Moonrise on Independence Day, July 4th, 2020 in Seattle was 9:11 P.M. By that time the penumbral lunar eclipse was happening, causing a slight shadow to fall upon the full moon.
People asked me what I was waiting for when they saw my camera. One woman seemed to think my wait was pointless until– SHAZAM! The moon came out from behind the trees.
Glorious…
A passing boat had this patriotic light display on it.
Then the fireworks started to happen.
It was amazing to see the fireworks light up the water next to the shimmering trail of moonlight.
This picture reminded me of a face, specifically that of Gypsy in MST3K.
The moonlight stretched further and further across the water as if extending a path to onlookers.
As it darkened, Saturn emerged like a pinhole was poked in a dark canvas. I expected to see both Jupiter and Saturn, but only saw Saturn (I think…)
What a blessing to have this light show going on along with the fireworks.
There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.
-attributed to George Carlin
Sunday, January 20th, 2019 was a super moon (close to the earth), blood moon (lunar eclipse), and wolf moon, the first full moon of January. Here in the greater Seattle area we weren’t sure if we’d be able to see this phenomenon or not thanks to wide rafts of clouds that teased us all day.
When 7:30 rolled around, to our delight and amazement we could actually see a shadow beginning to crawl across the lower left quarter of the moon. This prompted numerous brave souls to bundle up like mountaineers and race to hilltops, docks, and fields to bask in the angry red glow that devoured our faithful satellite.
It was cold out and trying to figure out a new tripod in the dark on a platform rattled by others’ footsteps meant far more misses than hits. I changed locations late in the eclipse, braced against a cedar in near darkness, hoping for just that one photo that would make sitting in the 40-degree weather for two hours (and tripping over a large rock) worth it.
Upon closer examination, I didn’t take a bunch of great photos, but instead discovered curious faces and creatures among the attempts.
In this first photo, you can see a dollop of vanilla on top of the creeping orange sherbet, like a fiery Pac-Man closing his mouth in slow motion as he screams across the galaxy.
One of the first decent closeups as the moon disappears from the sky.
Another view of the great vanishing moon act.
I tried to get more of the orange back into the photo… I do think it’s smiling in that first photo (cheese!). Besides the happy clown face, you might also see a bearded man with sunglasses.
And then it blew up. Not sure how this happened…
I seem to have the beginnings of an awesome retro album cover in this case.
Finally… luna as she is meant to be seen on this night.
And then some galactic colossus snatches the celestial basketball from the heavens for a slam dunk. Do you see the hand?
Am I staring at Mercury or the moon?
Here a dragon curls itself around the moon as if to claim the dim orb as its own.
Next a bearded giant heaves the moon upon his right shoulder and starts to carry it off.
You can see his profile clearly. My first reaction was “moon dude!”
Clicking onward, I inadvertently discovered these Pictish beasts. You might also see several faces including the moon’s exactly as he appears in Victorian nursery rhymes. Or Richard III’s.
Planet Vulcan??!
Aha, finally. I found the wolf. Do you see him howling? This was, after all, a wolf moon. It was about time.
The contrast of colors as the shadow slithered off the moon was even sharper through the trees.
WATT is happening here? It looks like I stumbled upon a cross between Jabba the Hutt, a pre-reveal Mr. Voltner in Scooby Doo, and Mothra. Don’t see it? Check out the rotated version in the second photo.
Perhaps I caught the luminous wings of an angel.
God must have had so much fun making all of this.
We won’t see another lunar eclipse until at least 2021. In the meantime, embrace the imperfect images that might turn up on your camera. Sometimes you can see far deeper into those than the photos you expected to get.
This is magnificent. The magic continues. I was astounded by the size of the moon as it came over the eastern horizon tonight.
Supermoon: The Legend Continues. We are having unseasonably warm clear weather here, which isn’t helping our drought, but is providing utterly glorious views of the night sky.
If you’d like to know what you’re looking at here, this handy chart from Wikipedia provides the answers. Tycho and Copernicus are just two of the features that are perfectly visible to the naked eye tonight.
-The harvest moon: the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox.
-A super moon: the moon is at the closest point in its orbit to the earth– only 221,753 miles away.
-A blood moon: a total lunar eclipse is happening.
This is the fourth blood moon since last year, so the last of a tetrad. You might remember my April 2014 post The Blood Moon Tetradexplaining why this series of astronomical events could be so significant.
The Jewish holiday Sukkot (read its history and meaning here— happy 5776!) begins at sundown tonight, which is 6:57 P.M. here in Seattle. Moonrise is a few minutes before. It will be a full eclipse by 7:07 P.M., so the eclipse will be nearing its peak by the time we see the moon. Thankfully it’s been a beautiful warm day here and it’s unlikely clouds will obstruct our view of this event.
Many are intrigued that this rare astronomical event– the first blood supermoon in 33 years– is happening at the end of a shemitah, a seven-year economic cycle, at a time when both faith-based and secular experts are predicting a huge economic crash. Is it a sign? Should we be ready for a massive shift and for God’s hand in increasingly dark world affairs?
Is He trying to get our attention?
Regardless of what you believe– I do believe we should be paying attention to the heavens (Matthew 24, Luke 21) and asking ourselves what we really stand for– enjoy this phenomenal and gorgeous sight. Hopefully people are recovered enough from the Hawks 26-0 win over the Bears today to lift up their eyes and soak it all in.
The Cuillin from Elgol, Loch Scavaig, The Isle of Skye, Scotland by Scottish Landscape Artist Andy Peutherer
Update, 9/27/15: Here are some of the many shots of tonight’s supermoon I captured from the Seattle area. The moon was most difficult to photograph when it was red. I played with various settings, and while I didn’t get the series of jaw-dropping photos I wanted, this still provides a realistic walk through the phases of this lunar eclipse. I’m glad to have gotten to see the whole event when many places couldn’t.
It morphed from glaring angry red alien to jovial intergalactic Cheshire Cat to half-orange sherbet, half-vanilla ice cream to brown-tinged cookie somebody took a bite out of, then it became a brilliant beacon. During the eclipse the sky went from a passionate blue to reddish hues near the moon to a deep darkness and then a navy canopy studded with stars. We were blessed with cloudless weather and even saw a meteor. What an exhilarating experience!
If you don’t have a set of finger lights for festive occasions like this or for when a headlamp or flashlight is just too much, you should. Note the completely full moon at the top. And check out this lantern that looks like the moon on Twisted Sifter. The most amazing home decor item I’ve seen in a while. It brings the wonder of a full moon indoors.
About midnight Pacific time tomorrow night (April 14th/15th, 2014), a total lunar eclipse will occur. As the moon is engulfed in Earth’s shadow, it will become a mesmerizing shade of molten crimson, hence the name blood moon. As an added bonus, the Red Planet, Mars, will be loitering nearby in dazzling brightness as April 14th marks the day it’s been closest to the earth in six years. (more…)
Tonight, Monday 12/20, is a full lunar eclipse. It’s the first time one has occured on the winter solstice in nearly 400 years, and the moon will be at its highest point in the sky in about 1600 years.
Because we’re having rain in the Seattle area today, we might all wind up watching the moon turn to a dark reddish-brown color on the web. NASA will be streaming live video of the eclipse at http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies/. The event should be in full gear by about 12:30 A.M. tonight (technically, Tuesday morning).
