And we take it for granted. We might go weeks without paying attention to it as we go about our daily lives. Honestly, unless you have seen a headline in the last few days, can you say what phase the moon is in right now? No looking...
If you have seen some headlines, the "supermoon" has arisen once again. The moon is going full on the weekend at the same moment that it is closest to the Earth. Reading the articles, one might expect that you'll be able to reach out and grab a piece of green cheese right off the surface. Like in the picture above, which I snapped on a long November journey across the Colorado Plateau (that's Black Mesa near Kayenta and Tuba City in the background).
In a case of full disclosure, here is how the moon really looked that night. A zoom lens is a wonderful tool! The moon will indeed be larger than normal this weekend...by about 14%. But a rising full moon is always a pretty sight, so I hope you will check it out.
It will look much bigger than normal as it rises above the horizon on Saturday. Philip Plait, the Bad Astronomer has provided a marvelous explanation of the optics of a big moon in this article, which I highly recommend.
From Goblin Valley, Utah |
What wonderful photos! I know what phase the moon is in, because I've slept poorly the last few nights (stomach bug), and there's something really comforting about the moon in the sky in the window as you're trying to settle your stomach and go to sleep.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up. I've been too busy to pay attention. But I'll try to get out Sat night for a moon rise over the canyon.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder. Thanks to you I've just coordinated w/ the husband and tomorrow we're heading out, soon-to-be-cleaned Nikon in hand. =)
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