Wednesday 7 October 2015

Luna eclipse and blood moon...


As I may have mentioned last week, we were invited to celebrated the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with some friends out at Frank Anneberg Park. It was extra special because there was to be a Luna eclipse and a blood moon!


Jimmy had fun running around, kicking a ball around, being chased by me or Daddy.


Sometimes it is very hard to take a photo of Jimmy - he moves so fast! 


We all played our parts helping to set up the lanterns that are crucial to celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival - they were sent to our friend M by her uncle all the way from Hong Kong.


My part was entertaining Jimmy. Jimmy's part was that of "the toddler" running around, making the most of being outside. We also all did a good job of eating the food everyone brought to share. Jimmy wasn't keen on our contribution, but he ate more than his/our (!) fair share of the noodles.


One the sun had set and the moon was lighting the sky and everyone had had their fill of dinner, M brought out two mooncakes (which she bought in New York City). Small but rich and perfect for sharing.


For anyone who hasn't had mooncake before, they are sweet but not Australian/USA style sweet, they are rich and yet they have an egg baked in the middle. Jimmy likes mooncake (Jimmy likes cake).


Yes, we used actual candles. Little ones, about the same size as candles that go on birthday cakes. We went through two per lantern. The lanterns were very pretty, were all safely out of Jimmy's reach, and once we were done at the park the lanterns were all packed up again.


Yes, Jimmy will do well in Hong Kong and China, probably Taiwan too, with his preference for noodles and mooncake. (Oh but he was a grub!)


It seemed like we had just finished eating when the main event started: the eclipse! As soon as we noticed the shadow starting to cover the moon, we quickly packed up and headed for Kansas State University where the Physics Department had telescopes set up to view the event.


I have never, never seen so many people on campus on a Sunday. Never. Lots of people were there, on the quad, sitting around and chatting, lining up on the new pedestrian mall to catch a glimpse through one of three telescopes! We lined up for the one with the shortest queue, although we did spend some time sitting on a grassy knoll watching the eclipse and the ensuing blood moon. It was pretty cool.


The novelty of the occasion was not lost on Jimmy, even though it was well past his bedtime. He had a great time looking at the moon, running around, walking down the mall, taking in the atmosphere. Jimmy is a little obsessed with the moon and I hope he remembers this eclipse.

When we went home, some time after 10 pm, the moon was still a dark red, and the campus was still buzzing. I think we were still buzzing too, because we didn't find our way to bed until nearly (or after 11 pm). All three of us (and probably half the population of Manhattan) were very tired on Monday, but it was soooo worth it. When it comes to celestial events, it usually is.

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