Behold, the Five Percent Moon! Not without some difficulty, we were able to capture this morning’s waning Crescent Moon (27.45 days old) during daylight — the only time of day we can view this Lunar phase from our observatory. Moon was invisible to the unaided eye and, through the eyepiece, appeared as a ghostly fingernail trimming on a bright, powder blue sky background. Very low contrast. Video capture software had difficulty with this one giving us limited frames to stack, yet here it is!
We had a busy astronomical night and morning: Last night (October 5) we went for Saturn once again. Sky forecasts called for Average seeing with poor transparency; what we got was Fair to Poor seeing and poor transparency. Still, we imaged ’cause you’ve got to keep trying! Here’s Saturn from about 11:15 PM EDT Monday.
Earth’s Moon imaged during daylight hours October 6, 2026.
While we were unable to image the October 6 occultation of Jupiter, we did image both Moon and Jupiter in the bright morning sky. Here’s the waning crescent Moon as it appeared around 9:00 AM EDT. Still nearby following the end of occultation was planet Jupiter, so we went for that as well.
Jupiter with Ganymede, one of its four Galilean Moons, imaged during daytime, October 6, 2026.
The bright dot on the left is Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, and the black dot on the planet’s right-hand limb is Ganymede’s shadow!
Viewing a bright planet like Jupiter by eye is possible during the daylight hours, IF you can find it with your telescope! Our image was recorded with an emphasis on infrared light which increased contrast, turning the bright blue sky black.
The Sun, imaged in hydrogen-alpha light showing our star’s chromosphere and numerous prominences, as they appeared October 6, 2026. False color added.
Later, around 11:30 AM, it being a sunny day, we set up for solar imaging. While our nearest star is officially at low activity levels, there was plenty to see. A number of impressive prominences lined the Solar limb, and close-up views of the surface revealed a maelstrom of plasma shaped by intense magnetic fields. The bright patch near the center of the Solar disk is active region 4549 which, today, issued a full-halo CME toward Earth. There may be auroras October 9. Yep, a busy day.
A closeup view of the Solar chromosphere, imaged in hydrogen-alpha light, as it appeared October 6, 2026. False color added.
The First Light image from our new planetary camera turned out to be a picture of Earth’s own Moon. The ZWO ASI 715MC camera came recommended as a good match for our Askar 151 refracting telescope. Pictured is a portion of Moon’s northeast quadrant centered upon lunar sea features. September 26, 2026.
First light for our new planetary camera was Earth’s Moon. The camera was really intended for use in capturing image data of, well, planets. Moon was available before Saturn showed up and so became the target. Poor seeing contributed to our later first efforts at Saturn being not so impressive.
Moon’s Mare Imbrium (left), with adjoining Mare Serenitatis (right), and Mare Tranquillitatis (lower right). The bright Apenninus mountains point the way to crater Copernicus, spidery ejecta rays forming an expansive pattern. The color tint is residual from a UV/IR cut filter that was used in imaging with the one-shot color camera.
The large, circular dark area on the left side of this picture is Mare Imbrium — the Sea of Showers — as it appeared the night of September 27, 2026. There is much to see in that area making it one of our favorite spots on our Moon. It’s also a popular landing site for lunar exploration: Russia’s Luna 2 & 17, China’s Chang’e 3, and the U.S. Apollo 15 touched down there. Observing Moon during its Full phase is a different experience from other times. During that phase, sunlight is striking the Lunar surface from directly overhead with the Sun from over our shoulders, so to speak. That means few shadows to highlight crater walls, mountains, rilles, etc. Take a look at our two images above and notice — most craters are seen as circles, or Oes; we see the tops of the crater rims without any shadows to illustrate their depth — an interesting effect, though fully understandable.
The Full Harvest Moon as it appeared the night of September 26, 2027 is shown in this two-panel image. Image contrast and other adjustments highlight crater ejecta rays which, outside of Lunar seas, are the most prominent features visible during a Full Moon.
