Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joshua Valcarcel snapped a series of 15 eclipse
portraits March 3/4 from the deck of the USS Boxer, which is conducting Maritime
Security Operations in support of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. U.S. Navy/Joshua Valcarcel
I have a confession to make: I've lost track of how many lunar eclipses I've seen. Sure, a few stand out above the rest. The most memorable was the July 5/6, 1982, total eclipse that I saw from the Marietta College Observatory in Ohio. My picture got in the local paper that time, which my friend showed to a friend of his, which led to a barbecue the next weekend at "The Mutt's" house, at which I met my wife. (Lesson to remember: Never pass up an opportunity to view the night sky.)
Come to think of it, most of the dozens of other lunar eclipses I've seen pale in comparison to that one.
The total eclipse this past Saturday evening certainly won't make my Top Ten List. Here in Wisconsin, clouds blocked our view, as they seem to do more often than not. The fickle weather had cleared by midnight, however, so I did get to see the Full Moon. Not quite the same thing, but you have to take what the sky gives.
Lots of people in the United States saw totality, but many more missed it thanks to the vagaries of early March weather. Elsewhere in the world, however, the sky cooperated. The montage you see here was taken aboard the USS Boxer by Navy seaman Joshua Valcarcel, who's serving in the Persian Gulf. It's scenes like this that caused me to mark my calendar for our next shot at totality. I'll be on the prowl for clear skies this coming August 28.