The Moon and the Earth accept a actual appropriate accord in the Cosmos. The Moon is abutting abundant to us to tug our oceans into flat swells, and even to accomplish you (very slightly) lighter if it's overhead. You can even "touch" the Moon, electromagnetically, by aiming a flashlight at it and acute the button: about a additional afterwards you do, the photons you barrage physically acquaintance the clay and bedrock on the Moon's credible (and the way a flashlight axle spreads out, you don't even charge acceptable aim). And of advance the Moon is the alone abode in the Universe we've alone visited.One of the a lot of arresting and admirable examples of the Earth-Moon accord takes abode during a absolute lunar eclipse, if the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow, transforming in a brace of hours from the abrupt accuracy of the Abounding Moon to the aphotic ruby-hued admiration of "umbral occlusion"or totality.
Monday evening, December 20th, starting at about 9:30 PM, the Moon will activate to access the Earth's partial, or "penumbral," shadow. About 10:30, it begins to access the adumbration (full shadow), and by 11:40 will be absolutely engulfed: "totality." Accumulation will endure until 12:53 AM Tuesday morning, if the Moon begins to leave the umbra.