Last night Ann nudged me awake at about 4.45. She wanted to look at the total eclipse of the moon, which I think was scheduled to begin at 4am. Alas we were a little late for totality. A small sliver of the moon was passing out of the Earths shadow, though the overall effect was still mighty impressive.

Total eclipses are quite rare, though Australia gets another go in March of next year. I was asked why there aren't eclipses every month as the moon passes behind the Earth relative to the Sun. Just because I host an astronomy program doesn't mean I can answer such questions, but this one I could.

It is a good question, but one that you can probably guess at. If the Moon's orbital plane was identical to the Earth's orbital plane around the Sun, then we would likely get those monthly total eclipses. But the Moon's plane is tilted by about 5 degrees relative to the Earths, so during a full Moon (another condition), our faithful satellite passes above or below the Earth's shadow, rather than through it. An eclipse only occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon are perfectly aligned. Which is fairly rare.

I wrote a poem about a previous totality some years ago, called 'Totality'. I reprint it here for your scathing critiques.

Totality

Coatless I gaze

In sullen cold,

A lingering Scorpion

Above my head, a

Wide moon in the fold,

And the every-angled heavens,

Ablaze.

A night to be bold, sure,

Though few could tell,

How solid ground conspired,

To throw terrestrial shade –

The inching darkness,

First a fingernail,

Then a thumbprint

Made,

The ancient glimmering dust,

A reddening pale,

That hangs and floats and howls

To be itself again –

A catcher of dreams

And ark of night.

 

Beyond the trail

Of stars and dust,

The shrouding rust

Declines and fades,

Leaving the porcelain face

Unchanged,

Small mercies, perhaps,

Thinking of how things must go,

Thought a billion years of light

Remains.