lunar eclipse and Orion over West
Bergholt
oil on canvas, framed, 1220mm x
910mm
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A midwinter total eclipse of the moon turning
clouds gun metal grey and the earth a soft, black-grey, as though
the sky were very slowly blinking. In this rare, ancient light,
scattered electric lights from houses and cars brightened. On the
horizon the orange light of Colchester showed under an immense sky
and indifferent constellations.
Right : Orion with three stars for his
belt and Betelgeuse (the brightest red star) upper left with Riegel
lower right
Lower centre : Canis Minor
Left : The moon is in Gemini with Castor
& Pollux to the far left
In a total eclipse the Earth is directly between
the sun and the moon, but the moon it isn't in shade. Sunlight is
bent through Earths atmosphere turning it red before it falls on
the moon.
The amount of redness is described on the Danjon
scale. This eclipse was about 3 on a scale of 0 (very dark) to
4 (lightish coppery/orange), which means that skies were fairly
clear that night and there was not much cloud or particulate matter
to stop light passing through.
After a volcanic eruption lunar eclipses can be
much darker than this.
exhibition
On display at King's College Cambridge, with summer
solstice moonrise, West Bergholt.