We spent the weekend anxiously watching the weather report, local clouds and one inch of rain, hoping it would clear for the total lunar eclipse. Borrego Springs is an officially designated Dark Skies Community, one of two in the United States. We could see the full moon through the clouds most of the evening but the images were fuzzy. About 12:15 AM we went out and saw the moon in its full eclipsed glory ... glowing red like an ethereal orb. Impressive.
I had forgotten to pack my "real" camera (a Canon 30D DSLR) so I only had my point-and-shoot Canon G11 with me. I put it on a tripod and did the best possible under the circumstances. I was able to get several pictures of the eclipse but nothing that would make the walls of a museum. Most are fuzzy as the clouds came and passed by in front of the moon. Here is one that is worthy of posting. Small but true color.
Total Lunar Eclipse • December 21, 2010
I did a little post-processing of the image but it doesn't just enhance the moon, it also enhances the clouds and some of the background stars can be seen. The information is there but this turns out to be the best of the eclipsed moon. Way cool.