It is actually going to be clear tonight for the total lunar eclipse! That's the good news. The bad news is that it is going to be below zero F, plus an incredibly bad wind chill. So it will be largely an indoor event here in Amherstburg. We got clobbered yesterday by the first snowstorm of the season, with an easy 15 cm of fluffy snow on the property. The storm was followed by a huge drop in temperature, and we are in the deep freeze until Tuesday. The storm has passed us and moved on to create untold misery for many other big cities. The good part about getting the snow when we did is that it should help protect our water pipes from freezing, though I will keep a tap running lightly overnight as a precaution.
Total eclipse for us begins after midnight. Not sure how long I will last. I hope to at least make it to totality. The really fun part of a total lunar eclipse, at least for me, won't happen tonight. During a full moon, it is impossible to observe faint deep sky objects due to the overwhelming sky brightness. Tonight that is made even worse by new fallen snow. However, during the hour or so of total eclipse, those faint deep sky objects suddenly come popping out. However, it is much too cold to even contemplate setting up a telescope. And despite the fact that about 2.8 billion people will be out photographing the event, everyone I know in our astronomy club will be trying to do the same thing. Why? God knows, and She isn't telling. I can understand if you are watching from Florida, Arizona, or California. But why go out tonight and take a photo that will look exactly like every other photo? Try just enjoying the event, folks. You don't really need to immortalize it with your camera; it will still be cool to just watch it.
Things are moving ahead rapidly with my eye surgery, which is now set for next week (29th). I opted for the dropless surgery, meaning that I will be free of taking three kinds of eye drops for ten days. I dislike eye drops. By the time astronomy is doable again without an observer freezing to the ground, I should be ready to go. Dr. Emara is the same doctor that did my left eye in 2014, which went perfectly.
I originally planned to perform my recital before the surgery, thinking that the surgery would be in March or April. So I was a bit surprised when the office called me and said there was an opening on the 29th. I will not be able to shovel snow for a while, something that might prove to be troublesome. Today I shovelled a lot, and there is much more awaiting me tomorrow, and possibly the next day. I will likely have to cancel my teaching day if it snows that week.
As to my piano pieces, they are almost ready to go, lacking only the final two-week push that magically gets them up to snuff (it's called hours of extra practicing!). I will likely miss 4 or 5 days practice due to the surgery, so I will wait to set a date. However, late February looks promising.
Mapman Mike
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