Yes, the eclipse of the moon was wonderful, with a cloudless sky and all. Still, these pictures don’t really do it justice. Nor does the emphasis on the red colour. Yes, with the naked eye it looked a dull red during totality, which was certainly strange and quite beautiful. But that wasn’t what was so remarkable about it for me.
The most amazing thing was, looking through binoculars, the sheer three-dimensionality of it. We’re so used to seeing the moon with the sun full on, as a white two-dimensional figure which changes shape, waxes and wanes. Last night the lower intensity showed the moon in all its solidity: seeing it, literally, in a new light. Suddenly it was, “Jesus Christ, there’s a huge great ball of rock, up there in the sky!” You could see the curve of it, the depth of it. To me that was far more spectacular than watching it turn a dull red.
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