I’ve always been intrigued by astronomy, so I was excited when I learned that there would be a total lunar eclipse last week. If you don’t know much about lunar eclipses don’t feel bad, neither did I. After doing a little web research at Wikepedia and NASA, I learned that a total lunar eclipse occurs only when the full moon passes into the Earth’s shadow, blocking the sun’s rays from illuminating the moon. During the eclipse there is total alignment of the sun, moon, and earth. Incredible. Anyway, that was the dumbed down version, so if you want to learn more about lunar eclipses be sure to check out both of the links above.

Last Wednesday’s lunar eclipse was visible in North America, South America, western Europe, Africa and western Asia. I’ll bet that astronomers and photography geeks all over the world were staring up into the sky, hoping for a cloudless night. I know I was. In fact, I completely zoned out at work all day, mentally rehearsing where I would setup my camera to get the best possible shots. My yard has too many trees so I had get creative and setup down by the road… That’s right, I am officially the neighborhood freak now. It’s not often that you see a guy out after dark in 0˚ weather, standing in a foot of snow, wearing a ski mask and headlamp, bundled from head to toe in artic gear, and standing behind a tripod while staring into the sky for almost two hours. I kept waiting for the police to show up, but they never did. Fortunately, we got a rare break in the snowy weather, and the sky cleared up for the duration of the eclipse. Here’s a few of the images I was able capture…

I don’t know much about astronomy, but it seems to me that it’s a lot like outdoor adventure, in fact in many ways it is outdoor adventure. The night sky is accessible to everyone, and you certainly don’t have to be an accomplished astronomer with a massive telescope to enjoy it. And like any outdoor adventure, it can be a very awesome and humbling experience.

This was the last total lunar eclipse until 2010, however, in August of this year there will be a total solar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse, so mark your calendars and start planning now. All you need is patience and a clear view… oh, and maybe some thermal underwear (for really cold temps I recommend Patogonia’s R1 Pants and Cloudveil’s Run Don’t Walk Zip Neck).