My Soulful Encounter with the Total Lunar Eclipse
The moment I found out that a Total Lunar Eclipse would be fully visible from India, something inside me stirred—a mix of excitement, reverence, and childlike wonder. Without a second thought, I blocked my calendar. I knew this wasn’t just an astronomical event; it was going to be a celestial experience, and I wanted to embrace it fully.
In the days that followed, I carefully began preparing, not just logistically, but emotionally too. I scheduled trial runs, cleaned and calibrated my gear, checked optics, and packed every cable, lens, and backup battery with a precision that only true passion can fuel. From my 8" Dobsonian telescope to the 200-600mm lens, every piece of equipment had a purpose and a dream attached to it.
Each piece of equipment came with its own quirks, weight, and balancing act. From bubble levels to balancing clamps, from carefully wrapping delicate eyepieces to double-checking SD cards, this was no casual stargazing trip… it was a celestial mission.
At first, I thought of turning this into a community event. I imagined setting up the telescope for the kids and families in my apartment complex, letting them watch the shadow glide over the Moon in real time. I wanted to see their eyes light up with curiosity.
But then a quiet voice inside me whispered:
"Let this one be personal. Let it be sacred."
I realized I didn’t want this experience diluted with casual chatter or background noise. I wanted to sit beneath the sky and just be to observe the slow dance of light and shadow with a quiet heart, to witness the cosmos in silence, with every blink of the eye full of awe.
So, I decided to keep it close just a few kindred spirits, a few telescopic peeks, and some soulful conversations about this ancient phenomenon we call an eclipse. No filters, no spectacle… just the Moon, the Earth's shadow, and a mind orbiting in wonder.
At exactly 6:30 PM, I stepped onto the terrace of our apartment—13 floors above the city buzz—only to be greeted by a surreal view of the moon hanging low, golden and clear, awaiting its cosmic transformation.
I chose a perfect spot, away from the glare of city lights, with an uninterrupted view of the sky, a stage set for Earth’s silent celestial drama. I began assembling my gear with precision: the 8" Dobsonian, the 3" reflector, my binoculars, camera, tripod… each piece like a character preparing for its role in the unfolding performance.
All set to launch
By 7 PM, everything was ready. I came down briefly for dinner—yes, dinner, before 8 PM. Because no myth, no superstition was going to overshadow this scientific spectacle. Lunar eclipses are shadows, not omens.
By 8:40 PM, I was back under the night sky, 15x70 binoculars in hand. I'm someone who finds joy in experiencing rather than just recording. I didn’t want to chase every frame with a shutter. I wanted to witness the shadow move, to feel the passage of light, to lose myself in the moment.
So, while I did photograph key milestones of the eclipse, most of my attention stayed on the subtle fading of light, the creeping of Earth’s shadow, and the slow reveal of the red moon.
Around me, a small circle of neighbors and friends had gathered. My son who is just 9 years old stood proudly beside the 3” telescope, guiding people to the Moon through the eyepiece. The previous evening, during a trial run, he had adjusted the scope on his own and aimed it at the Moon perfectly. Watching him tonight, sharing what he knew with others, filled me with quiet joy and confidence in the next generation of curious minds.
As I explained the Rayleigh scattering, the geometry of shadow, and why no harmful radiation was involved in a lunar eclipse, I also gently unraveled the myths. This is Earth’s shadow, I said, not divine punishment. It’s light and science dancing together.
And then it happened.
The Moon, now fully engulfed in Earth’s umbra, turned a deep red. This wasn't magic. It was Rayleigh scattering — sunlight bending around Earth, filtering out blues and leaving behind warm hues to gently bathe the Moon in crimson twilight. Through the telescope, I could see the subtle gradients and even the craters being shadowed. It was surreal.
But I wondered, could atmospheric pollution change its color further? Indeed, in heavily polluted skies, eclipsed moons might look brown, orange, or even gray-green, depending on the aerosols present. The Moon becomes a cosmic canvas, painted by Earth's atmospheric brush.
Through my Dobsonian telescope with a 20mm eyepiece, the view was divine. The craters had shadows, the red glow had gradients, and time stood still. It was meditative. Watching with my naked eyes gave me an entirely different, emotional experience — the Moon felt ancient, vulnerable, and powerful, all at once.
Astro/Nature Photography are a form of Meditation to me!
As the Moon’s surface quietly embraced Earth’s shadow, it wasn’t just a celestial body turning red — our souls too were gently stirred, reminded of how infinitesimal we are in the ever-expanding universe. In that fleeting alignment of Earth, Sun, and Moon, we glimpsed something timeless — not just a shadow, but a cosmic mirror reflecting the vastness beyond and within.
This eclipse wasn't just about optics and orbits. It was a reminder of our insignificance and connection in the vast cosmic clockwork. Observing the Moon transform in real time — with my son beside me, telescope tuned, heart tuned — made this more than an event. It became a memory etched in shadow and starlight.
That night was more than an observation.
It was a reminder of how small we are, yet how capable we are of understanding vast things.
And in that shared silence, looking through glass and sky, we weren’t just observing the Moon… we were orbiting wonder itself.
Celestial events like this are gifts — not just to observe but to experience with all senses. They pull us out of the routine, into the universe's rhythm. And if we pause long enough, we realize we aren't just watching the universe.
We’re a part of it.
Total Lunar Eclipse Images I shot (@OrbitingMinds is my Space & Astronomy education page I recently started)