Eclipse, photo by Harold Davis.

The lunar eclipse last night was something to truly get excited about, but rain and cloud cover have been blanketing the Bay area recently. I tried to consider what vantage point I could get to where the skies would be clear, but nowhere within 500 miles seemed likely.

We set up our Christmas tree yesterday, and the kids were relatively peacable—or at least, they passed out early from utter exhaustion. Before going to bed, the view from the rooftop outside our bedroom window showed the moon sailing in and out of heavy but ragged cloud cover, and I shot the moon (image below). I was hopeful of getting something during the eclipse, and kept my camera ready by my bedside.

When the alarm rang at midnight, to my disappointment the cloud cover seemed pretty complete. As the light dimmed, the world took on an eerie red cast. Then the moon appeared for a few seconds through a gap, and I was able to get a couple of shots—not technically perfect, but enough to give a sense of the awe and majesty of the scene (image above).

Related story: Lunar Eclipse.