... Lingering Lunar Eclipse . ... As the Moon passed almost directly through the center of Earth's shadow on July 16th, sky gazers in the Pacific hemisphere were graced by a lingering lunar eclipse. ... To the best the human eye can see, stars are so far away they appear the same as would infinitesimal points of light. ... At only 23 million light years distant and fully 65 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky. ...