Lunar eclipse coincides with winter solstice
Some heavenly holiday happenings are coming our way, so drop the shopping and take heed.
Not one, but two astronomical events will take place in one calendar day, Tuesday, Dec. 21. How cool is that?
Pretty cool, according to astronomy buffs. Although the juxtaposition of the two is, scientifically speaking, coincidental, there will be much to-do about these all-in-one-day events.
The winter solstice, celebrated the world over as the turning point in winter when the days begin to grow longer ever so slightly, will occur at 5:38 p.m. Tuesday.
Not to be one-upped by the sun, however, the moon will also get into the act this year. In the wee hours of winter solstice morn, the moon will do its disappearing act, known as a total lunar eclipse.
The two phenomena had very different meanings before scientific understanding of the events. The winter solstice was a time of celebration and hope, renewal and rebirth. In stark contrast, the total eclipse was a source of great fear and superstition.
Let's take a look at each to understand the historical, scientific and modern interpretations of the two events.
The lunar eclipse will occur first on Tuesday, just around midnight. During a lunar eclipse, the moon slips into the earth's shadow, or penumbra. To the ancients, the disappearance of a full moon was confounding, puzzling, worrisome and downright scary.
In many cultures, a total lunar eclipse was an “omen, (an) astrological portent, and … the outcome of diabolical magic,” wrote Richard Carrier in “Cultural History of the Lunar and Solar Eclipse in the Early Roman Empire.”
In our scientifically informed times, we now know that there is nothing diabolical, magical or portentous about a total eclipse. The phenomenon occurs frequently — and most of us modern folks think it's pretty awesome.
“An eclipse is an unforgettable sight,” said Jim Griffin of the Kane County Astronomical Society.
You can see for yourself, starting at 11:55 p.m. today. Bundle up, step out and look moonward at midnight. As you stand out there in the cold, stomping your feet to keep warm, take note of a shadow forming on the moon. See how it's curved? By golly, you've just discovered for yourself that the world is indeed round and not flat.
If you wait and watch a little longer, you'll see the moon slowly slide farther into the shadow and by 12:30 a.m. or so it will begin to enter the inner shadow, or umbra. It will be totally eclipsed by the earth's shadow by 1:41 a.m.
“It's a great spectacle,” said KCAS astronomer Jack Kramer.
Part of the spectacle is the color morph of the moon. Depending on the degree of pollution in the atmosphere, the lunar eclipse may appear grayish, or it can emanate an eerie red, bright orange or yellow. The deeper the moon is in the umbra, the more intense the color.
Should you want to observe a lunar eclipse from the moon instead of from the earth (an idea that would have really blown the minds of the ancients), you would see the earth ringed in bright red.
According to Mr. Eclipse, www.mreclipse.com, from your lunar post you would also be able to watch “all the sunrises and sunsets happening simultaneously around the world.” Now that would be a trip to remember.
As the lunar eclipse concludes at around 2:53 a.m., you can go in and get warm. Catch some sleep and get ready to celebrate the other astronomical event, the winter solstice.
The winter solstice, also known as Midwinter, has very different historical interpretations from the lunar eclipse. Rather than fear, it brought hope in ancient times. Rather than evil, dark origins, its origins were pure goodness and light.
As the days grew ever so slightly longer, people saw a glimmer of hope in the midst of the cold, dark and difficult winter. The winter solstice reassured people that light would conquer darkness. The spark of life was rekindled.
From the Romans' raucous “Saturnalia” to the Hopi's sacred “Soyal,” and from the Greeks' “Lenaea” and the Celtic Druids' “Alban Arthuan,” there were all-out celebrations to mark the turning point of winter.
What exactly is behind the astronomical event? Start with the earth cruising around the great star we know as the sun. Our planet is tilted on its axis as it makes its orbital voyage. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the earth begins to tilt away from the sun at the time of the summer solstice in June. The days grow a bit shorter each day, and shorter still come the autumnal equinox, until it reaches the winter solstice.
Continuing its tipsy orbit, the earth then starts to tip the other way again. The days then get a bit longer — by seconds at first — quickening the pace after the spring equinox in March. By the time of the next summer solstice it is as tilted as it can tilt toward the sun. In its dizzying travels, it begins to lean the other way again.
The significance of the winter solstice has waned with the ubiquity of programmable digital thermostats and automatic lights — after all, we've already conquered cold and darkness. And, as my teenage son has informed me, a lunar eclipse may be cool to watch on YouTube, but not out in the freezing cold on a dark winter night.
But for many, the skies still inspire awe and wonder. We marvel at the splendor of it all, despite the cold facts of science.
And we are compelled to watch and wonder, just as three men following a star across the desert did some 2,000 years ago.
• Valerie Blaine is a naturalist with the Kane County Forest Preserve District. E-mail her at blainevalerie@kaneforest.com.