2
2008 Lunar Eclipse
in
Geek
Tonight, I got to see the total lunar eclipse.
It was beautiful.
It began at about 8:35, with the edge of the Earths' shadow slowly overtaking the rim of the Moon.
Then, about 45 minutes in, the clouds got between us and the Moon, so we could see it, but there was a halo around the it, sort of like the rainbow that you see on the surface of a bubble.
Tha halo was seen even on the billowed clouds that were directly 'underneath' the Moon... the halo effect was more pronounced on the wispy clouds that encircled the it.
And, in less time than it took to write the above sentence, the clouds cleared, and what was left was a midnight-black sky, with stars twinkling all around.
At about 9:15, the Moon was shadowed by about 40%. It happened quickly, but not fast enough to sit and watch it, moment by moment. If you looked at the shadow very carefully, you could still see the obscured portion of the Moon, shadowed in red. (The red is the color of the Earth's shadow, which is what is eclipsing the Moon .)
I wish that I had a firepit in the front yard. This would be great to watch, sitting next to a bonfire.
9:20 - The Moon is half-gone.
9:45 - The Moon is 90% gone. There is a sliver of white, with a 'shadow' moon colored red. It looks a little bit like older pictures of Mars, with the white poles, and the red body, except that it looks like it is turned sideways, with only one pole.
Of course, being good Trekkies, the children were looking for the Enterprise, or at least Voyager. [Where's Emory Erickson when you need him?]
9:59 - Only the tiniest sliver of white is left, and the shadow is much thicker and darker than it was even half an hour ago.
10:10 - The sliver is gone, the Moon has given way to the shadow.
10:24 - It's harder to distinguish the smudgy, red Moon from the background of the sky... but it's still there :)
10:53 - The shadow is receding... so cool!! [Insert your favorite Babylon 5 reference/joke here] and you can see 'our' Moon beginning to return... except that the white part is not on the right, the way it was at 9:45, but it is at the bottom, like a South Pole.
11:58 - There's a small, dark shadow on one quadrant of the Moon's surface, but otherwise, it is shining brightly, and bringing its special magic to the night again.
Well, that's it for me for the night... absolutely wondrous, it was!!
It was beautiful.
It began at about 8:35, with the edge of the Earths' shadow slowly overtaking the rim of the Moon.
Then, about 45 minutes in, the clouds got between us and the Moon, so we could see it, but there was a halo around the it, sort of like the rainbow that you see on the surface of a bubble.
Tha halo was seen even on the billowed clouds that were directly 'underneath' the Moon... the halo effect was more pronounced on the wispy clouds that encircled the it.
And, in less time than it took to write the above sentence, the clouds cleared, and what was left was a midnight-black sky, with stars twinkling all around.
At about 9:15, the Moon was shadowed by about 40%. It happened quickly, but not fast enough to sit and watch it, moment by moment. If you looked at the shadow very carefully, you could still see the obscured portion of the Moon, shadowed in red. (The red is the color of the Earth's shadow, which is what is eclipsing the Moon .)
I wish that I had a firepit in the front yard. This would be great to watch, sitting next to a bonfire.
9:20 - The Moon is half-gone.
9:45 - The Moon is 90% gone. There is a sliver of white, with a 'shadow' moon colored red. It looks a little bit like older pictures of Mars, with the white poles, and the red body, except that it looks like it is turned sideways, with only one pole.
Of course, being good Trekkies, the children were looking for the Enterprise, or at least Voyager. [Where's Emory Erickson when you need him?]
9:59 - Only the tiniest sliver of white is left, and the shadow is much thicker and darker than it was even half an hour ago.
10:10 - The sliver is gone, the Moon has given way to the shadow.
10:24 - It's harder to distinguish the smudgy, red Moon from the background of the sky... but it's still there :)
10:53 - The shadow is receding... so cool!! [Insert your favorite Babylon 5 reference/joke here] and you can see 'our' Moon beginning to return... except that the white part is not on the right, the way it was at 9:45, but it is at the bottom, like a South Pole.
11:58 - There's a small, dark shadow on one quadrant of the Moon's surface, but otherwise, it is shining brightly, and bringing its special magic to the night again.
Well, that's it for me for the night... absolutely wondrous, it was!!
