Eclipse
Hello everyone... my apologies for not posting here frequently. I post blogs more often on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/fierce_flawless) but I do check in here every once in a while to see how you are all doing. I thought I would post this entry about my experience with the lunar eclipse on February 20th, because it was something I'll cherish for a long time to come.
I went to the Adler Planetarium on Wednesday with my friend Katie to view the spectacular full lunar eclipse that happened between 7:45 and 11pm. It was so beautiful. We looked through the large telescope in the outdoor observatory before the eclipse started, and then around 9:45 during the totality of the eclipse. We were able to see the craters and dimples on the moon's surface, and see the shadow of the earth completely engulf the once-glowing moon. Saturn was also visible- to the naked eye it appeared as a brightly shining star below and a little to the left of the moon, but when looking through a telescope, we could see its rings! It's fascinating to actually see something like that in person when you've only seen it in picture books and satellite photos.
Even though the event was outside in the freezing cold, I felt very compelled to attend. I was talking to a couple in front of me while waiting in line for the observatory telescope, and I told them that I think something like a full lunar eclipse, another of which will not happen until 2010, is an event to celebrate. No matter what kind of atrocities are being committed by humans in our world, no matter what is happening in our lives, this eclipse was something so beautiful and universal, that had the power to make us stop for a second and bring us in touch with the universe. That to me is worth celebrating.
Did anyone else watch the eclipse? If so, tell me about it! If not, there are tons of pictures and videos on the web.
I went to the Adler Planetarium on Wednesday with my friend Katie to view the spectacular full lunar eclipse that happened between 7:45 and 11pm. It was so beautiful. We looked through the large telescope in the outdoor observatory before the eclipse started, and then around 9:45 during the totality of the eclipse. We were able to see the craters and dimples on the moon's surface, and see the shadow of the earth completely engulf the once-glowing moon. Saturn was also visible- to the naked eye it appeared as a brightly shining star below and a little to the left of the moon, but when looking through a telescope, we could see its rings! It's fascinating to actually see something like that in person when you've only seen it in picture books and satellite photos.
Even though the event was outside in the freezing cold, I felt very compelled to attend. I was talking to a couple in front of me while waiting in line for the observatory telescope, and I told them that I think something like a full lunar eclipse, another of which will not happen until 2010, is an event to celebrate. No matter what kind of atrocities are being committed by humans in our world, no matter what is happening in our lives, this eclipse was something so beautiful and universal, that had the power to make us stop for a second and bring us in touch with the universe. That to me is worth celebrating.
Did anyone else watch the eclipse? If so, tell me about it! If not, there are tons of pictures and videos on the web.