Total lunar eclipse over the Jeddah sky (is that white dot the red planet Mars?). Photo by SSJ, 27 July 2018
Total lunar eclipse over the Jeddah sky (is that white dot really the red planet Mars!?). Photo by SSJ, 27 July 2018
a blood moon risen,
is it blemished with my sins,
wounded with my pains?
© said sadain, jr. 2018
Notes:
In case you’d wonder whether I somehow managed to commandeer a Tesla Roadster and managed to drive up beyond the stratosphere into the heavenly lights to take the above shots of yesterday’s total lunar eclipse (the longest this century, they say), I’m sorry to disappoint you: those seemingly unearthly beams of light actually came from the street lamps of Jeddah at past 10:00 pm.
Dear Wife and myself were out driving on the streets around our relatively ‘deserted’ neighborhood — deserted that is, relative to the busier parts of Jeddah at this time of the night — not wishing to get entangled in the night traffic of the Jeddah Corniche by the Red Sea, where we imagined the sight of the red moon (and tiny red Mars) would be more bloody spectacular.
And so we had to content ourselves with occasional shots of the ongoing lunar eclipse using a lousy phone camera that, I can assure you, did not do justice to the beautiful sight that unfolded in our part of the sky for over two hours.
Anyway, a night out with the honey to the moon and back, going in and out of a nearby mall to catch a late-night dinner, is gratifying enough. We hope you enjoy the rest of the night’s photos below 🙂
—- SSJ, 28 July 2018
“If light is in your streets, you will find your way home” 🙂 — with apologies to the Sufi poet, Rumi who lovingly penned “If light is in your heart, you will find your way home.” Photo by SSJ, 27 July 2018.
Probably my clearest and sharpest photo of the blood moon. And honestly, it looked bigger with the naked eye! Thiiiiss BIG !!! 🙂 Photo by SSJ, 27 July 2018.
The blood moon over a damas tree. Of course, I could never miss the chance to take this one, considering how ubiquitous the damas trees are along the roadsides of Jeddah. Photo by SSJ, 27 July 2018.
And here’s a Blue Moon at 11:00 pm of the same night, all lit up, rumbling and bustling with the happy shrieks of children, feeling over the moon with their fun rides (inside the Serafi Mall). Photo by SSJ, 27 July 2018
The lunar eclipse is almost over, this time above tall shrubs that have tiny but very fragrant flowers (the plant’s name escapes me for now, but the flowers’ sweet fragrance reminds me of the dama de noche of the Philippines). Photo by SSJ, 28 July 2018
Here’s a better-lighted view of the jasmine-like shrub with the sweet-scented flowers, the moon (and is that puny white dot Mars?!) in the far distance, almost fully out of earth’s umbra for the night. Photo by SSJ, 28 July 2018
[I’m sorry if you sense my exasperation with that tiny white dot in the sky. If that is Mars, it certainly is not living up to its name as THE Red Planet of the Solar System whose caverns and subterranean floors Elon Musk is thinking of colonizing as a favor to humankind. Boy, is the Elon going to be mad again?! 🙂 — SSJ, 28 July 2018 ]
Such wonderful photos and so clear!
Thank you, Sue 😊 The photos of the moon could have been better with a good zoom on the camera. 🌚
Nonetheless, they are good ones!
Coming from a weather watcher who takes picturesque shots of the weather, your comment is most welcome! Thanks again!😊
Very much enjoyed, Said. Sometimes the earth is unearthly, gorgeous. I don’t know about Mars, snow probably. Ha ha.
Thanks for the comment, Steve. Snow would certainly be a welcome site for the many suffering the extra hot weather these days, especially here in the Middle East… are there snows in your part of Australia now? I would very much prefer Mars to look green rather than red or white. Are you aware that scientists from NASA are teaming up with earthlings from the International Potato Center (yes, there is such a center, and seriously there is such a research and great effort) to search for hardy potato varieties that can grow under the Martian atmospheric conditions?! 😀
Here it is way too warm for winter and it’s been very very dry. No I wasn’t aware. I know another planet that might be worth putting a bit of work into, if it’s not too late. 😜
I lost all hope of having a decent photo whenI saw it. I forgot it would appear that day and all I had was a phone camera in the streets. My shot was way too far from reality. 😂
It was a marvelous sight nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the night as well 🙂 Thank you for dropping by with this comment, Gilian. And good to see another Jeddah blogger here 🙂
This was loovely to read