It’s 4:00 am and something reminds me it’s time to get out of bed.  I stumble across the room and quietly close the door to our walk-in-wardrobe.  Once inside, I turn on the light and get dressed, then turn the light off before opening the door and tiptoeing out of the bedroom.

I gently pull the door behind me and grab my camera and step outside.  It’s cold, I didn’t grab my jumper, but I don’t have time to think about that.  Up in the sky, towards the West, is my dear old friend and this morning there is a partial penumbral eclipse.

As the eclipse reached maximum (4:20 am)

During this partial eclipse, the Moon was only slightly covered by the Earth’s umbral shadow as the eclipse reached its maximum.

How gorgeous is this?

I stood there gazing up at the Moon.  The world was still and quiet, there was no traffic and for a moment I thought it was just me and the Moon.  Then I heard a Willy Wagtail singing away ensuring his territory is clearly defined.

I didn’t mind sharing my moment with him.

Here’s one more photo of the Moon at 5:05 am.

the eclipse almost completed

For me, it’s always a buzz to get out of bed and gaze up at my dear old friend no matter what he’s doing.  Have a great day everyone 🙂

This partial penumbral eclipse is a prelude to the incredible spectacle that awaits North America in two weeks time – a total solar eclipse – and according to Space.com, both events are related and you can read more about that here.