28 August 2007

Birthday Eclipse

I've just come back inside (about 15 minutes ago) from seeing the eclipse. This one was pretty exciting for me: how often does a full moon eclipse that is visible in your area occur on your birthday? I had seen that the mid-totality would occur at 5:37 AM, but I didn't set my alarm to see it. I thought I would let fate set its own course. As it happens, I woke up at 5:23 from an interesting dream about the eclipse, which saw me going outside into a body of water to help a woman named Diane. After rising, I quietly asked my husband and my son if they'd like to join me. Both declined. My son actually said, "I'm trying to get some sleep!" So I sat alone on the back porch and enjoyed the view of a beautiful, muted red full moon. As I sat, I realized I also had a great view of a lot of constellations. I was able to see Cassiopeia, and my favorites Orion and Taurus, with the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, almost directly overhead. Sirius was just above the horizon winking at me, the old dog.

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