lunar eclipse – Second Wind Leisure Perspectives

I’ve always been fascinated by cosmic events, the night sky and constellations, moonrises, comets, and meteor showers. Years ago I witnessed the Space EX launch that we saw in the skies over San Diego.

SpaceX Launched 10 satellites into space from Southern California

The Northern hemisphere reached meteorological summer this week and in light of the recent full lunar eclipse, our Sunday Stills photo challenge theme is “celestial.”

Definitions of Celestial

The Oxford Dictionary defines celestial as positioned in or relating to the sky, or outer space as observed in astronomy. Other synonyms to get you thinking include: supremely good, heavenly, holy, celestial being (aka angels), sky, otherworldly, unearthly, blissful, ethereal, spiritual, supernatural…

For Marsha’s Writer’s Quote Wednesdays, I submit this quote for this month’s writer’s choice…shall we say celestial?

“Every beauty which is seen here by persons of perception resembles more than anything else that celestial source from which we all are come.”
Michelangelo

Cosmic Events

Last year, we got a glimpse of comet Neowise on a dark night in the delta. It was just a vague smudge which was a remarkable sight. But as I looked again to show someone else, I saw the light of the international space station juxtaposed against it in its orbit. I almost fell over with delight!

Trust me when I say I will do what it takes to get my camera ready for an eclipse which is what you see in this image from Instagram. I took this shot at 4:15am, and it was already getting light outside. I saw better lunar eclipses posted, but I’m happy with it. Some of you already saw this on Instagram and Facebook.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Terri Webster Schrandt (@terri.websterschrandt)

Being Celestial All Week

While my daughter visited over the Memorial Day Weekend, I looked to the skies for inspiration. They did not disappoint.

A hot air balloon flies low over Spokane neighborhood…seen from my brother-in-law’s deck!

In downtown Spokane’s Riverfront Park, old meets new under the skyway as the iron sculpture of the Salmon Chief seeks a blessing for his catch. The Spokane River’s lower falls that run through the downtown area were a fishing spot for native Americans for thousands of years. This sculpture was created by Colville Reservation native Virgil Marchand.

In the same area, the remaining skeletal structure of the Pavilion, built for the 1974 World’s Fair, lends an otherworldly sight to downtown Spokane.

Wild sunflowers at home reach for the setting sun in their celestial quest.

Sharing these ArrowLeaf Balsamroots for Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Cosmic Songs of Galaxies

Celestial events are popular inspiration recorded in pop music. According to Spinditty, there are 134 songs relating to astronomy.

Recognize any of these? I was greatly influenced by the 60s-70s generation of music that spoke so eloquently of the cosmos. (By the way, due to copyright infringement concerns, I’ve only published snippets of the lyrics of each song).

“And all that is now and all that is gone
And all that’s to come and everything under the sun is in tune,
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.”
Pink Floyd

“When the moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets, And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius…
The Fifth Dimension

“Once upon a time there was light in my life, but now there’s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart.”
Bonnie Tyler

“This is Major Tom to Ground Control, I’m stepping through the door. And I’m floating in a most peculiar way, and the stars look very different today.
David Bowie

Celestial images captured by our lenses spark the imaginations of what really lies beyond.

When Celestial Becomes Infernal and Funereal

Despite recently installing satellite internet, I crafted part of my post this week without internet. High winds messed with our dish, then the 4G mobile network was intermittent due to excessive heat this week. I could have sworn we moved to Northeastern Washington but it feels like we are still in Sacramento if the weather is any indication. The very antithesis of the meaning of celestial.

As you read this today, we are traveling by car from Portland, Oregon, back to Spokane. My family traveled from far and wide to attend the celebration of life for my cousin’s husband, who passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago. Though the circumstances were solemn and sad, we know he rests in peace with our Heavenly Father. In our grief, we managed to enjoy seeing everyone in person since before Covid. Nice to be among my fellow vaccinated family.

“The Ancients often believed a celestial event like an eclipse to be a bad omen, that the sun or the moon vanishing from the sky was a harbinger of disaster, a sign of devastation or destruction to come.”
Jenna Wortham

Hmmm, food for thought. Nothing surprises me now that we have experienced a pandemic first hand.

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
Title your blog post a little differently than mine.
Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post. I also recommend adding your post’s URL into the comments.
Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
Use hashtag #SundayStills for sharing on social media.

Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below is the last week’s links from bloggers who shared their favorite vacation photos. And with that…

Blogger Links from May 23: Favorite Vacation Spot

Have a wonderful week and I look forward to reading your creative choices for CELESTIAL!

In our little corner of the galaxy here on Planet Earth, lucky folks on the North American continent got to see perhaps a once-in-a- lifetime experience, a total solar eclipse.

The eclipse painted sublime, crescent-shaped pools of light filtered through the trees onto a nearby windsurf sail in the above featured image.

I regret somewhat that I didn’t make the 9 hour drive north to the Portland/Salem Oregon area, but things in my corner of the world got in the way. Hopefully you are not too sick of eclipse photos, but I wanted to save it for this week’s photo challenge in which the theme is Corner. Hey, I made it work!

August was quite the cosmic show with the annual Perseid meteor shower, a total solar eclipse, and the full moon called “The Sturgeon Moon” as described by The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Did you know there was also a partial lunar eclipse on August 7th? It was viewed best from South Africa in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Cornered Moon — Play of light gives an autumn moon a twin!

I had to include the smokey sunset at the delta the evening before the eclipse.

Unsuspecting sun setting in a smokey haze on the eve of the eclipse.

Cosmic events inspire endless news stories as well as themes for songs in popular music. Bonnie Tyler was not the only one to sing about a total eclipse.

I’ll leave you with a few lines from Pink Floyd’s Eclipse. I’m linking this to Hugh’s 51 Songs-51 Weeks Challenge.

“All that is now and all that is gone, and all that’s to come; And everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.” Lyrics by Pink Floyd

Here is the song:

What do you think? Does this song bring back any memories? One meaning I take away from this song is the impact our small moon has over our planet, and in rare instances, can eclipse the mighty sun, even if for a few moments. Even the small, insignificant things in our lives can bring life-altering change.

I have always been fascinated with the cosmos and astronomy. Humans have only scratched the surface of what lies within our own solar system, much less the universe.

If you are still amazed at eclipse photos, consider checking these out the Best Shots of the 2017 Solar Eclipse.

Have an astronomically fabulous weekend!

Tag: lunar eclipse