Last night, there was a full lunar eclipse. This is the kind where the Earth intercedes between the Sun and a full moon. It had the virtue of occurring around 10 PM, which is a time I'm awake. I had thought, due to the weather, that it would be overcast, and I wouldn't be able to see the eclipse.
As it turned out, it was cold and reasonably clear.
And the eclipse? I suppose one imagines that such an eclipse would leave the moon completely dark, so you couldn't see anything, as if it was a new moon, when you can't see much.
Instead, you get a hazy view of the moon, a little like a cloud passing in front, where you can see through it, except the cloud is kinda black and smoky. And it doesn't get particularly darker, mostly because, with all the street lights around, there's a lot of light around anyway.
Apparently, solar eclipses are where it's at. At least, it has the impression of a cloud coming over. Now, it just so happens the moon almost just covers the Sun which works out well for astronomers interested in checking out the corona, but less exciting for those who want a nice Eclipse. If the moon were bigger, or if it were closer, then the Sun would be covered up even more, leading to a more effective shadow.
In any case, I suppose I was happy I saw it, but it wasn't nearly that exciting.
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