Well FE'ers... how did this morning's Lunar eclipse take place?
In FE there are three celestial bodies which inhabit the skies. The Sun, the Moon, and its satellite the
Shadow Object.
The Shadow Object does not block out the stars because the Moon and its satellite are at an altitude
higher than the stars. We can infer this by studying the accounts of astronomers who claim to have seen stars pass through the moon as if it were transparent. Both fixed stars and planetoids have been seen to glide over a considerable part of the moon's substance, as proved by the following quotations:
"On the 15th of March, when the moon was seven and a half days old, I never saw her unillumined disc so beautifully. . . . On my first looking into the telescope a star of about the 7th magnitude was some minutes of a degree distant from the moon's dark limb. I saw that its occultation by the moon was inevitable. . . . The star, instead of disappearing the moment the moon's edge came in contact with it, apparently glided on the moon's dark face, as if it had been seen through a transparent moon; or, as if a star were between me and the moon. . . . [paragraph continues] I have seen a similar apparent projection several times. . . . The cause of this phenomenon is involved in impenetrable mystery."
"Occultation of Jupiter by the moon, on the 24th of May, by Thomas Gaunt, Esq. 'I send you the following account as seen by me at Stoke Newington. The observation was made with an achromatic of 3.3 inches aperture, 50 inches focus; the immersion with a power of 50, and the emersion with a power of 70. At the immersion I could not see the dark limb of the moon until the planet appeared to touch it, and then only to the extent of the diameter of the planet; but what I was most struck with was the appearance on the moon as it passed over the planet. It appeared as though the planet was a dark object, and glided on to the moon instead of behind it; and the appearance continued until the planet was hid, when I suddenly lost the dark limb of the moon altogether.'"
"Occultation of Jupiter by the moon, May 24, observed by T. W. Burr, Esq., at Highbury. The planet's first limb disappeared at 8h. 44m. 6.7s., the second limb disappeared at 8h. 45m. 4.9s. local sidereal time, on the moon's dark limb. The planet's first limb reappeared at 9h. 55m. 48s.; the second limb reappeared at 9h. 56m. 44.7s., at the bright limb. The planet was well seen, notwithstanding the strong sunlight (4h. 34m. Greenwich mean time), but of course without any belts. The moon's dark limb could not be detected until it touched the planet, when it was seen very sharply defined and black; and as it passed the disc of Jupiter in front appeared to brighten. So that the moon's limb was preceded by a bright band of light, doubtless an effect of contrast."
"Occultation of the Pleiades, December 8, observed at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich; communicated by the Astronomer Royal. Observed by Mr. Dunkin with the alt-azimuth, the disappearance of 27 Tauri was a most singular phenomenon; the star appeared to move a considerable time along the moon's limb, and disappeared behind a prominence at the first time noted (5h. 34m.); in a few seconds it re-appeared, and finally disappeared at the second time noted (5h. 35m.)."
"Observed by Mr. Criswich, with the north equatorial, 27 Tauri was not occulted at all, though it passed so close to some of the illuminated peaks of the dark limb as hardly to be distinguished from them."
In the "Philosophical Transactions" it is stated:--
"Three persons in Norwich, and one in London, saw a star on the evening of March 7th, in the dark part of the moon, which had not then attained the first quadrature; and from the representations which are given the star must have appeared very far advanced upon the disc. On the same evening there was an occultation of Aldebaran, which Dr. Maskelyne thought a singular coincidence, but which would now be acknowledged as the cause of the phenomenon."