A Lunar Eclipse!

You know what? There aren't many advantages to getting up at 4 o'clock in the morning. As a matter of fact, if I were to start a side-by-side list, I'd probably find more disadvantages than advantages.

Being able to see a lunar eclipse would have never entered my mind before this morning.

I was talking about it last night in the chat room--The fact that although it would still be visible when I got up this morning, I'd probably never see it. I'd probably get up on "autopilot" and stumble down to the kitchen in my usual naked state to start my coffee pot and make my lunch sandwich. After all, that's why I always make my coffee pot at night before I go to bed--So I can stumble downstairs and just plug it in and turn it on without having to tax my brain too much.

Well, I surprised myself. The instant I got out of bed and stood up it occurred to me to check on the eclipse. I went to the spare bedroom and looked out, half expecting to not even see the moon at all (I can only see west and southwest), but there it was.

It's hard to describe, but it was dark and light at the same time. It was both reddish and yellowish. It reminded me of a strange full moon... The kind that is showing through clouds and projecting odd coloring because of it. Shortly thereafter, it started looking like your "usual" eclipse--A sliver of brightness showing on one side and becoming progressively larger. At this time it's about three quarters brightness and one quarter dark.

It's very cool.

I have no idea how many planetary events of one kind or another that I've witnessed in my lifetime. Most of them happen at night, and even if you know about them and try to see them you're still subject to cloud cover (at least here in Washington). This may be the first one I've ever gotten to see so much of. Although I missed the slow transition to eclipse mode, at least I got to see the whole "unfolding" of it from eclipse mode. While it's not like a solar eclipse (which I have seen) it's a lot easier to see!

It's just another of the many things we insignificant humans can stare in wonder at.