My Observations of The Total Lunar Eclipse on April 15,2014 from 12:00 AM Midnight to 3:35 AM Here in El Paso, Texas

MY OWN OBSERVATION OF THE APRIL 15,2014 TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE OVER EL PASO, TEXAS

Total Lunar eclipse over El Paso, Texas, on April 15,2014 from 12:00AM Midnight to 3:35 AM

OK, it has taken a little bit longer than I thought it would, to work on this article. Yes, even in the 21st century, I find myself having to debunk the superstitious beliefs of some of these moronic Republican right-wing Christian Fundamentalists concerning total lunar eclipses, because this one happened to occur during Passover, a religious holiday.

Anyway . . . . . 

While I'll be discussing the recent total lunar eclipse that I had seen over El Paso, Texas, I shall also be discussing BOTH lunar eclipses AND solar eclipses.

It was during the afternoon of April 14,2014, when I had read a NEWS article on the Internet, that starting at about 2:00 AM, Eastern Daylight Time on April 15,2014, there was going to be a total lunar eclipse. Yeah! I don't have cable TV anymore, or any TV at all, because Time Warner Cable was getting way too expensive. So, now I have to check the NEWS websites on the Internet, and the latest NEWS videos on YouTube.

Well . . . 2:00 AM back east, that was 12:00 AM at Midnight here in El Paso, Texas where I live. So, at about 8:00 PM in the evening, I had decided to go up the street to a VALERO corner store in my neighborhood to get some snack foods to eat while sitting outdoors to watch the lunar eclipse that would be starting just after midnight.

A typical VALERO corner store and gas station

There, at the VALERO store, I bought a couple of Moon Pies, to sort of celebrate the total lunar eclipse. It's really neat, how so many food items are named after astronomical objects seen in the sky.

OK, time for one of my commercial breaks.

If you're planning to stay up late at night watching a lunar eclipse, then you'll probably 

get hungry during a long cold night. So, get yourself some of these delicious Moon Pies!

Moon Pie - Your choice of either chocolate, banana, vanilla, orange, or strawberry

A most appropriate snack to enjoy while watching a total lunar eclipse!

OK, back to our programming, now in progress.

At the VALERO store, they only had chocolate. I wanted to get strawberry, because the moon usually turns kind of red during a total lunar eclipse, sometimes called, a "blood moon" because of it's color. But, I had to settle for chocolate. Oh well.

Anyway . . . . .

I was at the VALERO corner store for about an hour, and I started asking people there if they were going to watch the total lunar eclipse starting at midnight, and most of them said that they were looking forward to it.

STUPIDITY ALERT!!!

OK . . . . . no matter where you go, there is always somebody who has to get fucking retarded!!!

One guy there at the VALERO said that he was NOT going to be outdoors to watch the lunar eclipse, that instead, he would stay inside his home, and he would be reading his Bible and praying, because this lunar eclipse was going to happen during Passover, which is a sign of the coming Apocalypse or Armageddon, and the second coming of his Lord Jesus Christ! 

Oh really??? Jesus is not coming again, unless he's jacking off!!!! OK? Come on people! This is the 21st century! Let's get over this superstitious bullshit!

OK, Stupidly Alert over . . . . .  for now. But, the debunking shall continue . . .

Well . . . I pointed out to him, that Good Friday, Easter, and Passover, like some Christian holidays, and many Jewish holidays are all tied to the phases of the moon, because the ancient Hebrews and Christians back then had used the Lunar calendar, and that these holidays always occur during the first full moon after the spring equinox, the first day of spring, which is on March 20th of each year. That is why, sometimes Easter and Passover comes in March, and in some years, Easter and Passover comes in April. Because, it's all tied to the phases of the moon, the full moon, the first full moon, after the spring equinox. And also, it is only during a full moon that lunar eclipses occurs .

So, naturally, lunar eclipses are sometimes going to occur on Passover . I was sure that this sort of thing has occurred many times in the past, and the world obviously did not come to an end at any of those times way back in the past. 

Anyway . . . . . while working on this topic, I decided to do a Google search to see how many times a lunar eclipse had occurred on Passover during the past 2000 years.

Here is a link to an article on Wikipedia, a good source of information.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Moon_Prophecy          

I shall quote the article here, but I have also provided a link to said article.

==============================

Blood Moon Prophecy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

The Blood Moon Prophecy is an idea popularized by Christian pastors John Hagee and Mark Biltz, which states that an ongoing tetrad (a series of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, with six full moons in between, and no intervening partial lunar eclipses) which began with the April 2014 lunar eclipse is a sign of significant things to come. Biltz believes that the Second Coming will coincide with the final eclipse of the tetrad, while Hagee only believes the eclipses are a sign of coming change in the course of history for Israel.

The Blood Moon Prophecy has quickly gained attention on the Internet after Biltz first proposed it in 2008, and gained mainstream media attention as the April 15, 2014 lunar eclipse approached. Despite the attention, few Christians believe the prophecy. It has been criticized by both mainstream Christian sources and secular astronomy blogs. Skeptics point out that tetrads that correspond with Jewish feasts are not as rare as Hagee and Biltz imply, that the eclipses will not be visible in Israel, and that Bible verses such as Matthew 24:36 state that no one knows when the Second Coming will occur and that it will be preceded by a seven year period of intense disaster.

The moon appeared red during the April 2014 eclipse.

Overview 

On April 15, 2014, there was a total lunar eclipse. It was the first of four consecutive total eclipses in a series, known as a tetrad (the remaining three eclipses will take place on October 8, 2014, April 8, 2015, and September 28, 2015). It is one of eight tetrads during the 21st century AD. As with most eclipses, the moon appeared red during the April 15 eclipse.The red color is caused by Rayleigh scattering of sunlight through the Earth's atmosphere, the same effect that causes sunsets to appear red.

In John Hagee's book, Four Blood Moons: Something is about to change, he argues that the timing of the eclipse and subsequent eclipse in the tetrad (all coinciding with Passover and Sukkot) and the "rarity" of a tetrad is strong evidence a major change of course in history will occur. Both Hagee and Biltz note that the last three tetrads to coincide with Passover and Sukkot roughly corresponded with important events in Jewish history: the 1493–94 tetrad roughly aligns with the 1492 expulsion of the Jews from Spain and discovery of the New World; the 1949–50 event roughly corresponds with the re-establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and the ensuing 1948 Arab-Israeli War; and the 1967–68 tetrad started right before the Six Day War. The tetrad is thus seen a "sign" of things to come. Overall, there have been 62 tetrads since the first century AD, eight of which have coincided with the feasts of Passover and Sukkot.

Biltz goes further than Hagee, equating the eclipse with Joel 2:31. The verse says the moon will turn to blood "before the great and dreadful day of the LORD comes." The probable red appearance of the moon during the April 15 eclipse is thus equated with the verse. He argues that the total solar eclipse of March 20, 2015, which occurs at the start of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, may fulfill the second part of the verse: "and the sun will be turned into darkness". He also assigns significance to the partial solar eclipse of September 13, 2015. Five other verses (Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, Joel 3:15, Matthew 24:29, and Revelation 6:12) are also cited. Biltz predicts that the Second Coming of Jesus will coincide with final eclipse of the tetrad.

When asked, Hagee said the tetrad was not a sign of the end times because those began with Pentecost, 2,000 years ago. Instead he said suggested that Iran is close to producing a nuclear bomb and that either they would succeed or Israel would use military force to stop it, with either scenario altering the course of the nation's and the world's future. Hagee has been preaching against the perceived threat of a nuclear Iran since 2006. 

History 

Around 2008, Biltz began teaching that the Second Coming of Jesus would occur in the fall of 2015. He supposedly had "discovered" an astronomical pattern that predicted the next tetrad would coincide with the end times. Thanks in part to Biltz YouTube videos, the idea was quickly picked up by internet blogs, becoming an overnight sensation. He originally wrote that the seven-year Tribulation period would start in the Fall of 2008. When the prediction failed, he pulled the article from his website, but continued to teach on the "significance" of the tetrad.

In 2013, Hagee published Four Blood Moons, accelerating the momentum of Biltz's idea. In October, he appeared on Fox News to promote his book and ideas. In 2014, Biltz published his own book, Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs. A third book, Blood Moons Rising: Bible Prophecy, Israel, and the Four Blood Moons, was published by pastor Mark Hitchcock, but attracted minimal attention. On April 15, 2014, Hagee hosted a special event on the Global Evangelism Television channel promoting his ideas.

As far as Earth & Sky could determine, the use of the term "blood moon" to refer to an eclipse during a tetrad was invented recently, possibly by Hagee.

Response 

Four Blood Moons became a best seller, spending more than 150 days in Amazon.com's top 150 by April 2014. For the week ending March 30, 2014, it was the ninth best selling paperback, according to Publishers Weekly. By mid-April, Hagee's book had hit #4 on the The New York Times best-seller list in the advice category. As the eclipse approached, Hagee and Biltz's speculations gained mainstream media attention in publications such as USA Today and the International Business Times. Earth & Sky reported receiving "a number of inquiries about Blood Moon", prompting a response.

Despite the attention, it is not clear if many people actually believe the ideas. According to Christian Today, only a "small group of Christians" saw the eclipse as significant.

Writing for Earth & Sky Bruce McClure and Deborah Byrd point out that the referenced verse also says the "sun will be turned into darkness", an apparent reference to a solar eclipse. They note that since the Jewish Calendar is lunar, one sixth of all eclipses will occur during Passover or Sukkot. Furthermore, there have been 62 tetrads since the first century AD and that eight of them have coincided with both the feasts. Thus, the event is not as unusual as Hagee and Biltz imply. Additionally, three of the four eclipses in the tetrad will not even be visible in biblical homeland of Israel, casting further doubt on Hagee and Biltz's interpretation. Writing for Space.com, Geoff Gaherty said he saddened that "'prophets of doom' . . . view these life-enriching events as portents of disaster" and said the eclipse was "hardly something to be concerned about".

In an article for Lamb & Lion Ministries, David Reagan examined the prophecy and found several "red flags". He claims that Biltz' organization is anti-Christian because they discredit the writings of Paul. Reagan points to Bible verses such as Matthew 24:36 and Matthew 25:13 appear to state that no one can determine when Jesus will come again. (Biltz attempts to explain away the referenced verses with novel interpretations.) Regan says a number of prophecies must be fulfilled before the Second Coming can occur, making impossible that it is imminent. He also notes that while it is true the last three Passover-Sukkot tetrads have roughly corresponded with important events, two of the three (the Spanish expulsion of the Jews and Israel's regaining independence as a nation) actually occurred before the tetrad started, making it unlikely it was a "sign" of things to come.

Popular apologetic website Answers in Genesis wrote a piece on Biltz's ideas. Author Danny R. Faulkner said it was possible that God would use an eclipse as a sign. However, he concluded there was no reason to believe this eclipse was one. He argues that eclipses and tetrads are not as rare as Blitz implies, and that a "sign" not visible in Jerusalem is very unlikely to be a sign. Like McClure and Byrd, Falkner notes that one sixth of all lunar eclipses occur on Passover or Sukkot and also notes that one twelfth of all solar eclipses coincide with Nisan 1. He says that the total solar eclipse of 2015 will be seen by virtually no one, as it passes through few inhabited areas, and that the partial solar eclipse will barely be perceptible. He says "just knowing that somewhere some sort of solar eclipses are happening seems to fall far short of being specific and spectacular signs of end times" and concludes "the timing of the eclipses that Biltz draws attention to, while interesting, falls far short" of apocalyptic signs.

==============================

OK, so it's really not all that unusual for a total lunar eclipse to occur during Passover, or Sukkot, or to have a solar eclipse occur on Nisan, because it's the new moon that marks the beginning of each month in  the Hebrew calendar. Passover and Sukkot is tied to the full moon, and Nisan is tied to the new moon.

So, just because a total lunar eclipse happens to occur on Passover, or a solar eclipse happens to occur on Nisan, that  does not mean that it will be the end of the world, or that we will have Armageddon or make Apocalypse. Not unless we do something stupid like start a nuclear war, or some stupid shit!    

Oh! And again, I must reiterate . . . . . Jesus is NOT coming again, unless he's jacking off!

Anyway . . . . .

There will be four total lunar eclipses (four blood moons) each one approximately six months apart (with no partial lunar eclipses in between) during the next two years. When there are four blood moons in a row, this is call a Tetrad.

2014 Apr 15: Total Lunar Eclipse (During Passover)
2014 Oct 08: Total Lunar Eclipse
2015 Apr 04: Total Lunar Eclipse (During Passover)
2015 Sep 28: Total Lunar Eclipse 

And in addition to the four total lunar eclipses, or the blood moon tetrad over the next two years, there will also be four solar eclipses. Of course, there won't be anything unusual about these solar eclipses.

2014 Apr 29: Annular Solar Eclipse
2014 Oct 23: Partial Solar Eclipse
2015 Mar 20: Total Solar Eclipse
2015 Sep 13: Partial Solar Eclipse

So, there will be two total lunar eclipses (blood moons) that will occur during Passover in this Tetrad. And so far, there have been eight such Tetrads during the past 2000 years when a total lunar eclipse (blood moon) has occurred during a Passover, and there will be more Tetrads in the future, and it does NOT signify the end of the world. I don't care what all these moronic superstitious religious retards have to say about it! They should just shut the fuck up!!! OK???

Anyway . . . . . I thoroughly enjoyed watching the total lunar eclipse on the Tuesday of April 15,2014 and it was a beautiful sight to behold. I have seen many lunar eclipses since I was nine years old, and to me, each one was a special event. I never get tired of watching a total lunar eclipse.    

A total, or partial lunar eclipse occurs only during a full moon when the moon passes through the earth's shadow, and a solar eclipse, total, partial or annular, occurs only during the new moon when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, with the moon casting a shadow onto the surface of the earth.

A lunar eclipse, either total or partial, occurs only during the full moon

When something casts a shadow, you'll notice that a shadow has a lighter grey fuzzy edge. The dark part of the shadow is called the umbra, and the lighter grey fuzzy-looking edge of the shadow is called the penumbra. So, during a lunar eclipse, as the moon enters the earth's shadow, first it passes into the penumbra before it passes into the dark umbra. The reason why the moon looks a blood red, even in the darkest part of the umbra, is because of the earths atmosphere, which refracts light around the earth into the umbra. This is the same reason why the sun looks either orange or red when it is setting on the western horizon, or when rising on the eastern horizon. 

Now, if you were standing on the moon's surface during a total lunar eclipse, you would see the earth completely cover the sun, and it would look very dark on it's night side, almost black. But you would see a reddish ring around the edges of the dark night side of the earth, and the surface of the moon all around you would be lit up a very dull reddish color. So, it would not get completely dark on the moon's surface.

Standing on the moon  watching the earth eclipsing the sun. Gee! Wish I could be there!

Now then, if the earth didn't have an atmosphere, then the penumbra would look a darker grey instead of orange, and the dark umbra would appear black instead of blood red. The moon would become completely invisible during a total lunar eclipse, if the earth didn't have an atmosphere. But then of course, without an atmosphere, and no air to breath, we wouldn't be around to enjoy it. Also, if the earth had no atmosphere, and you were standing on the moon's surface during the total eclipse, there would be no light reaching the ground, and all would be pitch black. But, because of the earth's atmosphere, the moon does not get completely dark during a total lunar eclipse. That's because of the earth's atmosphere refracting some of the light around it into the shadow of the umbra and penumbra.

Now then . . . a solar eclipse occurs only during the new moon when the moon passes between the sun and the earth. Sometime it's a total eclipse, sometimes only a  partial eclipse, and sometime an annular eclipse when the sun appears as a bright ring around the edge of the moon. This is because the moon revolves in an elliptical orbit around the earth. So, sometimes the moon is closer and looks a little larger, and sometimes the moon is further away and looks a little smaller.

The moons average distance from the earth is 238,900 miles. Because the moon does not revolve in a circular orbit, but rather, in an elliptical orbit around the earth, then its closest distance to us is 225,622 miles at perigee, and its furthest distance from us is 252,088 miles at apogee. So, sometimes the moon appears a little bit larger than normal, and sometimes it appears a little bit smaller than normal.

Lunar perigee and apogee size comparison

Now, if the moon is at perigee at the new moon phase, when it's between the sun and the earth, then, during a solar eclipse, the moon will appear large enough to completely cover the sun, and then, you will see a total solar eclipse. But, if the moon is at apogee at the new moon phase, then, during a solar eclipse, the moon will appear too small to completely cover the sun. All you will see is an annular eclipse with a bright ring of the sun around the edges of the moon.

Top: a total solar eclipse of the sun - Bottom: an annular eclipse of the sun

During a total lunar eclipse, the earths shadow completely covers the moon, and everybody living on the side of the earth that happens to be facing toward the moon will get to see it. But, during a total solar eclipse, when the moon passes in front of the sun, because the moon is much smaller than the earth, about 1/4 the size of the earth, the moon casts a much smaller shadow on the earth's surface. During a total solar eclipse, when the moon is at its closest distance, with the moon appearing large enough to completely cover the sun, then the dark umbra of the moons shadow can reach the earth's surface. The dark umbra is usually about 150 miles across while the lighter grey penumbra may be up to 300 miles across.

