File:Lunar eclipse and fires in New Mexico.webm

English: Southwest New Mexico is known for its clear dark skies so we planned to go there to shoot the May 15, 2022 total lunar eclipse. There were a few small fires, but they were not affecting the locations that we had in mind. But as luck would have it, the day of the eclipse the winds shifted and we started seeing smoke and some clouds caused by the fire. But not the whole sky was covered, so we had some hope.

We chose the Very Large Array (public.nrao.edu/visit/very-large-array/) for foreground. It's a set of dish antennas used for radio astronomy, spread over a very large area. Some antennas are relatively close to the road. As it got darker, we could see stars above and away from the fire and the smoke, but we could not see the moon, which was still quite low. The moon finally became visible (barely) just before totality. This allowed us to point the cameras and start shooting. Luckily, the cameras are a lot more sensitive than the eye. The wide angle shots show the scene as it was daytime, though it was very dark during the totality. The red glow of the fires was visible. As the moon was leaving the earth's shadow, the lit "crescent" was red from the smoke. Towards the end, the smoke got thicker and there was no more moon to be seen. So we packed around midnight and went to the motel to examine the catch. All in all, a visit to a great land and an interesting eclipse experience.

Soundtrack: Imperious by Bonnie Grace