Week 11/2025: Eclipsed

Week of 10 March 2025

This week continued a bit like last week but without all the art exhibitions. I watched the moon instead.

Eclipsed: the partial lunar eclipse

I took some time to go to the beach and experiment with long exposures, which was fun.

I’m limited in what I can do because the only lenses that my ND filter fits onto are my wide angle 10-18mm lens and my 100 mm macro. However, I’ve been spending more time with the 100m than the wide angle.

It makes for some interesting contrasts.

Exploring the partial lunar eclipse

There was a partial lunar eclipse on Friday night, which I thought would be interesting to try and photograph.

I don’t know a whole lot about eclipses (or moon photography for that matter), so I had to google it to refresh my memory.

Lunar eclipses

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth gets in between the sun and the moon, meaning that there’s a shadow of the earth over the moon’s surface.

I mean, I knew that bit. But what I hadn’t really been conscious of was that this happens everywhere on earth at the same time (yeah, of course it does . . . ) so wherever you are, you’ll only see the part of the eclipse that’s happening when you can actually see the moon. So, if the moon hasn’t risen where you are when the eclipse is happening, you won’t see it. (That’s obvious when you think about it, but I’d never thought about it . . . )

And if the moon is just rising as the eclipse is ending, you’ll see the end of it. AKA a partial lunar eclipse.

On Friday, the total eclipse, when the moon was fully in the earth’s shadow, was happening in our afternoon, so we couldn’t see it.

This stage would end at 6.31 pm, and the moon would start to move out of the earth’s shadow. By the time the moon rose over the horizon in Hobart, at 7.32 pm, most of the earth’s shadow would have already passed over the moon, and only a tiny bit of its surface would be in shadow. Basically, it would look like a bit of the moon was missing.

And by 7.47, the shadow would be totally gone, and it would just look like any other moonrise.

Attempting to see the moonrise

Two things were not in my favour.

One: Clouds. (Not this one, the ones on the horizon.)

Two: The fact that I didn’t have clear view of the horizon where the moon would rise. There was a hill in the way. Not that I knew this.

I had this vague idea it would rise over the sea, and when I got to the beach at about 7.20pm, I started looking in completely the wrong direction. (I must get out of that habit.)

The only reason I looked up river was that a flock of birds flew past just as the moon was starting to show over the hill further north, and I turned in that direction just in time.

I saw the eclipse!

Not for long though, because there were clouds just above the hill, which started to obscure the moon, even before it had fully risen.

So I got a hint of the missing moon in between the top of the hill and the bottom of the clouds.

It was cool.

And now I need to go home and learn how to read the moonrise maps properly . . . .

Summary of the week

Habit tracker

• Go outside & exercise first thing (7 days): 7/7
• 15 minutes morning exercise sequence (7 days): 7/7
• Hip exercises (5 days): 5/5
• 2 walks or bike rides or a combination (6 days): 6/6
• Long walk (1 day): 0/1
• Walk 8,000 steps (7 days): 7/7
• 9.00 shutdown & dim lights (6 days): 2/6
• Evening routine (6 days): 6/6

What did I learn this week?

The sound bagpipes make is called a skirl.

What did I notice this week?

Following my post about the bus tracker, my bus on Thursday morning was live and trackable!

What was the best thing this week?

The public holiday.

What am I reading this week?

• The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott
• I’ll Keep Her Safe by Jen Morris
• ‘On Children‘ by Kahlil Gibran.

“You are bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth”.

It reminded me that Kramstable was meant to go out into the world, and my role is to love him, support him and equip him as he does this.

What am I watching this week?

• Survivor
• Doctor Who: ‘Warrior’s Gate’

What am I listening to this week?

• Stranger Sings Soundtrack
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Soundtrack