[MR] Tonight's Eclipse: Wish I Was In the UK....

[Sharon Henderson]

Some neat info for the stargazers among us:

The first Total Lunar Eclipse to occur at the Winter Solstice since 1638
happens tonight.  It will be visible across most of the US in its totality,
for those brave enough to go out into the darkness and cold of midnight,
starting around 12:30-ish Tuesday morning, reaching totality in due season.
However, if we could but get ourselves to the UK, we'd get to see something
that only happens every 500 years!  It's a selenelion, the first one since
the early 1500s.  The UK will witness this phenomenon (and probably some
other northern European areas as well, owing to the fact that it will be
just after 6 AM when they get totality; the rising sun and the setting moon
will be visible together.  A short but neat article can be found at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12039683

I just wish I could see something that hasn't been seen since the Tudors
ruled....  :)  I hope there are lots of pictures taken.  If anyone more
expert in astronomy than I happens to know of any period accounts or
sketches/marginalia of the previous selenelion, and what the people thought
of it who saw it then, I would love to see!

in Service and sky-gazing,

Meli

PS: a blessed Solstice/Long Night to you all!