Eclipse

Last night, I watched the lunar eclipse. I was amazed at how red the moon turned. At one point when the sunlight was hitting only the outermost edges, the moon looked like a three-dimensional balloon just a couple 100 meters up in the air. I have a question for the more scientific-minded folks. At certain points, I saw what looked like sparks in the space just off the dark end of the moon. Were these stars that suddenly became visible due to a sudden dimming of the moon's luminescence? Or were these firecrackers lit by some stranded astronauts? (Or perhaps a mining operation in preparation for future drilling operations in Alaska?)