Last night we were treated to a spectacular view of a lunar eclipse. Shortly after nine, the moon was completely shrouded in the Earth’s shadow. Still, the refracted light from the sun managed to line the moon with a blush of color. I had been at my aunt's house for a wonderful evening with our visiting cousin Scott and his partner Andy, and didn't have my good camera with me. By the time I returned home, the color was gone and the photos I took were less than spectacular. I'm posting one I was able to find on the web from a photographer in Milwaukee. The kids stayed up with the intention of riding with my stepfather to the edge of town for a better view, but found that conditions were so perfect right here at home, they didn't need to leave our front yard for the show.
While a lunar eclipse is now simply beautiful and entertaining, many years ago it had an important role in science, convincing skeptics that the earth was a spherical shape.
The next lunar eclipse won't occur until December, 2010.
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