Lunar Tunes

Lunar eclipse at 6 minute intervals over Wisconsin's State Capitol last night. (Photo by Matthew Povich of the UW-Madison Department of Astronomy)

Last night we (and by "we" I mean all inhabitants of planet Earth) experienced a TOTAL lunar eclipse, which is of course TOTALLY cool. It carries special significance for me (like you care) because I bought my
Percheron, Julian, during a total lunar eclipse back in May of 2003. The moon flamed red over our heads as we haggled the price for 1700 pounds of prime horseflesh. (I know, I know--I'm a maudlin fool.)

Lunar Eclipse on May 15, 2003 (Photo by Sid Leach Phoenix, Arizona)

I wasn't stargazing with Julian last night because at 10 degrees below zero I preferred my drafty house to the draft horse barn 15 miles away. I also doubt he was marking the event as keenly as I was. Being a guy, he doesn't always remember our more sentimental anniversaries. If he had noticed, he would have just pointed out that it was about 90 degrees warmer during that eclipse, as we were still living in Arizona then. (Rule #1: Never agitate a 1700 lb horse if you can avoid it.)

I suppose it is a fitting reflection on the status of my current diet Eat Healthy Campaign that my first thought upon viewing the waning lunar eclipse was that it resembled a cookie which had narrowly escaped the clutches of the Cookie Monster. Or maybe it just reflects how much Sesame Street I've been watching with my niece, Jordan. In either case, it is troubling.

The moon is seen partially covered during a lunar eclipse from Montevideo, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Marcelo Hernandez)

I noticed on Yahoo! last night that everyone in the world that could view the eclipse was determined to catch it in close proximity to whatever famous landmark they found closest at hand. Personally, I viewed it through a window on my stair landing, in between dangerous-looking icicles hanging from my roof. Others viewed it from slightly more interesting locales:


Here is AP photog Dan Balilty's view from the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Here is AP Photog Kevin Frayer's view from below a statue of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus at Notre Dame Cathedral outside Jerusalem's Old City.

Here is Ap Photog Petko Momchilov's view near a golden domed cathedral in the town of Varna, east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

And the view below the Empire State Building in NYC by AP Photog Seth Wenig, which could have been enhanced with a little cooperation from King Kong.

A personal favorite is the PacMan effect from behind the Chrysler Building in New York (Seth Wenig):

Above the National War Memorial in Ottawa by Reuters Photog Chris Wattie.

The Wrigley Building and the moon as seen in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

I know you'll be disappointed to learn that I have no pictures of Dave Grohl or any other Foo Fighters mooning the general public. You'll just have to use your imagination. You know I am.

A thin waxing crescent Moon is seen just after Sunset, in Tyler, Texas on Friday, Feb. 8, 2008, one day after the Moon passed in front of the Sun causing an annular Solar eclipse. The nightside of the Moon is lit by reflected light from the dayside of the Earth and is known as Earthshine. (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman)