Total Lunar Eclipse

Last night a total lunar eclipse took place. It was the first of two such eclipses in 2011. The second will occur on December 10, 2011 - this was a relatively rare central lunar eclipse, in which the center point of Earth's shadow passes across the Moon. The last time a lunar eclipse was closer to the center of the earth's shadow was on July 16, 2000. The next central total lunar eclipse will be on July 27, 2018. A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the earth so that the earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the moon. A lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a certain relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of the Earth. A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours, whereas a total solar eclipse lasts for only a few minutes at any given place. As a dog I find myself getting a bit strange around the full moon, I get a little crazy, as crazy as a little puggy can be that is, I like to spend time in the garden looking up in to the night sky!! Historically there has been a common belief that a full moon can have an effect on people and animals causing them to act bizarrely. The word ‘lunatic’ stems from “luna” for Moon, and comes from a folklore link that the moon can make a person mad or insane. Grrrrrrrrrrr……!