On the evening of May 16, thunderstorms were rolling through Central Florida. Space enthusiasts in the area, including ourselves, nervously awaited for the skies to clear as a particularly special celestial event loomed overhead. The event in question was a total lunar eclipse! The last one that was visible from the Lake Nona area was all the way back in 2019. This was before either of us had begun to pursue astrophotography; thus, we were both eager to capture the May 16 eclipse for our readers.
Only half an hour prior to the beginning of the partial eclipse phase, a beautiful, bright moon finally rose above energetic anvil clouds. Not being able to place our gear ahead of time due to rain, we both hurried to set up outside. As the eclipse progressed, Emerson captured still shots of the moon to later form into a collage. Meanwhile, I focused on capturing tracked shots of the moon near totality to reveal the beautiful orange and red colors hidden within the shadow cast by the Earth.
If you missed this eclipse, don’t fret! There will be another one this year on Nov. 8. However, it will take place rather late at night. From Lake Nona, it will begin around 3 a.m. and will continue all the way to the moonset. We hope you are able to catch it!
