Total Eclipse of the Moon

That is so AWESOME!! The Earth... a big ball of rock and water... drifts past the Moon... a smaller ball of rock... and casting a shadow over the entire face of the Moon! A lunar creature would have the privilege of watching a total solar eclipse, but I have the privilege of viewing the Moon, stripped of its reflected sunlight and floating naked against a velvety backdrop of winter constellations.

It is an eerie sight, no doubt about it! If I was not expecting the event, and had wandered outside about 2:30am (EST/USA) I would have looked up and around at the sky and gasped WHAT IS THAT?! The moon, to be sure, looks like a ball or a very round something suspended in a very near atmosphere! The peachy-ness of its appearance is so intriguing, I can't stop looking at it!

I get excited just pondering these big floaty balls we walk on! The Earth, Moon, Sun, and all the other celestial wonders [seem to] float in precision orbits in an orchestrated dance. Sometimes, the inhabitants of one ball gets to witness the passing of another ball directly... like two ships passing in the night; big, slow, deliberate, and silent.

My camera (Canon Powershot A720) is low on battery power, and there was occasional fog earlier (before totality). I don't have my tripod here nor my telescope, and I have not mastered even the basics of astrophotography... all to say, sorry, I do not have any pictures to share, only my emotional description of the awesomeness of two balls of rock passing in the night.

Please leave comments if you watched the eclipse. I want to hear what you thought about during the event... Merry Solstice!