Partial Lunar Eclipse - 10th December 2011

The weather didn't look too promising for catching the end of this lunar eclipse as the moon rose. Fortunately there was a gap near the horizon and the rising moon could be seen with the top right section lost in the umbra. Shortly afterward it rose into cloud and disappeared.

By the time it cleared the cloud the eclipse was almost over. There was still quite a bit of atmospheric distortion though, enough to show a red detached blob below the moon in the right image.

The umbra was completely off the moon at this stage but some penumbral darkening can still be seen. The bottom edge of the moon is passing through another distorting layer in the right hand image.

Canon EOS 20D 10th December 2011
Wiltshire, England