To see a total solar eclipse, you have to be lucky enough to live along the path of the dark umbra as it moves across the surface of the earth. If only the penumbra passes over where you live, then, you will only see a partial eclipse of the sun. But, because the dark umbra of moon's shadow on the earth is much smaller, not everybody will be lucky enough to see the total solar eclipse, and most people living on the side of the earth facing the sun won't even see the partial eclipse, because the path of the moon's shadow won't be passing over the area where they are located. Only those living in the path of the moon's shadow will see either a total eclipse, or a partial eclipse of the sun.

Now then, during a solar eclipse, if the moon is at its furthest distance from the sun, then the dark umbra of the moon's shadow will not touch down on the earth's surface. Only the lighter grey penumbra will reach the earth's surface. The moon will appear too small to cover the sun, and you will only get to see an annular eclipse with the sun appearing as a bright ring around the edges of the moon. The word annular comes from the Latin word annulus, meaning, ring.


 
Back in May 20,2012, I got a chance to see my first annular eclipse here in El Paso, Texas. So far, I have not been lucky enough to live in the path of a total solar eclipse. But I know there will be one here in the state of Texas, sometime in the year 2022. But, I won't be able to see it from where I live here in El Paso, Texas. I will have to be somewhere in the Dallas/Fort worth area in order to observe it. Since I don't have my own transportation, I will have to go by train. The Amtrak trains go through El Paso. So, I will have to save up some money for a train ticket to get there. 

And now, I think it's time for a little bit of music. I'm sure you 
will all love this most inspirational song.

 Total Eclipse of The Heart

OK, I'm getting a little bit off topic here.

Anyway . . . . .

I remember, sometime back in 1994, while I was still living in Las Cruces, New Mexico, I use to sing at the Karaoke. One evening, there was this really beautiful, rather large woman who got up to sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart". She was a little taller than I am, and she looked like she weighed a good 350 pounds. She was wearing a long blue full-length dress, and she had beautiful long shoulder-length blond hair. What can I say? She was a really big and beautiful lady, with a voice like an opera singer. She was fantastic! Her voice was so beautiful, and so majestic, I actually broke down and cried. After she was done singing, I went to her table, and I  bought us both a couple of drinks, some red wine, and we sat and talked for about an hour. She was with a couple of lady friends, and she was just passing through town. So, I never got a chance to see her again. We were like two ships passing in the night. 

OK, in the meantime . . . back on topic again . . . 

As I have mentioned previously in this topic, during a total solar eclipse, the dark umbra of the moon's shadow touches down on the earth's surface. The dark umbra is about 150 miles across while the lighter grey penumbra is about 300 miles across.

The dark umbra and grey penumbra touching down on the earth during a total eclipse of the sun

And also, if you're lucky enough to be living in the path of the dark umbra as it passes along on the earth's surface, then you will get to see a total eclipse of the sun. But, while a total lunar eclipse may last up to 3 1/2 hours, with the total phase being over an hour long, a total solar eclipse of the sun will only last about a couple of hours with the total phase up to a maximum of only 7 1/2 minutes. Yeah, about 7 1/2 minutes is the longest possible time for the total total phase of an eclipse of the sun. 

Of course, if you can get on board a jet plane flying fast enough, then you can chase the moon's shadow, and stay within the shadow, thus, extending the length of time in which to view the total solar eclipse. Professional astronomers often set up a telescope and camera on board a high altitude jet to chase the moon's shadow.

A jet plane flying at a high speed and high altitude
 can chase the moon's shadow during a total eclipse

Yeah! I can imagine how cool that would be, as an astronomer, to be a professional shadow chaser! Instead of seeing a total eclipse for a maximum of 7 1/2 minutes, you would get to see the total eclipse for quite few long hours! Now, that is really cool!

OK, time for another music break!

Moon Shadow

 Cat Stevens

Yeah! I also love being followed by a noon shadow. I wish I could chase the moon's shadow.

Now . . . back on topic again . . . . .

Now, wouldn't it be really nice if a total solar eclipse, or even an annular eclipse of the sun were to occur every month during every new moon? And also, wouldn't it be really nice if a total lunar eclipse of the moon were to occur every month during every full moon? Yes, that would be really nice. But alas, it's not to be! 

