Lunar eclipse and other random thoughts
There was a lunar eclipse on Saturday night, March 3. I was at an OXFAM party when we noticed the eclipse around midnight. By near 1am the earth had almost completely shadowed the moon. The few of us who were left at the party grabbed a couple of mattresses, turned off the car stereo as there is no electricity without a generator in Caia and laid in the middle of the dirt road to be able to see the sky more fully. It was amazing and beautiful precisely because there were no lights for miles and miles. The stars were so clear and bright the darker the moon got. By 1:30 the moon was completely shadowed and we were all getting tired so I didn't end up watching the entire process but wow, what a joy!
So, what is a lunar eclipse?
The moon has no light of it's own but shines because of sunlight reflecting off it's surface (which i suppose is why people are so curious what the dark side of the moon looks like, the side that never gets any sunlight). During a lunar eclipse the earth blocks the sun's light from reaching the moon. Some of the light still gets through, but it goes through the earth's atmosphere so the moon doesn't go completely black, but has a deep reddish orange color. This makes it amazing not only to watch the color of the moon change, but also for the ability to see so many stars while the moon is dark!
The last total lunar eclipse i watched was while living in Togo around November of 2003...i think they happen more often than this though!
Just a side note..
There is an unlikely pair that live together here in Caia..a dog and a Vervet monkey. They are inseperable and adorable to watch. The monkey generally just clings to the dog's back and they sleep cuddled up together. The dog doesn't seem to mind at all! i'll try to post a picture of it as soon as I am in a place with a better internet connection..and i just learned the name for a group of monkeys. I'd been wondering about that for a while..are they a pack? a herd? a group?...anyway, they are called a troop!
from Caia, Mozambique..until next time,
~m
posted by melissa @ 12:53 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
hello! i love reading your blog! i'm waiting for medical clearance and hoping for an invite for Sept 07... hopefully for Mozambique! After I read about the monkey and dog pair, I stumbled across the article at work. There's also adorable video, but I've been unable to find a free address where non-NBC news channel subscribers can view it...
NBC NEWS CHANNEL SCRIPT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
STORY NUM: FO36R
SLUG: DOG ADOPTS BABY MONKEY
DATE: THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2007
L/ Caia, Mozambique :02
(--ANCHOR LEAD--)
BILLY AND KIKO ARE WELL-KNOWN TO EVERYONE IN A VILLAGE IN MOZAMBIQUE.
(-- VO --)
AFTER THE RAGING FLOODS THERE FIVE YEARS AGO A DOG CAME OUT THE BUSH WITH THE LITTLE MONKEY ON ITS BACK.
BOTH HAD SURVIVED THE FLOODING.
THE VILLAGERS NAMED THE DOG, BILLY, AND CALL THE MONKEY, KIKO.
BILLY AND KIKO HAVE BEEN INSEPARABLE SINCE THEN. THE MONKEY NEVER STRAYS VERY FAR FROM HIS CANINE PROTECTOR.
BILLY HAS FOUGHT OTHER DOGS TO PROTECT HIS LITTLE FRIEND.
NOW THE OTHER DOGS KEEP THEIR DISTANCE FROM THE PAIR.
BILLY AND KIKO HAVE LIVED WITH THE SAME FAMILY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, BUT STILL AVOID GETTING TOO CLOSE TO PEOPLE.
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