It was a super Moon…

Orion came too

It was (much to my surprise) a crystal-clear night. With the moon slipping into shadow and our local council not having the street lights on at this time to save energy/money, the sky was almost overwhelmed by the spectacle that is our home galaxy. My little camera managed this shot of the brighter stars in the sky, in this case the constellation of Orion.

The Moon limbering up for the eclipse at a more reasonable time of night

Of course, the Snail and I had not dragged ourselves from deep sleep at 3 a.m. to look at that. With the moon being super – at apogee, closest to the Earth – it would be big and the eclipse would make it appear red*.

So, here are some fuzzy pictures to giver you a flavour of the Universe doing a bit of temporary redecorating:

Going, going…

Gone

Still gone

On its way back…

Not long now – back to bed for us I think!

Loony* Eclipse Selfie! *Er, lunar. Maybe not…

oOo

* Because the Earth’s shadow absorbs all colours except the red ones. It’s why sunsets and sunrises are that colour. Plus it looks pretty.

Partial to an Eclipse

Through a glass, darkly

We had a partial eclipse here in Wales today. It was a clear blue sky that greeted the Snail and I as we headed to what has already become one of my favourite ways to start a day – an eclipse party breakfast. It is ironic that, in a land where the sun is not as regular a visitor as one might like, when there is a chance of a sunny spell it has to shine through the moon. C’est la vie, as they say, er, here.

Our lovely friends Linda and Graeme invited us to partake in an eclipse and then breakfast, so I bunked off work* and came home.

The camera on my tablet was confused…

The weather was perfect as was the company. Can’t say the same for my pictures though! The one above shows that Britain wasn’t really “plunged into darkness” as some news-feeds suggested – it was just a bit darker than usual for half past nine in the morning. That picture was taken at close to the peak, but the tiny pathetic webcam on my tablet computer was still overwhelmed by the unfiltered light.

The mist waxed and waned as the temperature of the air cooled and warmed. On the way over from Chez Snail, the fog was thick enough to allow the start of the eclipse to be seen with the naked eye, which was quite incredible. It is a shame that the fog didn’t persist, in fact!

Sun Spot – a spot of sun

Close to the peak and the air was positively cold. The birds went to bed, unaware that in about two and a half minutes, they would be getting up again going “Wha’ just happened??”

Swirly, man

Immediately after the eclipse, a little cloud started to form. It was followed an hour later by a lot of cloud. In my eyes, perfect timing!

Cat in the Eclipse Mist

And so to breakfast!

Post-eclipse brekky!

oOo

* Actually, time off in lieu, but it feels better somehow if you pretend you’re doing something slightly naughty.