OK, the reason why eclipses do not occur every month during a full moon or new moon is because, the moon's orbit around the earth is inclined (tilted) about 5 degrees to the plane of ecliptic, the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. So, most of the time during a full moon, the moon passes either above or below the earth's shadow so that the earth won't cast a shadow on the moon, and most of the time during the new moon, the moon passes either above or below the sun, as seen from earth, so that the moon won't cast a shadow on the earth.

The moon's orbit is inclined (tilted) about 5 degrees 
to the plane of ecliptic, the plane of the earth's orbit

Again . . . . the plane of the moon's orbit around the earth is inclined about 5 degrees to the Plane of Ecliptic, the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. When the moon's orbit crosses the Plane of Ecliptic, those are called the nodes of the moon's orbit, the Ascending Node, and Descending Node.

The lunar nodes are the orbital nodes of the moon, that is, the points where the orbit of the moon crosses the plane of ecliptic. The Ascending Node is where the moon crosses to the north of the plane of ecliptic. The Descending Node is where the moon crosses to the south of the plane of ecliptic.

Eclipses occur only near the lunar nodes: Solar eclipses occur when the passage of the moon through a node coincides with the new moon; Lunar eclipses occur when passage of the moon through a node coincides with the full moon. A lunar eclipse may occur if there is a full moon within 11° 38' (Celestial Longitude), of a node, and a solar eclipse may occur if there is a new moon within 17° 25' of a node. So, the moon dose not have to be passing directly through an ascending or descending node, but at least, close enough to either an ascending or descending node.

The plane of the lunar orbit precesses in space, and hence, the lunar nodes precess around the ecliptic, completing a revolution (called a Draconic or Nodal Period, or the period of nutation) in 6798.3835 days or 18.612958 years.

So, an eclipse, either solar or lunar, only occurs when the ascending or descending nodes are lined up directly with the earth and sun, and when the moon happens to be passing through those nodes, or near enough to a node at the time of alignment. Only then, do eclipses occur. 

Anyway . . . . . when the full moon does pass through the earth's shadow, we will see an lunar eclipse, and when the new moon passes directly in front of the sun, it will cast a round shadow, about 150 miles across,  on the earth's surface, and anybody fortunate enough to live in the path of the shadow, will be lucky enough to see a solar eclipse. Of course, to see a solar eclipse, you have to find out when the next one will be, and where the path of the shadow will be, and travel to that particular location. This is why most people will probably never get to see a total solar eclipse in their lives, since not everybody is able to travel great distances around the world to where the moons shadow will be touching down on the earth. But, lunar eclipses are far more easily seen, because everyone who happens to live on the side of the earth facing the moon will get to see it.

So, lunar eclipses are much easier to see than solar eclipses. I have seen many lunar eclipses over the years. But I have not yet seen a total solar eclipse in my life. I have seen a lot of partial eclipses of the sun, and back in May 20,2012, I saw my very first annular eclipse where the moon did pass directly in front of the sun. But, because the moon was at its furthest distance form the earth, the moon appeared to be too small to completely cover the sun. So, a bright ring of the sun showed up around the edges of the moon as it passed in front of the sun.

   

The moon's orbit around the earth is elliptical and not circular. So, as I had mentioned before, sometimes the moon is closer and appears a little bit larger, and sometimes the moon is further away and appears a little bit smaller. The moon's average distance from the earth is 238,900 miles. Its closest distance from us is 225,622 miles at the perigee and it's farthest distance from us is 252,088 miles at apogee.

So, when the moon is at perigee, its closest distance from us, then, when the moon passes directly in front of the sun, it will appear large enough to completely cover the sun, and we have a total eclipse. But if the moon is at apogee, its furthest distance from us, then the moon will appear too small to completely cover the sun, then we would only have an annular eclipse, which is what I had seen back in 2012.

I hope someday to see a total eclipse of the sun. There will be a total eclipse in the state of Texas sometime in 2022, but I will not be able to see it from El Paso where I live. The moon's shadow will be passing through the Dallas/Fort Worth area. 

So, I will have to travel there to see it. I think I will go by train. The Amtrak passes through El Paso. It's been many years since I have ever been on a train. And so, I'm really looking forward to that. Yeah! I love trains. I really love dem dar choo choos!

