ECLIPSE OF MOON

DECEMBER 30, 1982 

10:15 TO 10:47 UT

Flashes on the Moon During Totality

This was my first total eclipse of the Moon that I decided to watch for lunar transient phenomena during the eclipse. I had studied a number of reports L.T.P. being reported during eclipses. I decided that this eclipse was a rare opportunity monitor the Moon. I had some success with the partial eclipse of the Moon that took place on 16 July 1981 where I recorded three bright spots on the disk of the Moon using Infrared film.

To assist me with the project this morning, I invited a good friend and fellow amateur astronomer Mark Harris. For the eclipse this morning I am using several different optical instruments. The main instrument is my 12.5" f5 Cave Newtonian reflector and a 6" reflector and a 60mm refractor and pair of binoculars.

After the Moon started into the umbra and it passed over the crater Aristarchus, the crater glowed brilliant blue. The umbra shadow covered Aristarchus at 9:09 UT. The crater Aristarchus was glowing brightly in the umbra shadow and continued till 9:14 UT. At that time the crater was swallowed up by the umbra shadow.

When the Moon went into totality I observed my first flashes. I observed two flashes at 10:15 UT: The flashes were as bright as the stars that were surrounding the Moon. The flash looked like a flicker and only lasted a split second. I mentioned this observation to Mark Harris and he started observing the Moon with the 6" reflector. At 10:18 UT Mark saw four flashes, pin points around 9 to 10 magnitude. He said that they behaved similar what I had reported earlier.

I began to observe with the 6" reflector again at 10:24 UT and I saw another flash. The appearance of the Moon at 10:26 UT was that of a dark disk. No detail was visible at all and the far edge of the Moon there was a nebulous gray glow. It looked much like a planetary nebula. At 10:28 UT the Moon could be hardly seen in the 6" reflector. Also at this a faint blue glow became apparent, it was believed to be crater Romer. At 10:31 UT the Moon became so dark I was unable to see it in the sky with the naked eye. At 10:34 UT Mark Harris again observed two more flashes. He said they appeared identical to the ones he observed earlier. Mark also confirmed my observation of the glow I reported on the eastern portion of the Moon. At 10:47 UT when I was using the 6" reflector I witness three more flashes. They had the appearance of fire flies and again were only visible for a moment. The Moon started becoming visible to the naked eye at 10:49 UT.  At 10:58 UT we both watch the Moon with the 6" and 12.5" reflectors and did not detect any more flashes.

LOCATION OF OBSERVER: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590 United States of America.

OBSERVERS NAME: David O. Darling & Mark Harris.

DATE & UT: 30 December 1982 from 10:15 to 10:47 UT.

DURATION OF EVENT: Pin point flashes lasted only a moment, the blue glow patches lasted about 10 minutes.

LOCATION ON MOON: Glow located Aristarchus and Romer, flashed located in central portion of Moon.

SKY CONDITIONS: Partly cloudy and very cold.

SEEING CONDITIONS: On a scale of 2 to 10 with 10 being the best: 9.

INSTRUMENTS USED: 6" f6 reflector and 12.5 f5 reflector.