Here are pictures I took of the total eclipse of the Moon on February 20, 2008 with my 6-megapixel Canon Powershot S3 IS digital camera handheld and also through my Meade ETX-125 telescope.

Like the 2004 eclipse, this eclipse occurred at a fairly convenient and important time in the evening.

This eclipse is important because it occurred during the Boston Celtics's resurgence (best record in the NFL with a 41-10 record after last year's dismal season and no championship since 1986) and my church is active in the Nothing but Nets program to protect children in Africa from malaria. The Moon's color was close to that of a basketball during totality. The eclipse also occurred on the 10th anniversary of the posting of my first personal website (now defunct).

The skies were partly cloudy to clear during the eclipse. The Moon was in the constellation Leo, near its brightest star Regulus and near Saturn. Mars was also visible but nowhere near as bright or near to Earth as it was on my birthday in 2003. Click on images to enlarge.

One of the above photos was shown on TV, on Fox Boston Channel 25 the following morning. Mouse over the photos to find which one was shown. Links: One / Two

Some of the photos taken without the telescope again reminded me of what Mars looked like through my telescope near my 2003 birthday when Mars was at its closest EVER to Earth (8/27/2003).

Page created February 21, 2008, handheld photos added February 22, 2008.