First, the moon framed in the arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, from the Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/tonights-eclipse-faces-sydneys-light-pollution/2007/08/27/1188067034497.html
Then, a story from the Melbourne Herald sun http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22325020-661,00.html
Moon viewers see red
August 29, 2007 12:00am
IT was a blood red moon . . . as Australians packed observation points tonight for a rare lunar eclipse.
The eclipse started at 6.51pm with the Earth shadow blocking light travelling from the sun to the moon’s surface and it will remain full until 9.23pm.
While the eclipse is full the moon appears blood red because only the red component of sunlight is diffracted around the Earth onto its surface.
One Sydney resident, Susan, said the air of excitement among the watchers was fantastic.
“We drove over from the North Shore to get a better view,” she said.
“I’ve seen other eclipses but never a red one like this.
“There’s a sense of the moon as a whole sphere, instead of a disc.”
Another Sydneysider, Edna, said it was fascinating to watch the eclipse shadow the moon.
“I thought it would be more red, but it’s impressive,” she said.
Nick Lomb, curator of Astronomy at the Sydney Observatory, said most people in NSW were able to see the eclipse.
“It’s a pretty specular sight tonight,” he said.
“It’s rare, but not as a rare as blue moon.”
While lunar eclipses occur at least twice a year somewhere in the world, the last time a total eclipse was visible from Australia’s eastern states was in July 2000.
- AAP
August 31st, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Thank you for the cool pics. I got up early to watch the eclipse over West Texas. The next morning I felt compelled to write a poem.
This Morning the Moon Bled
Who took the light of the full moon last night?
For hours it shone bright enough to bait a hook.
Then with dawn but hours away,
a sneaking shadow crept down from the north
Like an invading army it slowly overtook the sphere,
robbing it of light
The tiny black arc turned to red as it advanced,
leaving the surface stained with blood.
Who do we blame for this?
Was it God, the leaders of shadow armies, or the victim itself?
As the first two are infallible,
I can only presume the moon deserved to bleed.
As my night time friend darkened crimson
The stars in the surrounding sky brightened
Is that the job of those far from the battlefield?
The next time blood pours across the ground
Are we to shine our light?
It will happen again,
The chatter ensures such a thing
Infallible, opposing Gods order it.
Leaders promise it.
Victims wait for their transformation to target,
while attackers line up the enemy in their sights.
The moon cries out in vain,
“Didn’t I just bleed enough for us all?â€
But it is only a celestial object,
Ignored by opposing Gods,
and Machiavellian leaders intent on gaining prizes through overwhelming force.
Who can bleed enough for us all in such a system?
When the Moon fails, the billions and billions of stars must come through.
Unfortunately within hours, world leaders spoke words of war.
http://peureport.blogspot.com/2007/08/dance-of-madmen.html