Forgotten Beatitudes

For those of you who don’t know, the last full lunar eclipse visible in the U.S. until 2010 will be this Wednesday, February 20, 2008.  That’s right, it’s tomorrow night or wait until December two and a half years from now, so get to skypeepin’, peeps!

Those of you on the east coast will get to see this spectacular event starting at 8:36 pm EST, with the mid-point and happening at 10:26 pm EST.  The linked site above has a time converter if you can’t figure out what time the festivities start in your time zone, but if you have to use it, don’t tell me about it, because that shit’s weak sauce and I don’t want to lose any respect fer ya.
This promises to be a particularly spectacular eclipse as well, with the moon going from orange, to blood red and dark brown.  Plus, as has been recently reported in lunar eclipses, there might be turquoise light on the moon as well.  And, besides, what are you going to watch on T.V. Wednesday anyway, even if the strike is over?

Of course, nothing is completely perfect in this world.  In this case, the fly in the ointment concerns one little out-of-control spy satellite and the “preferred option” of George W. Bush.   Expensive failure Satellite USA 193, launched in 2006 and never right from the get-go, is scheduled to be reduced to atoms or at least a chunky smear across the nighttime sky on February 21st, 3:30 am, somewhere near Hawaii, all to the tune of $60 million.  It’s sort of unclear exactly what effect the lunar eclipse will have on this whole shebang.  It’s also sort of unclear exactly why this satellite is being shot down in the first place, but conspiracy theories abound, so it must be something nefarious!
Once again, the universe and man have gotten themselves in a pissing contest.  I am almost certain the eclipse will be the show to watch, though.  Almost.