I woke up somewhere between 3:30 and 4 this morning, eager to see the bright full moon as it began its journey into eclipse. Sure enough, the brightness was receding, from the top down – it was looking about 2/3 of its normal size, and squished. So I went back to sleep, expecting to wake up in an hour or see and see the burnt orange I’d observed in previous eclipses.
I reckoned without the fact that I live in Tree Central. I had marked the position in my mind, and have followed the trajectory for many years now in this place where I live. And the moon was evidently in the deepest part of the leaves and not visible at all from my vantage point.
I walked around the yard, on high ground and low, looked out of every window in the house. It amazes me how different the moon’s position will appear to be, depending on my earth bound position. Nothing availed.
So I replayed in my mind the entire night I had spent watching an eclipse several years ago in the Hocking Hills, on a winter’s night where trees were irrelevant to viewing.
That was an eclipse to remember!