Posted on 10/08/2014 6:34:53 AM PDT by NOBO2012
The dark side of the moon that is.
Did you catch this morning’s total lunar eclipse? It was pretty awesome.
Referred to as a “blood moon” it occurs when the the moon is in full phase and its orbit meets the orbit of the earth around the sun. When directly aligned the moon is completely enveloped by earth’s shadow, with jusst a thin band of infrared light shining through and bouncing off the moon’s surface, thus creating the illusion of a “blood red” moon.
“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.”
It can be rather creepy…
causing some people to consider the occasion of a blood moon as a celestial omen of approaching sea change. Others have read much more into it.
In truth, it’s name comes not from biblical or astronomical designations, butt rather from a politically incorrect reference:
…it comes from hunters who tracked and killed their prey by autumn moonlight, stockpiling food for the winter ahead.
“You can picture them: silent figures padding through the forest, the moon overhead, pale as a corpse, its cold light betraying the creatures of the wood,”
Based on that we would normally denounce its name and replace it with something more culturally acceptable such as “Rose Red Moon” - except for the fact that the Farmers Almanac credits the designation to Native American hunters. Talk about the horns of a dilemma.
Comanche Warrior Buffalo Horn Headdress
I for one would like to go on record as favoring Blood Moons, as it is quite obvious that white, silvery moons are blatantly racist.
And speaking of celestial orbits, it is with dismay and a heavy heart that I report Big Guy’s orbit has been severely foreshortened recently; perhaps signaling the end of the expanding Obama universe. Maybe he should have left NASA’s mission in place,
instead of turning it into a Muslim outreach program.
NASA’s new Muslim Outreach space program: flying carpets.
Posted from: Michelle Obama’s Mirror
I got up twice to see the lunar eclipse. It was fascinating and beautiful!
Upstate SC: Could see it waxing and waning but clouds covered during. Wife said clouds looked a little reddish but I couldn’t tell.
I was up to see it as well, it was stunning!
How I wished I had a better camera, it really was a sight.
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