In the year 2022, I will hope to be taking the Amtrak to 
the Dallas/Fort Worth area to see the total solar eclipse

And so, because one has to travel far and wide to see a total eclipse of the sun, most people will see far more lunar eclipses than solar eclipses during their lives. You have to be at the right place at the right time to be in the path of the moon's shadow to see a solar eclipse, especially a total eclipse of the sun. And so, most people will usually see a lot more lunar eclipses than solar eclipses. I forget exactly how many total lunar eclipses I have seen. But I hope to see my very first total eclipse of the sun in 2022, so, I will have to take the Amtrak train to Dallas/Fort Worth where it will be seen.

Anyway . . . . .

I had a great time on the night of April 15,2014 watching the lunar eclipse. First I had my supper, then after 12:00 AM Midnight I sat outside watching the lunar eclipse from 12:00 AM to 3:35 AM. It got kind of cold that night, the temperature being down to around 44 degrees.

While I was out there on the patio, a couple of my neighbors stood on their porch watching the lunar eclipse, two young ladies in the 30s, one was kind of chubby and the other was thin. Well, it got kind of cold, so the thin gal went inside, and so, it was just me and the chubby gal sitting out there to watch the eclipse. Yeah! We fat people are better at doing Astronomy than thin people during the long cold nights!

Then she went in for a few minutes, and brought out a tall plastic cup of oatmeal with Cinnamon for me to take inside after the eclipse would be over. I smoked a couple if big cigars, those really good great big handmade 7 1/2 inch cigars imported from the Dominican Republic. After I had finished one of those big cigars, I went in and came out again with another big cigar. A typical lunar eclipse, from start to finish,  is about three and a half hours, or two cigars long. A solar eclipse is about one cigar long. But, the transit of Venus across the face of the sun, which I had observed back in June 5,2012 from 4:05 to 7:45 PM, that was about three cigars long. Yeah, I like to time astronomical events with cigars. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em, baby!!!

Yes . . . it was a beautiful night, sitting out there watching the total lunar eclipse and smoking a cigar. Since my neighborhood is next to a railroad yard, I could hear the train horns out in the distance. There is just something about train horns in the night that I really love. 

The eclipse was over at approximately 3:35 AM here in El Paso where I live. When it was over, I came in, my hands were cold because it got down to 44 degrees. I warmed up the oatmeal in my microwave oven, and also had a cup of hot chocolate before going to bed. Yeah! It was a beautiful night. An awesome night! 

Anyway . . . . . . .

The next day, in the afternoon I went out to the VALERO corner store again, and bought a couple of big long chili dogs with hot cheese sauce and a cold drink. I asked people there if they had seen the lunar eclipse that night, and some of them had seen it and some of them had not.

Then, this one guy, in his 30s said that he had missed it, and then . . . . . he asked me if . . . . .

OK! STUPIDITY ALERT!!! STUPIDITY ALERT!!! STUPIDITY ALERT!!!

 . . . . . he asked me if . . . . .

DO YOU REALLY WANT ME TO GO THERE?

 . . . . . he asked me if . . . . .

ARE YOU ALL SURE YOU WANT ME TO SAY THIS?

OK! I'LL DO IT!!! GOD DAMN IT!!!

. . . . . he asked me if . . . .. if . . . if . . . if . . . if . . . if . . .

. . . . . if they were gonna to be showin' it again the next night!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! 

There . . . I said it!

I can't believe, just how STUUUUUUUUUUUUUPID some people can really be!

Like . . . DUH!!! . . .  Are they gonna be showin' it again the next night? Yeah! Uh huh! 

Then, another person asked me if I knew when the next lunar eclipse will be . . . scheduled. 

Uh . . . . . SCHEDULED??? 

Did he say . . . SCHEDULED???

Astronomical occurrences, such as eclipses are NOT scheduled events. Astronomers can predict when future eclipses will occur, So, these things can be predicted, but they can not be scheduled!!! We have no control over when these things will occur. Astronomers can only predict them.

So . . . . . I would have to say, to that moron . . . sorry Jimbo Bubbah Booey . . . but if you missed last night's eclipse, you'll just have to look up when the next one will happen, and you'll probably have to wait several months for the next eclipse. 

Yeah! sorry . . . but there are no repeat performances! Got it? 

Anyway . . . . .

