Total Lunar Eclipse
By Bradley Lee Barnhart

About twice a year the Moon passes through the Earth’s penumbral shadow. This is a lunar eclipse, as most of us have seen. But about every four years, we are privileged to see a total lunar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is completely blocked from the Sun, not only by the penumbral shadow, but also by the Earth’s umbra. The penumbra and umbra can be thought of as a bulls-eye with the umbra being the center.

This description makes it seem like the moon would completely disappear, but here is where the rarity and beauty of the total lunar eclipse is seen. The light from the Sun is bent around the Earth by way of the Earth’s atmosphere and is reflected on the Moon’s surface. Because blue light scatters much easier than red light (notice our daily blue sky), the Moon appears with a reddish hue during the hour that the Moon is completely blocked. Ha! you say. Why should I care about umbras, penumbras, partial and total eclipses? Might as well leave them for the astronomically-inclined geeks so they can muddle over their penumbra conundrums on Friday nights while playing the 5th digitally re-mastered version of Star Wars. You should care because KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! And our predecessors would agree.

In 1503, Christopher Columbus faked his godliness to a group of natives during his conquest through the Caribbean. Columbus (by way of his Euro-astronomers) knew about the total lunar eclipse and led the natives to believe that he was the cause of this cosmic phenomenon; that he actually willed its occurrence. He imposed fear on the natives, which afforded him safety and respect (and complete faithfulness) from the tribe. A powerful man twisting the facts to instill fear in others…Why does this sound so familiar?

Remember the Catholics? Ah yes you say, those cracker-eating cannibals. Well even the Catholic Bible speaks of total eclipses, albeit solar rather than lunar. In the Book of Mark it says, “at midday a darkness fell over the whole land, which lasted till three in the afternoon; and at three Jesus cried aloud, ’Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’, which means, ’My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” So, it seems as though Jesus died at the exact moment of a total solar eclipse. If only they had known, they may have been able to stop the claims of a godly vengeance at the death of mankind’s hero; and all with the power of scientific insight. It certainly beats putting insight on house arrest!

All this aside, the total lunar eclipse will take place on Wednesday, October 27, 2004. Don’t miss it. This is the last one the planet will see until 2007. The partial eclipse begins at 9:14 pm, and will enter the total eclipse at 10:23pm. The total eclipse will last until 11:45 and the partial eclipse will roll back until 12:54 am.

This particular eclipse has been extensively researched by the never-failing (yet never-proving) astrologists across the world. They claim that this eclipse brings the temptations of overindulgence in the pleasures of life; especially in food, drink, and sex. So, why not go out and celebrate our cosmic right to gluttony, drunkenness, and excessive sexual endeavors. We have the Moon to thank for it.

Other articles by Bradley Lee Barnhart.

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