Only A Paper Moon...

I wonder how many other nuts like me are awaiting the last of the  4 Blood Moons.  Cloudy skies plagued the last couple here and since Romeo, our dog, has had a very busy night outside chasing and barking at critters decided he needed to come in at 3:40am, I thought I might as well take a look outside. I not only could see stars in the clear sky but the Moon looks pretty magnificent in all its fullness this morning. It's times like these I wish I had a really good telescopic lens to see what's happening in the skies even better. While the craters are visible to the human eye my camera lens certainly cannot capture them...

According to the time schedules the eclipse will begin about 4:13am so I was hoping that the moon wouldn't be over the west ridge The complete eclipse will occur about 5:30am. So, since it will be a while before this type of eclipse phenomena happens again, I'll wait.

Here's what I saw at 4:13.

4:30

4:45

5:00

5:15

5:30

Meanwhile I researched the term 'Blood Moon' for this lunar eclipse only to discover the obvious that during this total lunar eclipse the earth's shadow has a coppery red color.  Right now I just see a halo/ is that because my eyes are still adjusting? The moon's color can be affected by what's in the atmosphere, dust/ash in the air, moisture or the Earth's refraction.

The moon has always been a favorite reference as the lists of moon quotes go on and on... but I personally go for the romantic lyrics of a not so well known Broadway play except for this song  "It's Only a Paper Moon."


"I never feel a thing is real
When I'm away from you
Out of your embrace
The world's a temporary parking place
Mmm, mm, mm, mm
A bubble for a minute
Mmm, mm, mm, mm
You smile, the bubble has a rainbow in it
Say, its only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me."

I guess that's why I awoke Natureman at 5:00 to show him the sky and the magnificent sight of a Blood Moon whose color I couldn't really capture with my camera... Maybe because it's only a Paper Moon here in the End of the Rainbow Valley...
(BTW Natureman thanked me for waking him.)

* Addendum: More gained knowledge from cousin Erich re: the word selenelion -"It is when the moon in total lunar eclipse is setting over the western horizon at the same time that the sun is rising over the eastern horizon. Geometrically it cannot happen, because a total lunar eclipse means the Earth is right between the two. But because our atmosphere refracts light, we can see the sun before it actually reaches the horizon and we can still see the moon after it actually sets. We are seeing bent light from each giving us the illusion that we are seeing the sun itself and the moon itself. Or maybe it's not an illusion, since it really is light from the sun or reflecting from the moon." Muy interesante.