Photography: Clouds Break for Lunar Show

Lunar eclipse headed towards totality

Wednesday's Alberta Clipper threatened to ruin local lunar eclipse viewing opportunities -- our last chance to see a total one here until December 2010. Instead, and almost on queue, clouds began breaking across the region just as the show got underway. By 9:30 pm, when I took the above photo from NW D.C., fresh Canadian air had produced crystal clear skies on dropping temperatures only hours after light snow ended across the area.

Just four and a half hours before the moon began disappearing it was quite a different scene as snow began falling at a decent clip downtown.

People walk in the snow on Massachusetts Avenue in NW Washington, DC during Wednesday's commute home.

Mid-evening, the clouds began to part. By 10 minutes after 10 pm, the dimmed moon turned dark red before later drifting back to white. And a Winter Storm Watch was issued across the region, offering great promise for another fun photography opportunity Friday into the weekend.

IS0 1000, f/8 with .5 second exposure