I got to talk to several people who had seen the lunar eclipse, and of course, just about everyone of those who saw it, had thoroughly enjoyed it. But one middle-aged lady thought that the eclipse was kind of scary. Yeah! It actually scared her! To me, eclipses are NOT scary! Eclipses are beautiful and awe inspiring! 

I remember seeing my very first lunar eclipse when I was 9 about years old. This was back in the early 1960s, when I had heard about the lunar eclipse that would be seen that night on the NEWS with Walter Cronkite. There was never any talk about gloom and doom.

But now, here in the 21st century, I find myself having to debunk right-wing Republican Christian Creationist STUPIDITY! OH! THE STUPID! IT BURNS!!!

Also, excellent  protection when watching any right-wing 
Republicans on TV, or when you encounter stupid people!

So, I'm going to have to get me some protective eye-goggles when I go out, so that I won't get STUPID in my eyes! Hell, I'm going to have to get an oxygen mask to wear over my mouth and nose so I won't have to  breath the toxic fumes of retardation when ever I have to go out.

But, in the meantime . . . . .

I have covered as much of the science as I could in a single article on solar and lunar eclipses, and in the future, I will be doing more science articles. 

It takes time to do the research, and get all the facts together.

And also . . . in some more future articles I shall be debunking even more of these right-wing Republican and Christard Funny-mentalist idiots with their moronic retardation in my upcoming series of articles which will be titled  Debunction Junction.

Welcome to Debunction Junstion. All aboard the Midnight Science Express!

Yes, I will be adding a series of articles titled "Debunction Junction" in which I will be debunking the Bible, Creationism, Noah's ark, the Genesis flood, etc. etc. and I will also be debunking the Republican party and right-wing politics in general. Of course, I have had to debunk some stupidity, even in this article, concerning stupid comments I have heard about this tetrad of four total lunar eclipses, the four Blood Noons.

Anyway . . . I hope that you will all climb aboard the Midnight Science Express as we pull out of Debunction Junction and begin one of our many journeys as we will be traveling through the dangerous realm of stupidity and exploring the Land of the Tards. Passengers will be well advised to stay on board the train because the tards out there can be quit hostile and very dangerous.

In my upcoming series of  Debunction Junction, our first stop-over will be at the Creation Museum in Kentucky where science communicator Bill Nye had debated Ken Ham at Ham’s  very own Creation Museum. In an exit poll, about 92% percent said that Bill Nye, The Science Guy, had won the debate, while only about 8% percent thought that Ken Ham, the Christian Fundamentalist Creationist retard had won the debate. This exit poll had been conducted by the Christian evangelical website at Christian Today, which said that Bill Nye, The Science Guy had won! 

Yes! A Christian organization had to be honest, and had to admit that Bill Nye won the debate with Ken Ham. So, it looks like Ken Ham got his bitch-ass served up to him on a silver platter, on his very own home turf!  Yeah! Now that was sweet! Real sweet!

And also . . . during our first stop-over,  we will also get to examine the Biblical  story in the book of Genesis, concerning the fabled Noah's Ark, THE FAIL BOAT!!!

And so, we now come to the conclusion of this article. 

Now, time for another song. OK?

Bad Moon Rising

Creedence Clearwater Revival

 

 

Well . . .  I hope you all enjoyed the music in this article. While I do like the song, Bad Moon Rising, and I think it's really cool, and all that . . . I never thought of a total lunar eclipse as a bad moon, or any moon as a bad moon. I think all moons are beautiful, especially a blood red total lunar eclipse. 

Yeah! That night it was a really good moon.

And finally, a few more songs. Actually, two songs in the next video.

The first song is about lunacy, since this topic has been about the moon, and about all the religious lunacy concerning this recent total lunar eclipse, and . . . . . the second song having to do with an eclipse.

 Brain Damage/Eclipse

Pink Floyd

And yes, everything under the sun is in tune

But the sun is eclipsed by the moon 

And finally, one last song.

 Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata

   


And so . . . this was the very last song, The Moonlight Sonata. Most appropriate for ending 
a topic about total lunar eclipses, and Astronomy in general.

Oh! While listening to this last video, turn up the volume to the max, wait for the police, and offer 
them a beer, and a cigar!!!

Anyway . . . . . . .

We are now at the end. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this article and listening to the music. 

And speaking of moons . . . . .

We are too big for our britches! 
We go about mooning the world!

~ ~ ~ THE END ~  ~ ~

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