Saturday 19 March 2011

The rising of the moon

The full moon is at its nearest to the earth today for a good many years. There are all sorts of hair splittings going on about where you are and how full the moon is. I had entirely forgotten about it but by great good fortune I happened to look out of the window as the moon came over the horizon this evening.




The pictures really aren't too good, but think of it as the excitement making my hands shake.  I was using a different lens for the first shot, unfortunately.  If only I'd been prepared.  I spent several minutes saying, "What a shame I missed it," until I realised it was rising.

Apparently it could be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual.  I don't know if that was the case, but it certainly was spectacular.  It's a miracle that I saw it because the last few days, maybe even weeks, have been very misty.

6 comments:

  1. The moon looks like a balloon in photos two and three! :O

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  2. Unfortunately the extreme supermoon was a bit of a none event here in Thailand. It was somewhat cloudy and in all honesty didn't look any better than a normal full moon.

    It certainly looks a better site in France(?).

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  3. That second photo is great - pity you didnt get the ship silhouetted against the moon, that wpuld have been perfection! I take it that is digital? If it was on film the enlargement of that central section would make a mighty print.

    I don't know the exact numbers, but expect next month full moon to not look a lot different. The last time lunar nadir (use that for google...) was this close was (according to the local news) in the 1910's or thereabouts. It is one of those cyclic things which just happen.

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  4. I came by yesterday and saw your moon pictures, but couldn't think of anything adequate to say that would do your pictures justice. Still can't. They are just great.

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  5. TBSITW says thank you for the comment on Elaine's blog, which I found today. x

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Forethoughts, afterthoughts, any thoughts. Tell me.

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