“There’s much for them to be angst-ridden about,” McConnell said with a chuckle. “If they think it’s bad now, wait till next year.”
“The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth’s circumference, you’re seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once.” – Science blows my mind again
Solstice Lunar Eclipse – NASA Science
Solstice Lunar Eclipse – NASA Science
See for yourself on Dec. 21st, the first day of northern winter, when the full Moon passes almost dead-center through Earth’s shadow. For 72 minutes of eerie totality, an amber light will play across the snows of North America, throwing landscapes into an unusual state of ruddy shadow.
The eclipse begins on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st, at 1:33 am EST (Monday, Dec. 20th, at 10:33 pm PST). At that time, Earth’s shadow will appear as a dark-red bite at the edge of the lunar disk. It takes about an hour for the "bite" to expand and swallow the entire Moon. Totality commences at 02:41 am EST (11:41 pm PST) and lasts for 72 minutes.
If you’re planning to dash out for only one quick look - it is December, after all - choose this moment: 03:17 am EST (17 minutes past midnight PST). That’s when the Moon will be in deepest shadow, displaying the most fantastic shades of coppery red.
From first to last bite, the eclipse favors observers in North America. The entire event can be seen from all points on the continent.
Why red?
A quick trip to the Moon provides the answer: Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the sun behind it. The eclipse is underway. You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it’s not. The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth’s circumference, you’re seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth’s shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the Moon into a great red orb.
Back on Earth, the shadowed Moon paints newly fallen snow with unfamiliar colors–not much luster, but lots of beauty.
Enjoy the show.
Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
Coincidences: This lunar eclipse falls on the date of the northern winter solstice. How rare is that? Total lunar eclipses in northern winter are fairly common. There have been three of them in the past ten years alone. A lunar eclipse smack-dab on the date of the solstice, however, is unusual. Using NASA’s 5000 year catalog of lunar eclipses and JPL’s HORIZONS ephemeris to match eclipses and solstices, author Dr. Tony Phillips had to go back to the year 1378 to find a similar "winter solstice lunar eclipse."
Solar and Lunar Eclipses — NASA home page
Shadow and Substance — see an animated map of the Solstice Lunar Eclipse
At 2:47pm I pulled into the gas station. The trip odometer said 247 miles. A fill-up indicated I still had 2.47 gallons in the tank. No lie.
Do-do-do-do.
I’m still grooving to “My Rights Versus Yours,” by the New Pornographers. “The truth in one free afternoon.” Damn fine.
On Amazon: My Rights Versus Yours
The Wedding of Robert and Jolene
A wedding is the intersection of past and future, of individual and community, of tradition and self-expression. Tradition finds new expression and is at once renewed and changed, as are the participants. In October, many of us were witnesses to the vows of Robert and Jolene. In these photos and videos, you can see the joy shared by all. Long live love.
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| Wedding Album |
Inception (3 stars)
2023-08-17: this review is 13 years old. Still valid, but I’ve written hundreds of posts since then. Please look around. Thanks.
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Inception was OK. There were a couple of scenes that were spectacular in effect and vision. All the actors were good enough. I’m always happy to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
However, the soundtrack was dreadful: loud, ponderous, even pompous music pounding almost non-stop. Why? And why bother with a dream inside a dream inside a dream if two of them are taken up with chase sequences out of a Bond movie (well, only one of those rose to Bondian levels). When you have such an exciting notion as everyone in a dream instantly turning on invaders, why throw that away with militarization. Guns are stoopid, especially in dream-time. We’ve all seen the Matrix; don’t need to see it again. The movie should have been at least a half hour shorter.
Makes me want to see Dark City again – a far better movie.