Observing with my Lovely

The lunar eclipse on November 8, 2022 got lots of press. Lunar eclipses occur quite often and are predictable, but this is the last one for the year, and probably the last one we will watch from our temporary apartment, before we move to Bear Creek NC to our own home.

Though we had to kick ourselves awake at 4 am, we were excited, and the cup of fresh mocha hit the spot we prepared to leave. We grabbed our two binoculars and sketching supplies as we headed for the car. We only traveled 5 minutes to the local McD’s that adjacent to a wide access road with shoulder parking areas. More important, the spot has open skies to the West where the moon would eclipse then set. By the time we got settled, the eclipse was within 30 minutes of being total. The image shows the 5:30 a.m. view just prior to the full eclipse.

The neat thing about this eclipse was the natural darkening of the pre-dawn sky that occurs. So I constructed a note and observing sheet with the view of Orion,  Taurus, Pleiades, and finally the moon in the lower right corner. While we observed and sketched, the dawn light began changing the sky, so we saw the stars disappear, and the lunar eclipse lose its contrast as the moon met the tree line.

It was a wonderful morning to give thanks for God’s work on Day 4 of creation, who set up the magnificent scene that we enjoyed as it progressed. Hence, the reference to giving our Creator thanks for His works as referenced in dozens of places, including the reference I used (Psalm 145:10).

We laughed and gave thanks as we returned to our apartment. It was a good dawn to give thanks.