Big Splats. Our image of Earth’s Full Moon has been processed to emphasize the ejecta rays projecting from newer craters. The ejecta networks are composed of material splashed out — ejected — from the points impacted by asteroids, or comets across the darker regolith surface. Most prominent here is crater Tycho in the southern portion of our picture. The crater itself is around 53 miles (85 km) in diameter, and about 3 miles (4.7 km) deep. The impact that created crater Tycho excavated and ejected heavy materials that resulted in a multitude of secondary craters — perhaps a warning to future human denizens of our Moon to have a very strong roof, just in case!
A full-disk image of Earth’s Moon as it approached its Full phase the night of September 24, 2026. Image Credit: James Guilford.
Last Night’s Waxing Gibbous Moon. Ejecta rays are particularly visible, radiating from their originating craters in this two-panel portrait of the 97% illuminated Moon. Particularly notable are the rays surrounding crater Tycho in the lower, southern region. Although Tycho, about 53 miles in diameter (85 km), is located amongst a multitude of other craters, many of them larger, its sharp edges, with high albedo and bright ejecta rays blanketing the darker regolith, make the feature quite prominent.
Although seeing was only fair (visible shaking in the telescopic view) the original photographic image is rich in detail displaying many craters large and small, the Lunar “seas” and crater Tycho with its ejecta ray network. The crater was formed an estimated 108 million years ago, freshly excavating bright material from beneath the Lunar surface and splashing it across the older, darker surrounding areas. The rays are impressive in their expanse, some reaching a length of more than 930 miles (1,500 km). Numerous, smaller, “satellite” craters resulted from the same impact that formed Tycho.
Crater Tycho in Moon’s southern hemisphere, September 24, 2026. Fair to poor seeing conditions reduced the clarity of close-up Lunar views somewhat that night. Image Credit: James Guilford.
A stack of images taken two minutes after the eclipse peaked (delayed due to cloud cover) illustrates the approximate 96 percent eclipse. The brightest area at top is direct sunlight, the gray area beneath it is penumbral shadow, with transition to the coppery-colored umbral shadow where no direct sunlight reaches the lunar surface.
The August 27 – 28 partial lunar eclipse was enjoyable to watch but presented some challenges to photograph. Before nightfall, we set up a modestly sized telescope, the Askar 103APO, outside the observatory. The scope has a shorter focal length, less magnification, which would allow its camera to record the entire disk of Moon during the eclipse. The large observatory telescope, with nearly twice the focal length, would show less of the lunar disk because of its higher magnification. This outdoor setup seemed like a good idea and it was, in principle. But Moon and nearby trees presented our first challenge of the night.
Trees blocked the view from the observatory so a telescope was set up in a more hospitable site. A 100-foot extension cord allowed utility power to run the telescope mount. A blue lens flare is visible above the bright dot that is Moon.
Moonrise was at 8:01 PM EDT and its altitude from the horizon was going to be fairly low. The mature neighboring trees are quite tall and wide. The combination was not good and, as Moon climbed higher and eclipse time approached, time was running out. From the vantage point of the telescope outside the observatory, Moon would be behind the trees during the entire first half of the event. We had to move it.
Scouting out a new location that allowed a clear view of the sky, we located one near enough to facilities to connect to utility electric power. In darkness we moved the imaging setup.
The dark umbra of Earth’s shadow was already taking a substantial bite out of the night’s full Moon as we finished setup at the new location. We were impressed at how well our old (ca. July 2005) Meade LXD75 mount performed, tracking accurately with minimal alignment; it was a real champ! One camera automation accessory did not function as expected so we removed it and ran the Canon EOS 7D Mk. 2 camera manually. Things went well from that point on with an unobstructed view of a clear sky and a darkening Moon. The night was quiet and mild, not even a jacket was necessary, as we gazed at the dimming Moon and listened to night sounds.
