Thanks to a long and glorious history of missing major astronomical events, I didn’t get my hopes up when I heard about last night’s “super blood wolf moon.”

But guess what? For once I met all the criteria of (1) being awake, (2) occupying the right hemisphere, and (3) having clear skies. And here’s the result, as seen from my own back yard:

Sorry the actual blood moon turned out a bit blurry; it was only 3℉ (-16 Celsius), so by the end my hands were useless red stumps. Plus, the full eclipse made the moon almost too dark to photograph. But I learned from the experience, and will be better prepared for the next one in 2022. Fingers crossed I’ll again be awake, in the right spot, and under clear skies!

PS: Although last night’s eclipse was beautiful, my favorite photo of the moon remains this single frame, which I shot from the kitchen window of a little apartment my husband and I rented in Venice. There’s something to be said for actively reducing light pollution and banning cars.

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^{Text and images © Heather Munro.}