Clouds rolling in through the forest below as higher clouds light up with sun rays -a great build-up for a Super Moon Eclipse

We often love watching the celestial sky in its full glory, and Sunday night was an excellent show. It was a super moon lunar eclipse. A rare event when the full moon is at its closest point to the earth at the same time as an eclipse. We headed down to the lighthouse where the municipality put on the event.

 
At the lighthouse park, people enjoyed the night sky

There were telescopes everywhere and they were showing a space documentary on the big screen. We hung out and talked with people near the lighthouse for a while until we found a group of friends on the far side near Domes out of the lights and noise. The waves were crashing and the old nuclear reactor gave a spherical symmetry glowing in the silver moonlight as the moon slowly became covered in the earth’s shadow and glowed red. We watched not only the moon but also the sparklingly bright Milky Way and a few shooting stars too!

Hanging out listening to the waves below and watching the moon above

Moon peeking out through palm fronds

It is difficult for me to capture this moment simply in photographs -especially in night photography- but it was utterly beautiful. I felt a sense of place and space out of the normal -extraterrestrial. Of both significance and insignificance. Of vastness and smallness. Since a lunar eclipse like this only comes around ever 20-30 years, we talked both about where we were when the last one came (for many of us as tiny beings- in 1982) and where we may be when the next one does (as older folks- in 2033). In celestial terms our lives are so fleeting, but they are ours! Such a reminder to live them as fully as possible. What a gift this life is.

As the shadow formed it turned a wonderful rosy red. It reminded me of candling an egg