Moonshot

Tomorrow morning, probably when the sun is coming up here in WI, there is going to be a total lunar eclipse.   I'm told that the best place to see it will be on the west coast and mountain region where there will still be some darkness before dawn comes.   It is supposed to occur here, as the totality happens, precisely when the sun rises, so I may not be fortunate enough to see it in its entirety.   I think I have only seen one or two total eclipses in my life and they are always spectacular.   Even if you are not an astronomy nut, the experience of it is truly amazing.   As a kid, I missed my very first one as it happened in the wee early hours and I was asleep.   I remember reading my older sister's journaling about the experience and she had written so eloquently about the different colors and hues that the moon turned during the event.   It was as if I was standing there next to her watching it.   Stellar events such as an eclipse aren't things that happen daily and I do my best to see as many as I can.   One night, several years ago, I witnessed the Northern Lights for the first time, an event I'm sure some of my friends can see whenever they wish.   Meteor showers, comets, and solar eclipses are many amazing scientific things that happen throughout one's life, bringing more show power and amazement than a Pink Floyd concert.   I walked outside tonight to pick up my daughter for our date when I saw the moon just hanging over the horizon like it was placed there on a nail.   I was pretty surprised to be able to capture the shadows of the moon in my photograph, thinking that it would be a great experience early tomorrow morning, watching the eclipse with my sister and dreaming of time gone by.