Confession two: I legit started crying last night when I thought the cloud cover wasn't going to clear for the eclipse.
Confession three: On Packers game days, I have been known to turn superstitious and do everything I can to have lots of green and gold around. Therefore, today I have peppermint and lemon in my oil diffuser...not for any reason other than that the bottles are green and gold (well, yellow), respectively. It smells good too, obviously. Once the dishwasher finishes, I'll be showering and decking myself out in green and gold, probably right up to my makeup. #justhowiroll
Confession four: I've had very little sleep since Friday and, well, it's Monday.
So, time for a third cup of coffee and some deep breathing. Usually helps.
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So, the eclipse. I've seen multiple lunar eclipses over the course of my life. I've even seen a couple comets (one with the naked eye; anyone remember Hale-Bopp??), I've seen many meteor showers, I've seen the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter through the lens of my telescope, and I've even seen the aurora borealis from my front yard in Merna, Illinois. All of those things are amazing, and yet the one thing I always find the most fascinating is a total lunar eclipse. The moon doesn't give off light and yet it shines so brightly, and then you actually get to see the earth's shadow pass over it. Think about that for a second. Humor me. During a lunar eclipse we are literally seeing the shadow of this wondrous planet on which we live. The earth, moon, and sun are concrete things and they share a beautiful dance through the infinities of space that point to the design of our awesome Creator. He set those lights in the sky for us to see by, but also to point to His glory and sense of beauty and order. In an accidental universe, the chances of heavenly bodies lining up so perfectly to allow for eclipses are just astronomical. Pun intended.
When I look at the night sky, I am in awe of the One who created us, and I thank Him often for the universe He created for us to discover and love. There was a time in my life that I wanted to be a professional astronomer; my skills in math were lacking enough to discourage me from that, but space still enthralls me. Those of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook will have seen the two photos I posted that I took with my iPhone through the lens of my telescope last night. Looking up at the night sky is worth it, folks. Always worth it. EDIT: And now this post has a few of the photos I took that night!