This was to be a partial eclipse, meaning not all of the lunar disk would be within the deep umbra — a bright sliver of sunlight would be seen at one edge, while the opposite side of the disk would be dark, and hopefully colorful. Peak coverage was to be reached at 12:13 AM EDT. It was about 20 minutes before peak when we spotted it: a bank of clouds drifting in from the north, illuminated by ground-based light pollution, headed in to spoil the night!
A bank of clouds approached the eclipsing Moon as the hour of peak eclipse neared. A lens flare is visible to the lower right of the bright lunar dot, and a view stars can be seen in the sky.
That is how it goes, sometimes. Clouds, missteps, or mishaps spoil an otherwise exciting occasion. It doesn’t help to curse the clouds but that did not help to stop the whispered oaths! Happily, gaps were present in the cloudy mess, clear sky visible through them, hopefully allowing peeks at the eclipse. The clouds arrived, mostly blocking but indeed occasionally teasing glimpses at the then fully-developed event. We made images from about two minutes before the peak, and images from about two minutes after, but nothing from the peak moment.
Peak eclipse, at 12:13 AM EDT. Very, very eclipsed as the clouds obscured the view. Gaps in the cloud cover allowed images to be made before and after the astronomical peak coverage was reached.
An extended period of clarity followed, as the cloud bank continued on its southbound journey. We shot more images of the eclipsed Moon, rapidly changing exposure settings, seeking to record a wide range of graphic data against future processing efforts before the scene changed much. Imaging done, we took one last look, parked the telescope, then stowed and secured gear for the night. It was late and we had daytime promises to keep.
So that was another lunar eclipse in the books. There was frustration, to be sure, but there were rewards. There won’t be another lunar eclipse visible here until January 12, 2028 (a weak partial eclipse), with the next total lunar eclipse on June 26, 2029. One has the opportunity to see just so many eclipses in their lifetime, so we try and see every one we can!
P.S. At 12:30 AM, the diminishing eclipse became visible from the spot where we first set up the small telescope. And the sky was clear.
Late on the night of August 27, Moon will resemble this view of the March 14, 2025 lunar eclipse. Photo by James Guilford
The night of August 27 – 28, 2026 brings an opportunity for eclipse viewing: a deep partial lunar eclipse. Just shy of a total lunar eclipse, the night’s Full Moon will be deep within Earth’s shadow, 96 percent covered by Earth’s dark inner shadow or umbra.
Given clear skies, we are in a favorable position to see the eclipse in its entirety. In Northeast Ohio, the eclipse begins at 9:24 PM as Moon edges into Earth’s soft outer shadow or penumbra. At 10:34 PM the show really begins with Earth’s deep umbra visibly darkening the edge of the lunar disk. Maximum eclipse begins at 12:13 AM, August 28 with the southern portion of Moon very dark and its northern edge relatively bright; hopefully, coppery coloration will be visible on areas of the lunar disk between.
Moon continues its movement through Earth’s shadow, reversing the eclipse process. The partial eclipse ends at 1:52 AM, and the penumbral eclipse ends at 3:02 as the bright Full Moon shines. If you are eclipse watching from a location other than ours, you can check out TimeAndDate.com which can calculate event timings for your spot on the map.
Partial eclipse timings and projected appearances are giving in this graphic, with time expressed as UTC. Graphic Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon’s orbit carries it through the shadow cast into space by Earth. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon’s orbit carries it between Earth and Sun and Moon’s shadow falls upon Earth’s surface. Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to view with no special precautions needed — it’s moonlight — and no telescope is required. Binoculars may add to the experience but are also not required for lunar eclipse watching.
