On Aphka and a few other worlds, especially those with more than one moon, the lunar eclipse is compounded by one of the moons being on the opposite side of the planet. One side has a solar eclipse, the other side a lunar eclipse. The reduced sunlight caused by the Solar eclipse darkens the already dim lunar eclipse, creating a totally blacked out, or "black" moon. The remaining light getting around the planet illuminates space near the moon making it glow.

Aphkians at first ascribed some great spiritual meaning to this, but that passed with even rudimentary space flight. A Black Moon was thought to be an omen that the god trees had made a profound decision. But advances in druidic arts, leading to ecomancy, proved this was wrong. It was just another astronomical event.

Still striking and the only form of an eclipse a person can look at with the naked eye, in most cases, Aphkians do release their considerable emotional discipline for the few minutes of the Black moon, to howl. Aphkians do this ONLY on Aphka. The display can be more than a little disturbing to other species with pronounced fight or flight responses, however subdued.

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A very buff Aphkian female standing in the tall grass before a black moon.

Enjoy.