Blood Moon

Blipfoto is awash with images of last night's eclipse, and rightly so as it was a rare  and visually impressive  astronomical event. I hadn't planned to photograph it, but the temptation was too great once I'd dragged myself from my warm bed at just after 3.15 am. Alex and I stood out in the garden and watched the moon slip towards totality. This shot was taken at 3.37 am, with just a little sunlight remaining on the lower edge of the moon.

Initially I thought I could get a shot from the patio, but as the moon descended it was obscured by our willow, so I ended up standing on the lawn in my (fairly cosy) pyjamas, my bare feet chilled by the dewy grass. Not only was the moon amazing, glowing dull red, but the whole sky was crystal clear revealing a dazzling starscape. 

I fiddled around with a few camera settings, and didn't really get it quite right, but this was my favourite as it shows both the moon and its surrounding stars. Unsurprisingly, I slept rather late this morning!