12:15 AM. 19 Degrees Fahrenheit with a brisk wind--Brrrrrr! I reluctantly left our warm bed (two humans and two bulldogs can generate a LOT of thermal energy--enough that we usually turn the heat entirely off at bed-time!) to brave the tundra of our backyard and view the Total Lunar Eclipse.
Just beautiful! The deep orange disk of Luna surrounded by the bright stars of Gemini and Canis Minor, themselves bracketed by the shivering bare branches of our two ancient oaks, the moaning of the wind blending into harmony with the murmur of distant highway traffic to provide an eerily appropriate soundtrack for the scene.
I stood transfixed by the tableau, telescope and camera forgotten for long minutes until the cold, cutting through my thick robe like a blade, finally broke the spell. I spent a few minutes with the camera, framing and capturing a few images before fleeing inside to our thick quilt and warm sleeping companions.
Waking later to the scent of fresh coffee, I noted the brilliant moonlight pouring in through our bedroom's westward-facing window. As dawn approached Luna was putting on yet another display--shining through the branches of our neighbor's pines in a farewell salute before the coming of day.
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