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Note #117: Super blue blood moon (2018.2.1)

As you might have guessed from the title, last night we saw a total lunar eclipse here in Seoul. Not only was the eclipse total, producing a dark red “blood moon,” it also happened to be a blue moon, which is an “extra” moon—specifically the third full moon of a season that has four full moons. (These are relatively rare, which is why we say “once in a blue moon.”) On top of all that, it was also a super moon, when the moon is at its closest to the earth and thus bigger in the sky. (Apologies to those who thought from the title that I was going to be showing you pictures of a really, really aristocratic moon.)

Even though the weather has warmed up the past few days, it was still pretty cold last night, and I didn’t feel like standing outside to watch the eclipse from start to finish (we would have been standing outside for over three hours). So, instead, we went out shortly after the full eclipse began, and I took this photo

I have to admit that, while this was neat, despite all the modifiers attached to this moon it was all pretty underwhelming. Now, the total solar eclipse last summer, that was something. I’ve heard people describe total solar eclipses as “life-changing,” but I wouldn’t go quite that far. But I would also be lying if I said I wasn’t running around like a lunatic and shouting at the sky while it was happening. It was awesome, in the literal sense of the word, and one of the most amazing natural phenomena I’ve ever seen.

The lunar eclipse, though, probably earns a place on my list of “Huh, that was neat” natural phenomena, although I honestly don’t think it would rank very high. Still, it’s worth mentioning, and I thought I’d at least share my photo, even if it isn’t the best. If you didn’t get a chance to see the eclipse and want a much better view of it, the Griffith Observatory in LA has you covered.

And while I’m here, I thought I’d mention something totally unrelated that also happened yesterday: After nearly a decade on the internet, The Awl has called it quits. I’m not sure exactly how to describe The Awl. It wasn’t a news site, necessarily, although it did sometimes comment on current events. I suppose it was, at its core, a repository of generally good and interesting writing; the recent “Anthology of Underrated Herbs,” for example, was quite enjoyable for a food geek like myself. There was something for everyone there, even if everything didn’t appeal to everybody.

I will be sad to see The Awl go. It was a place I could drop by every now and then to just browse through and read whatever might catch my fancy. The internet, like life, is all about change, and other sites have sprung up—and will continue to spring up—to fill the void, but I will miss that special blend of curiosity, humor, and the peculiar certainty that one inhabits the center of the universe found only in people who live in New York. That last can sometimes be a bit eye-roll inducing, but of all the cities in the world besides Seoul, New York is where I feel the most at home, so more often than not it made me smile.

Good night, Super Blue Blood Moon. Good night, The Awl.