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made plans early in the month of August to go to Lance’s place near Penguin
to view the Lunar eclipse because of the spectacular coastal horizon to horizon
views afforded. We had our fingers crossed for a clear night and we were
not disappointed as the day drew to a close with only a few clouds evident.
As the evening approached the golden hue of the moon was spectacular as it
rose from behind the eastern horizon. We waited in expectation for first
signs of the outer part of the earth’s shadow on the full moon. A slight
dimming of the lower moon’s edge was soon seen and as time progressed the
dimming became easier to see and much darker. Towards totality the moon appeared
to me as if it was a diamond ring effect such as in a solar eclipse. Totality
proceeded smoothly and on time, producing a very dark and most spectacular
eclipse. It appeared to give the moon a three dimensional effect against
the starry sky. What is really great about this type of eclipse is that it
lasts a long time (hours) and many people over a very large area can see
it in its full glory. We all stood in awe of nature’s magnificent alignment
of the heavenly bodies. Occasional cloud passing by did nothing to dampen our enjoyment. When the opportunity arose I directed the telescope to view Jupiter, globular and open star clusters, nebula and stars such as Alpha Centauri. It was a fantastic night to be remembered by all. |
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