Partial Eclipse of the Sun Today, October 23

I have previously written about the blood moon. The Blood Moon is Back, October 8, 2014. Today it is time to give equal time to the sun.  For you astronomy buffs, today will witness a partial eclipse of the sun.  About forty percent of the sun will be covered by a shadow from the moon.  On the East Coast, the best viewing time will be about 5:45 p.m. Because it is only a partial eclipse, the sun will not go totally dark. Remember though, despite that fact, do not look directly at the sun or you might cause permanent damage to your eyes.

The Blood Moon

I don' t know about you, but early this morning, I was up and out of bed to try and see the "blood moon" that astronomers and newscasters had promised would be visible overnight. So, a little after two a.m., I opened the front door and went outside.  I scanned the sky for the moon and finally found it between my house and the next door neighbor's house. The moon was full, but partially covered on one side by a crescent-shaped shadow that looked like a chunk of the moon had been eaten by a hungry mouse, thinking the moon was a wheel of cheddar cheese.

What I was seeing was the beginning of a total lunar eclipse. That type of eclipse only occurs when the sun, the moon and the Earth line up just so.  The eclipse is caused by the shadow from the Earth. Apparently, it is called a "blood moon" because as the eclipse progresses, the moon takes on a bloody reddish brown color caused by the refraction of sunlight in the Earth's atmosphere.

Fascinating stuff and beautiful to see.  If you missed this one, rhe next one w on't occur until October 8, 2014. So, Mark your calendars!