Of the many eclipses of the Moon that I have enjoyed, none can approach, or will likely ever come within reach of the unbelievable blackness of the eclipse of December 30, 1963. That eclipse had the Moon pushing its way through an atmosphere clouded with dust from a recent volcanic eruption. Constantine Papacosmas, an experienced observer who saw it with friends, barely saw the Moon at all, and then only faintly through binoculars. He estimated that the eclipsed Moon was no brighter than a fifth-magnitude star. From where I was, finding the Moon in a city sky was almost impossible. I recall enjoying the clear, bitterly cold night, then rushing indoors to sit atop an electric heater.