Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Playing with the Moon


One of the obligations of my employment is to secure the natural area at dark.  There's a gate across the entrance to the parking lot that must be closed each evening after all the visitors have departed.  Last night, Kali and I went out to close the gate about 9 p.m.
Although it was humid, there was a breeze.  Clouds scudded across the sky, which was illuminated by a nearly full moon.  At one point, the moon disappeared behind a large, dense cloud; the moon shining behind ringed the cloud with quicksilver.
By the time I was able to get to my camera, the dense cloud had moved on, but I still got some images.  They're not great shots, but I thought they were interesting.  All were hand-held.  The red-orange glow on the lower horizon of the third image is light pollution courtesy of Philadelphia - 15 miles away.  

10 comments:

Carolyn H said...

Scott: Ah, you had lovely evening weather last night. I had really strong thunderstorms for hours on end, though it was only really bad for 45 minuts or so.

Jain said...

Quite nice! It's hard to see the moon here, with so many dang trees in the way. ('though I do go on and on about moon-watching being one of the joys of country living.)

If I hadn't known the glow on the horizon was Philly pollution, I would have thought it pretty. I think I'll just ignore the facts and enjoy the photo.

Scott said...

Carolyn: I just read your post about your thunderstorms. You're right; we dodged the bullet this time. I share your concerns about losing electricity.

Scott said...

Jain: Good to hear from you; it's been a while! Around my house there are lots of openings in the trees, so I can usually find a spot to look up at the celestial attraction de jour--and do so regularly.

By the way, are you aware that your blog has become "by invitation only"? Can I get an invite?

Gail said...

HI SCOTT - oh how I love pictures of the moon. And these are amazing - mysterious and bright. Love 'em all.
Love Gail
peace....

Scott said...

Gail: The craters and mares on the moon were clearly visible, but they don't show up on my images because the light washes them out. I realize now that, to get an image that includes the darker features, I need to use a tripod and a very fast shutter speed.

Jain said...

Scott, thank you for asking. Life at work and home was overwhelming for a while; with no energy to communicate, I shut the blog down for a bit. It's back now.
Jain

packrat said...

Scott:

Lunatics like me really do love the moon. When I was a kid in Ohio I'd be outside (even in winter) with my small reflector telescope checking every feature of the lunar landscape until my mother would come out and force me back into the house.

Scott said...

Jain: I'm so glad "Bankside" is back. Every once in a while I'm tempted to stop writing when my life becomes too hectic, but I find that blogging is therapeutic. I hope your life's on an even keel now, 'cause I like hearing about your life in north-central Ohio.

And, by the way, I've now severed most of my ties with Ohio (having disposed of my mother-in-law's house), so I doubt I'll be back much; I'll need your "fix" now more than ever.

Scott said...

I've never had a telescope, Packrat. It seems like everyone who has an astronomy scope (cf., a birder's spotting scope) rarely uses it. Besides, there's so much light pollution/cloudiness/humidity here there's not much to see. Maybe when we move to Colorado (but, of course, then I'll be retired and too poor to buy a scope)...