Partial lunar eclipse 26 June 2010

Or should read, "The drenched partial lunar eclipse 26 June 2010"!

The spirits were high, the planning meticulous, the research exhaustive, the locations scouted and committed to memory. All I had to do was take a half decent photograph of the partial lunar eclipse and I should be well pleased.

Why all of Melbourne (where I reside) was not excited by this infrequent astronomical event puzzles me - I was EXCITED I tell you - but then again no 'normal' person would devote an entire Saturday evening to watch the Earth's shadow partially obscure the Moon. Fancy not going out to the movies, or a romantic candlelit dinner with that special beau', or perhaps even down to the Pub and knock over a whiskey or five surrounded by good company and engaging conversation. Maybe a good idea was to stay indoors and play a game of chess with the cat. No, for me it was a wintry night in the 'wilds' of the suburbs gazing eastwards and upwards.

To prepare for this great though partial lunar bedlam I kitted up as follows:

1 Thermos of Coffee (really hot).
1 Thermos of Hot Pumpkin Soup (my own homemade recipe quite tasteless to others).
Plenty of Belgium White Chocolate bars (only the best will do).
3 warm jackets.
1 Plod hat (called so as it looks absurd but does the job).
1 torch so I don't get lost - I do, often.
1 GPS - ditto.
1 Map - ditto.
1 All Day Zone 1 Metcard (public transport ticket).
Warm trousers with plenty of pockets (can never have enough pockets).
A pair of favourite hike boots (these have climbed Mount Cottrell all of 200 metres high).
1 Book to read about Eclipses - I love reading of scientific data even though it makes no sense to me, most of the time.
Print out of eclipse viewing times and bits n' bobs about the event.
1 camera & tripod and two sets of spare batteries (I have learnt).
Umbrella (it might turn sunny).
1 mobile telephone to ring long suffering comrades to tell them how excited I'd be and offering a 'plodding' commentary of the eclipse - not that anyone cares unless they have been 'counselled' previous.

Beforehand it was off to Yarraville Village for my regular Saturday treat of Salmon n' Chips wolfed down with a tartly 'blow off my head' strong coffee from the best Fish n' Chip takeaway in Australia, 'By the Sea'. And, I could not resist popping into the Sun Bookshop to deplete my already depleted Bank balance further - this time I purchased a book of the Poetical Works of CJ Dennis (whom I rate as one of the greatest of the vernacular Australian Poets) and whose lingo utterly confuses most people these days.

Duly fed and booked up, it was onto the suburban train alighting at a place called Seaholme (a bayside suburb not far from my regular haunt of Altona). It was around 5:00pm and the Moon was due to rise in a few minutes. I scurried as best a Plod can do without becoming entangled and found my planned viewing location with the 'RESERVED' sign I had placed two days ago (in jest) still there. Fiddling about like an old Chook, I eventually, despite my best efforts to the contrary, had the camera set up, lined up and ready to snap away. The weather looked in dispute though. Old Man winter was lurking and ready to smite but I remained 'optimistic' if not deluded. I nabbed a few desultory shots of the Full Moon (it's not as easy as I'd imagined to photograph with the humble Canon G10 and I wished I had a dedicated DSLR, but we use what we have). Then the menace drip moved in from the west. Low clouds came as if spurred by an energetic Nimbus who quickly dispatched the Moon before the eclipse was scheduled to occur at around 7:00pm. No matter, it will pass I foolishly presumed. Nimbus means rain and that's what I got in buckets over the next 6 hours (plus a dumping of hailstones) with intermittent pauses, probably out of pity. I very quickly, with wails of sighs, moved to plan B, and that was to take 'refuge' in an undercover BBQ area in a park on the foreshore. I waited and waited and waited and froze and froze and quickly diminished my 'supplies' of fortitude - readers please note excessive use of the conjunction 'and' - do not do this at home. Tantalising is the utterance I'd use to describe my poverty stricken sightings of the eclipse. A minute here and minute an hour later, then a half minute but mostly rain. Most of the time I failed to obtain a photo and those I did were, shall we say, 'need work'. But I did persist! Oddly, I did not see another eclipse fanatic - what are they, wimps or do they have commonsense I cried! I was there in the bleaks, stranded by own stubbornness, to 'see it through' to the drenched end which mercifully came along near 11:00pm. Fortunately, I had kept dry, mostly. But even with the extra layers of clothing I felt the chill of a mediocre June evening. Winter! Someday someone will explain to me, why winter, aside from those tragic types called Scientists?

However, the night was made enjoyable by a visit from the local Constabulary, who must have seen me 'hunched' under the tepid street lights steam rising from the pumpkin soup and wondered, "Now that lad looks suspicious, we'd better go check 'im out". Once I explained what I was doing they seemed rather amused, with the older of the two remarking in a light hearted and possibly puzzled manner, "We'll leave you in peace you stupid old bastard out on a night like this". Giggle, giggle laugh laugh - ah, my taxes at work. Now, I don't mind being called a bastard, but I took great exception at the 'old' and I was shattered. Though I confess, I did seek solace in a Belgium White Chocolate bar.

There was a great disappointment too. I was so looking forward to meeting up with those erstwhile members of the 'Australasian Flat Earth Society' for an exchange of views. There are many members, I understand, of their Australian Charter in Queensland but I suspect they got lost using their Mercator Projection Maps, literally trying to get from Queensland to Seaholme by a straight line as you would presume navigating over a flat Earth. But no matter, I am sure I will read their partial lunar eclipse adventure in their June Newsletter article, 'The Earth is flat now get over it - the Moon, pretend it's flat - complications are bumpkin', sometime in the near future.

Yet, those glimpses I did see of this marvel of the Cosmos, amazed me and elicited hoops of delight. To think that by an alignment of Earth, Sun and Moon, we can see such sights. Readers may be pleased to know that I was warmed up again by 2:00am, the following morning, after earnest inductions of heat infusion devices liberally attached to my torso and other anatomical misfortunes.