The Bully Pulpit

I pushed and prodded all three of my kids out onto the back porch last night so we could catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse. It was pretty spectacular.

According to some online resources, it will be two years before the next one hits the night-time skies. Last year, there were two, but the next isn't predicted until Dec. 20, 2010.

For those of you who don't know, a total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving what seems to be an almost blood-stained satellite.

My nine-year-old was especially riveted by the display. He's at the age where things like this hold the kind of wonder that most of us lose as adults. It would be a worthwhile mission in life to retain even a tenth of that imaginative power. He makes it fun to corral all the kids onto the porch for these kinds of things.

Update:

Shaky video filmed by Jen Morey, of the Times-Standard: