SUPERMOON 200

[3peaker]

Why ride an AUK 200 o/n 27-28 September 15 – or this Sunday night?

Because we will have a “supermoon”. A supermoon total lunar eclipse, or “super blood moon”, will occur in the early hours of Monday morning – an extremely rare and special event that will be viewable (depending on cloud cover) from the UK.
The moon will turn red as it passes through the shadow of the Earth – some sunlight still illuminates the moon hence the “blood moon” nickname – at 3.47am BST on 28 September.
So where will skies be clearer? At this stage it looks as though Eastern Scotland, North East England, the Midlands, Wales and South West England should be the favoured spots.
The term “supermoon” to denote when a full or new moon occurs when it is particularly close to Earth. It is occurring during 2015's perigee full moon - the absolute closest full moon we'll see this year. At this distance from us, the moon will appear around 14 per cent larger than usual.

So, fully prepared for a chilly 200, nothing special if you think about a typical Dec/Jan/Feb RRTY ride (and I have done a few of those!), the pleasure of riding with brilliant night moonlight should be an experience of a (Audax) lifetime. Of course, it will be a night ride where I can practice sleep-deprivation techniques. Rather than the grab a nap when the body calls – a la PBP, I might just start with a well caffeinated body and try caffeine tabs as a regular dose; that will act as research for future night rides. My route will be my Bristol Double Avon 200 Perm: South from Churchdown (GL) to Chipping Sodbury (off S/F)> Pucklechurch> Sustrans route ( Bath-Bristol) to Bl Temple Meads > cross the Docks>A4 to Avonmouth> North to Thornbury> A38 to Gloucester> minor roads to Upton Upon Severn> South A38 to Tewkesbury> Norton> minor to Churchdown. Not overly hilly but plenty of pic ops especially to Upton with Malverns background.

Just hope I can put this plan into practice; now, which camera to carry?
What a way to kick-start RRTY24. PM to join me?

[Aunt Maud]

I was thinking of riding 200km here in the North on Sunday night, so in spirit I will be joining you.

Look forward to seeing some photos.

[iddu]

You tease - what time?

Mainly on the grounds of getting in to that thing I do to fill the gap between rides at prescribed time, so need to look at options.

[Wobbly]

I'm doing a 200 DIY tomorrow. If everything goes to plan I'll be up before Dawn so I might catch the end of the lunar eclipse.

However Dawn might be awake in which case it could be sometime before before I escape!

[hillbilly]

Wobbly, the celestial show is just before 4am on Monday morning.  I think you might be out of time if you see it...

[Wobbly]

Oh balls.

[tonyh]

Oh balls.

Eclipsed Superballs. Presumably.

[Wobbly]

Currently getting the bike ready for a cheeky little DIY 200 and I have to say the moon's extremely bright out there right now. Perfect night riding conditions infact.

[Marmitegeoff]

I was out at 04:00 and the moon was bright until it dipped into the mist / fog then it went very dark.   but superb riding conditions.

[jamesld8]

I'm doing a 200 DIY tomorrow. If everything goes to plan I'll be up before Dawn so I might catch the end of the lunar eclipse.

However Dawn might be awake in which case it could be sometime before before I escape!

don`t know about Dawn but my old pal insomnia may well see me awake, but not riding

[hillbilly]

Setting the alarm and laid out my kit. Damn my inquisitive scientific mind.  Why can't I be interested in "normal" stuff, like US TVs box sets and YouTube fail videos.  I'll be rocking up to Reigate hill or similar to get a good photo of Dracula's moon.

[Malmesbury Monk]

Wrap up warm. It was painfully cold last night on the Cheddar Gorgeous 300.

[Wobbly]

I set my alarm for just before eclipse maximum and watched it 'til just after maximum.

Would have been interesting to see that riding under a red moon was like.

[andyoxon]

I wasn't planning to see it, but woke up and so had a look out the window...  This effort at ~4:30am taken with my LX3 (60mm equiv lens!) on table top tripod, and heavily cropped...   

P1290747 by ao, on Flickr

[Wobbly]

Good effort, sir! 

[hillbilly]

Hope 3peaker had a fun night watching the nightscape develop, I think that would have given the totality more context and so impact.  My own experience was a bit disappointing, as the totality (around 3:50) was quite dim and boring!

[jamesld8]

Hope 3peaker had a fun night watching the nightscape develop, I think that would have given the totality more context and so impact.  My own experience was a bit disappointing, as the totality (around 3:50) was quite dim and boring!

watched from bedroom, good seeing it get darker and darker and also fantastic display of stars on a crystal clear night with minimal light pollution; moon wasn`t as red as I`d expected but a coppery pink. Still pretty good though and I`d think experience riding would have been ++++

At least this year I`ve also seen the solar and lunar total eclipses now 

[mattc]

Let me see if I've got this right:

During a *solar* eclipse,  do the people on the moon (light side,  not Dark Side) see a red shadow progress across the earth's surface.

[jamesld8]

Let me see if I've got this right:

During a *solar* eclipse,  do the people on the moon (light side,  not Dark Side) see a red shadow progress across the earth's surface.

probably not as who lives on the moon ? I thought it was just cheese 

[Reg.T]

Assuming that you mean a solar eclipse on earth, and that by 'light side' you mean the earth-facing side (which would actually be dark at the time), then I think a moon-based observer would probably see a dot/disc shadow of the moon crossing the earth's surface (due to relative sizes).

My guess is that the red moon (last night) is caused by the light that is reaching the moon being filtered by earth's atmosphere, so no equivalent phenomenon would occur due to lack of atmosphere on the moon.

Not sure thobut

[Wobbly]

It would look like a regular solar eclipse does from Earth except that:

1. The Earth, being bigger, eclipses the Sun for longer

2. The edges of the Earth (i.e. the atmosphere) would be strongly coloured red (just the same as a sunset looks here) hence the reddish colour of the Moon.


Edited to add: I am obviously answering a different question 

[mattc]

Assuming that you mean a solar eclipse on earth, and that by 'light side' you mean the earth-facing side (which would actually be dark at the time), then I think a moon-based observer would probably see a dot/disc shadow of the moon crossing the earth's surface (due to relative sizes).

Yes,thats exactly what I meant

My guess is that the red moon (last night) is caused by the light that is reaching the moon being filtered by earth's atmosphere, so no equivalent phenomenon would occur due to lack of atmosphere on the moon.

Not sure thobut

That sounds quite feasible.

I wonder if anyone is reading this on the moon?

[BlackSheep]

I wonder if anyone is reading this on the moon?

Sam Bell ?

[hillbilly]

I believe 3peaker hasn't checked in simply because he was carried away in the moment and stripped to his cycling bibshorts at 03:47, bathing in cursed light of a Blood Moon as it reached totality.  As any practical magician knows, this results in the celestial celebrant transforming into the animal he most fears.  Given previous encounters, I believe Steve has therefore transformed into a badger, furtively scavenging the dark lanes of Gloucestershire in the vain hope of transforming back into the Air Squadron Leader we all know and respect.

(click to show/hide)

(may contain flights of fancy and no bearing on reality)

[BlackSheep]

.................  Given previous encounters, I believe Steve has therefore transformed into a badger, furtively scavenging the dark lanes of Gloucestershire ...... ... ..... . . .

Spookily Leckhampton is equidistant between Brockworth, Brockhampton and Badgeworth.

So you might be correct