The Blood Red Moon

Here at the Fortress of Ineptitude last night, it was extremely cold outside, below freezing. Yet there we were, my wife Andrea, my daughter Randie and myself, standing outside, watching the moon being eaten by a shadow.




Last night was a lunar eclipse followed by a crimson moon. It was pretty cool to see this celestial phenomenon play out in the night sky above our home.

It was also pretty frickin' cold to be outside to watch this celestial phenomenon play out in the night sky above our home.  

"Hey look! The moon is about 1/3 covered in shadow!" 

"Yeah it is! Back inside!"  

Then later...

"Look at that! The moon is almost completely dark now!" 

"Wow, it sure is! Back inside!"  

Later still...

"The moon looks a basketball, suspended in the sky over our house!" 

"Whoa, that is weird! Back inside!"  

When the moon is full and bright, it shines in the night sky like a flat disc, like someone cut a hole in the roof of heaven and light pours in. With the shadow of the Earth passing over the moon, the brightness of the moon is impaired and the flatness of the moon in the sky is lessened. It the moon hangs there in the sky, a sphere of depth and mass, almost like a red ball suspended over our house by a few hundred feet instead of a larger body further out in space.  

Watching the eclipsed red moon was like seeing something I've only seen in sci-fi movies and TV shows where alien worlds have other worlds visible in their skies.  

Yes, it is awesome to see the moon from such a unique perspective. Awesome and wonderful/ 

Also brutally cold. Quickly, back inside!