Seronik-2015-04-04 lunar eclipse
The Moon photographed at 4:51:30 a.m. (PDT), shortly before the predicted time of totality. (Gary Seronik)

A Morning Lunar Eclipse

For a brief time, the full Moon turned red before sunrise on April 4.

The April 4 total lunar eclipse was a brief one, predicted to last roughly 4 to 12 minutes (depending on which source you consult). But from my home in Victoria, British Columbia, it didn’t even last that long. The eclipse was cut short by clouds that swept over the Moon mere moments from totality, and seconds after this photo was captured. In spite of the weather, I managed brief glimpses of the fully eclipsed Moon that confirmed this image closely matched the appearance of the lunar disc at mid-eclipse.

Seronik-2015-04-04 lunar eclipse
The Moon photographed at 4:51:30 a.m. (PDT) shortly before the predicted time of totality. (Gary Seronik)

Seeing the full Moon pass through the Earth’s shadow provided a nice sense of symmetry for me as I was fortunate enough to watch the new Moon eclipse the Sun almost exactly two weeks earlier from the Faroe Islands.

Seronik - March 20 Solar Eclipse
View of the March 20, 2015, total eclipse of the Sun from the Faroe Islands. (Gary Seronik)