title: Lunar eclipse photometry: absolute luminance measurements and modeling.
abstract: The Moon's time-dependent luminance was determined during the 9 February 1990 and 3 March 2007 total lunar eclipses by using calibrated, industry standard photometers. After the results were corrected to unit air mass and to standard distances for both Moon and Sun, an absolute calibration was accomplished by using the Sun's known luminance and a pre-eclipse lunar albedo of approximately 13.5%. The measured minimum level of brightness in the total phase of both eclipses was relatively high, namely -3.32 m(vis) and -1.7 m(vis), which hints at the absence of pronounced stratospheric aerosol. The light curves were modeled in such a way as to let the Moon move through an artificial Earth shadow composed of a multitude of disk and ring zones, containing a relative luminance data set from an atmospheric radiative transfer calculation.
authors.affiliation: 1Starkenburg Observatory, Niemöllerstr. 9, 64646 Heppenheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hernitschek
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vollmer
mesh_terms: D055580:Astronomical Phenomena; D001256:Astronomy; D018534:Earth, Planet; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D016081:Moon; D010126:Ozone; D016082:Solar System; D013472:Sunlight; D014796:Visual Perception
chemical_list: D010126:Ozone