Mare Imbrium, the Sea of Showers, as it appeared during Moon’s Last Quarter phase on the morning of August 5, 2026. The distinct crater with spidery ejecta lines radiating from it is Copernicus. With a diameter of about 711 miles, Imbrium is one of the largest craters in the Solar System. A colossal impact from a protoplanetary object during the Late Heavy Bombardment produced the huge ring nearly four billion years ago. Image Credit: Stella-Luna Observatory / James Guilford
Continuing to explore daytime imaging of Moon, August 5 presented us with good skies and a Last Quarter lunar phase. One of our favorite areas to observe is Mare Imbrium, filled with subtle detail and a mountainous arc, the Montes Apenninus defining much of its shape. Last Quarter occurs when the light on Moon’s Earth-facing side has proceeded half way from Full to New — in other words, it’s afternoon or late day at Imbrium. The setting Sun brightly illuminates the mountain tops of Iridium’s eastern edge, along with the eastern walls of craters within or nearby. A “bonus feature” is crater Copernicus, just south of Iridium‘s defining mountains, with its deep, textured walls, central peaks, and expansive ejecta rays. The Sea of Showers has much to offer viewers.
Earth’s Waning Crescent Moon, July 9, 2026, at 15:05 UTC / 11:05 AM EDT. The image was rotated clockwise by 90° for aesthetic reasons. Credit: Stella-Luna Observatory / James Guilford.
Once again, following a Solar observing session, we turned our telescope to Moon during daytime. This time, we employed the same monochrome camera we used imaging Sun but, after removing the solar protections, added an infrared pass filter. The result, via the Askar 103 APO telescope, was spectacular! Only minimal processing was needed to achieve a sharp, contrasty, detailed image of Earth’s nearest neighbor.
The northwestern Solar quadrant shown via hydrogen-alpha light, false color applied, shows the chaotic surface of the chromosphere, with several filaments visible. Along the rim are prominences contrasted against the blackness of space.
The morning presented an excellent opportunity for Solar observing and imaging — the sky was clear and, these days, Sun is rising between trees instead of behind them! While we have been following our star’s singular large sunspot for a few days, it turned out our best image from the morning was of the northwest Solar quadrant. Details in the chromosphere were beautifully rendered and several interesting prominences of various shapes and sizer graced the rim.
During one of the Solar imaging runs, we looked up and out through the dome aperture at the deep blue morning sky. There, floating on the denim background, was the Last Quarter Moon. Once finished with Sun, we aimed the scope at Moon, removed the solar gear from the white light telescope, and did a portrait of old Luna. We’ve done this not so long ago but still get a kick out of our daytime Moon.
Earth’s Moon in its Last Quarter phase is shown in this two-panel image made at 9:15 AM EDT, July 8, 2026.
By the way, the latest addition to our setup is a rig by ADM that allows two scopes to be held simultaneously on a single mount; that has been a wonderful way to quickly change between Solar wavelengths, and to use the individual telescopes without swapping out and rebalancing the system. The ADM rack is very well made, fully adjustable, and we have no fear of equipment coming loose and crashing to the ground — possibly the most important feature!
Multi-telescope rack by ADM allows two telescopes to ride the pier mount at the same time, delivering flexibility and efficiency to our setup.
Full disk image of Earth’s Moon at 97 percent illumination, as imaged on June 27, 2026, at 11:51 PM EDT local time! Askar 103 APO refractor, ProPlanet 642 nM IR pass filter.
After recent struggles in an effort to get sharp images from the old C11 telescope, it was a pleasure to observe Earth’s Moon through the Askar 103 APO refractor! Clouds drifted through at various densities but — oh, my! — what a fine view! What the little Askar lacks in focal length, it possesses in sharpness. So we excitedly present this image of our Gibbous Moon!
Crater Copernicus and vicinity, with Moon at waxing Gibbous phase, 97 percent illumination. Askar 103 APO refractor, ProPlanet 642 nM IR pass filter, Tele Vue 2X Barlow. Image Credit: James Guilford
Lunar Crater Copernicus (above), with its expansive web of ejecta rays, dominates this scene captured June 27 (local time). To the left of Copernicus is Crater Kepler, with a smaller but still visible “splat” mark, both contrasting well against the dark field of Mare Insularum. Left still farther, on the terminator, is a figure-eight ring feature formed by Craters Cavalerius (top) and Hevelius (bottom). This is our favorite image from the brief Saturday night session.
