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APOD 2021 NOVEMBER 26
LICK OBSERVATORY
MOUNT HAMILTON
CALIFORNIA
PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
2021 NOVEMBER 19
LH7528 GREAT REFRACTOR and LUNAR ECLIPSE
APOD: Astronomy Picture of the Day :: 2021 November 26
2021 November 19
1:33:27 AM PST
By permission of Lick Observatory, the camera is set up inside the dome of the Lick 36” Great Refractor. The slit is open after rain clouds have passed, revealing the moon in partial eclipse. The near total eclipse reached maximum at 1:02 AM PST, about half an hour ago, while the dome was closed. An overnight front is moving through the San Francisco Bay Area and observation is touch-and-go. There is a silver lining (or more accurately, a multi-color lining) to a cloud-covered sky — a classic Lunar Halo, an optical phenomenon similar to a rainbow. Colors in this photo are unenhanced. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/22%C2%B0_halo)
Although extremely foreshortened in this composition, the Great Refractor is actually 57 feet in length. Illuminated dials show where the telescope is pointed on the sky – Right Ascension, Declination, Hour Angle, and Position Angle. The foreground telescope appears somewhat soft in focus primarily due to an intentional shallow depth of field in camera settings, see exposure notes and data below.
Thank you to University of California Observatories, Kostas Chloros, and Elinor Gates for granting permission to photograph inside the 36" dome. Special thanks to my dear friend, photographer, and Telescope Operator Rick Baldridge for his exemplary support and assistance in ensuring favorable results under challenging shooting conditions. This was truly a collaborative effort by several people, and were it not for them this photo and others from this eclipse could not have been made.
“Even the habitually frivolous become thoughtful when they enter the presence of the great telescope.” James Edward Keeler, ‘The Engineer’ 1888 July 6
Lick Observatory crowns the 4,200-foot Mt. Hamilton summit above Silicon Valley in central California. This research station serves astronomers from University of California campuses and their collaborators worldwide. Eccentric Bay Area tycoon and philanthropist James Lick (1796-1876) bequeathed funding for construction which spanned from 1880 to 1887, fulfilling his vision of the Observatory as a premier astronomical facility. In 1959, the Shane 3-meter reflecting telescope was completed on Mt. Hamilton. It continues to provide data for forefront research and engineering programs. In total, the mountain top is home to ten telescopes which are supported by resident staff and by headquarters at UC Santa Cruz. Acclaimed for academic excellence, technical expertise, and superior instrumentation, Lick Observatory probes the expanding frontiers of space.
EXPOSURE DATA
All images in this portfolio are single frame with high dynamic range processing.
Nikon D850
Nikkor 50mm f1.8
3 seconds @ f5.6
ISO: 1250
Native Resolution: 8256x5504 pixels
Raw image file data were adjusted, optimized, and sharpened for digital output.
PUBLICATIONS
This image is available in high resolution.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
University of California Observatories
The History of Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory Collections Project
Thank you to APOD authors & editors Robert Nemiroff (MTU) and Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) for featuring this image! Sincere gratitude is also extended to University of California Observatories / Lick Observatory astronomers, staff, and friends for their generous and invaluable assistance in producing these photographs.
COPYRIGHT • All images and text are property of Laurie Hatch Photography; unauthorized use is a violation of copyright law. You are welcome to email me with your usage requests.
PUBLISHERS • This image is available in high resolution.
