Astronomical Society of Singapore.

7.31 pm - Start of Penumbra Eclipse.

8.45 pm - Start of Umbra Partial Phase.

10.05 pm - Start of Total Eclipse.

10.31 pm - Maximum Eclipse.

10.57 pm - End of Total Eclipse.

12.18 am - End of Umbra Partial Eclipse.

1.31 am - End of Penumbra Eclipse.

We stayed through from 7 plus till 10 plus in the night and witness the start of the eclipse till it hit the maximum eclipse.

Sequence of shots taken with LUMIX FZ40 - ISO 100, F8, 1/125 (varies).

Couldn't get a clear shot of the red moon at total lunar eclipse but it has been a wonderful learning experience plus we get to know more people!

Special thanks to Darren Chin who took this nice group photo for the celestial event @ One Fullerton's rooftop! I'm sure everyone had a great time together sharing tips, photos and enjoying the view of the lunar eclipse!

Note: If you have missed the event, the next lunar eclipse will only be visible in Singapore in 2014! Till we meet again!