So, if you live in or about Yorkton and were inspired to step out on the 27th to catch the start of the lunar eclipse, you would have noticed that, after a beautiful sunny day, the clouds rolled in right before moonrise. I had predicted a clear evening and a Rider loss, and in spite of promising to not watch, I admit to stepping out briefly to check the skies around 6 p.m. I have no one to blame but myself, except maybe Galileo. More on that later.
Luckily, the universe took pity a little after 8 p.m, and cleared the skies to allow those locals who persisted to see the event from mid-eclipse to its conclusion. Eclipses are far more impressive if you get to watch from the beginning, but at least we got the consolation prize of seeing how it ended.
Regardless of your view, I hope you saw enough to pique your interest in our Earth’s companion. Of all the objects in the night sky, the most dominant by far is the Moon. Recorded in carvings and paintings long before we had written records, the Moon has always played a prominent part in our civilization’s history.
This is how it was four hundred years ago when Galileo first turned his telescope toward it; the religious philosophy of the day stated that the Moon, being in the heavens, could be nothing other than a perfect sphere. Understandably, then, when Galileo wrote that it appeared ‘uneven’ and ‘rough’, things did not go well for him. A lesser known story has it clouding over when the Roman Inquisition went to check, but that’s not important here.
Luckily for us, we currently have more flexible ideas and far better optics; even the most inexpensive of telescopes will show the ‘uneven & rough’ terrain of our natural satellite. Like the Earth, the Moon is covered in mountains and valleys, and with no erosion, all as sharply defined as they were when they formed billions of years ago.
The Moon is only in the sky at a convenient time for half the month. Around each First Quarter (the 20th this month), deep shadows feature the terrain in great relief, giving it a very three-dimensional look. A Full Moon is best for showing the rays of debris streaking out for hundreds of kilometers from a few of the larger craters, so different phases show different things.
Eclipses are not the only time the Moon should come to mind; it is a marvelous landscape all on its own, available many cloudless evenings from your own back yard.
