A True Blue Moon

Sometimes we don't know what we think we know. Case in point, a blue moon. We tend to think that when a calendar month has two full moons, the second one is a blue moon. 

First problem with that colloquial reasoning is that mother nature doesn't operate on a twelve month cycle, neatly broken into 28, 29, 30 or 31 day months. Which is why seasonal changes happen 'around' the twenty-first day of December, June, March and September - the winter and summer solstice and the spring and autumn equinox.

Now back to the blue moon. Historically, a blue moon happens when there are four full moons in a season. And . . . it's not the fourth moon that is the blue one but the third. A true Blue Moon is the third of four in a seasonal quarter of the year. That apparently was the moon that felt 'out of place' rather than the fourth full moon, which would fall within a few days of the end of the season.

Here is when the full moons of this 'year' occur. Times given are PST & PDT:

28 December 2012, 02:21 (winter)
26 January 2013, 20:38 (winter)
25 February 2013, 12:26 (winter)
27 March 2013, 02:27 (spring)
25 April 2013, 12:57 (spring)
24 May 2013, 21:25 (spring)
23 June 2013, 05:32 (summer)
22 July 2013, 11:16 (summer)
20 August 2013, 18:44 (summer)
19 September 2013, 04:12 (summer)
18 October 2013, 04:37 (fall)
17 November 2013, 07:15 (fall)
16 December 2013, 01:28 (fall)

Tomorrow then is the true blue moon for this year. The third full moon of four that happen in the natural summer season. To celebrate here is Nanci Griffith singing Just Once in a Very Blue Moon.

Commentary on Monday, Portrayal on Friday

Morning Glory

I'm going to get up early the next two mornings as the full moon will be setting over Marin less than an hour before sunrise. The actual moment of the full moon happens here around 8 PM Saturday evening, so luna will be plump both mornings. Now if the overcast will hold off, if not then moonset may be into the high marine layer an hour or so earlier.

For readers around the world, the information on the descendent moon in your neighborhood:

The full moon calendar 2013

The next full moon will be:Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 05:38:24 am
Central European Time (CET)

In other time zones:
WELLINGTON = Sunday * 27th Jan 2013 * 05:38:24 pm (NZDT)
SYDNEY = Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 03:38:24 pm (AEDT)
TOKYO = Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 01:38:24 pm (JST)
BEIJING = Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 12:38:24 pm (CST)
DELHI = Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 10:08:24 am (IST)
MOSCOW = Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 08:38:24 am (MSK)
RIYADH = Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 07:38:24 am (AST)
BERLIN = Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 05:38:24 am (CET)
LONDON = Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 04:38:24 am (GMT)
RIO = Sunday * 27th January 2013 * 02:38:24 am (BRST)
NEW YORK = Saturday * 26th Jan 2013 * 11:38:24 pm (EST)
MEXICO CITY = Saturday * 26th Jan 2013 * 10:38:24 pm (CST)
LOS ANGELES = Saturday * 26th Jan 2013 * 08:38:24 pm (PST)
HONOLULU = Saturday * 26th Jan 2013 * 06:38:24 pm (HAST)

Look Up

click picture to enlarge

quote 14

If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, 
you must first create the universe.

                                                                   -- Carl Sagan


When we write, we first tell the reader what landscape we will be operating within. Does our story take place now or in the past. This land, this country or another. This planet or somewhere else. This reality or will we be creating something completely different and if different, just how far do we intend to go. 

Writers are creators, we don't have to just use the stuff that is laying around, we can create the very basics of the universe we intend to inhabit then invite the reader to come along on the journey. Some of my favorite authors have used wildly sublime material to create their tales, others evolve from the mundane and the ordinary; but they all share one critical element of creation - the invisible adhesive that holds their entire universe together and that methinks is the true craft of writing. Binding together the tale such that the reader never sees the glue.

Are We Alone in the Multi-Verse?

Current scientific estimates are that there are about 200 billion stars in the Milky Way, so that means there could be at least 400 billion drifting planets in space, add to that the planets that orbit stars and the smaller free-floaters we can't detect yet. Well that means somewhere out there are between 600 and 800 billion planets give or take. The number is subject to upward revisions.

So what exactly are the possibilities that we are the only rock in the Milky Way that has somehow managed to sustain life. Not to mention we are only talking about the Milky Way, our galaxy. So, we are just talking about the local neighborhood and not the entire universe or universes depending on your nomenclature. And we are talking life as we define it, you know carbon-based in need of oxygen and probably H2O. Other life forms based on different chemical processes, well...

The point being - the intelligent, thoughtful question is no longer "Are We Alone Out Here?" but rather, "When are they going to find us or us them?" Of course, science fiction has speculated for a long time that we have already been found and they are simply patiently waiting for us to grow up or blow ourselves up, in which case they may just start over with another seeding of the Earth and hope the next evolutionary cycle ends with the survival of a rational, intelligent species that will contribute to the cosmic empirical experience.

And it all started with a Big Bang - maybe.

the gummy big bang

Morning Has Broken

There was a full moon visible over San Francisco Bay this morning just after dawn. Before dawn I had noticed a ever so slight glow in the cloud cover and remembered the full moon that had been completely obliterated last night would not be setting until late this morning. Then just after dawn the cloud cover opened to reveal a bright shiny orb. 

A few minutes after I snapped that shot, the clouds closed again. We shall assume the moon sank from view even without benefit of human confirmation.

I wanted to remind everyone one last time before I take a blog break that there will be a total lunar eclipse on December 21st, should make for some energetic solstice celebrations. I will be somewhere in Northern California about that time, depending on the overcast predictions I may try to position myself for a clear view of the lunar blackout.

Oh and have a big bird on Thursday or Friday or whenever you gather with your creche.

If the Sun Sets in the Darkness . . .

This is the view from my window this morning, which provides you with all the information you need about the moonset early this morning. Unfortunately the weather predictors are not encouraging about our chances for more celestial dazzlement this week. The much anticipated full moon settling over San Francisco will occur this Friday and Saturday, which as you can see below is not apparently going to be prime viewer weather.

TODAY	TOMORROW	THU	FRI	SAT	6-10 DAY
Partly Cloudy	Sunny	Partly Cloudy	Few Showers	Showers	Extended Forecast
High: 73° Low: 51°	High: 69° Low: 50°	High: 62° Low: 51°	High: 64° Low: 51°	High: 65° Low: 52°

The first sunset through the Golden Gate narrows happened yesterday, you will not notice in my shot below any sort of bridge or the golden opening to the Pacific. A near fifty mile long fog bank crept in during the late afternoon yesterday to fill San Francisco Bay from end to end.

I would mention one final time that I really am fond of this type of weather. The rain and fog are fascinating for me, my spirits are lifting by the damp and chilled weather, it's like be wrapped in a cocoon the size of the universe. Sounds are muffled, perceptions shrink and we are forced to go on internal sensors. Perhaps in the next few days we will get a glimpse of the astronomical workings between the clouds, if not, I shall attempt to entertain and minister from the internal microcosm.

Pinprick holes in a colourless sky

Let insipid figures of light pass by

The mighty light of ten thousand suns

Challenges infinity and is soon gone

Night time, to some a brief interlude

To others the fear of solitude

Brave Helios, wake up your steeds

Bring the warmth the countryside needs

Moody Blues The Day Begins

from Days of Future Passed

That's Not the Moon

Last night marked the fifth night of close observation of the moon setting into or over San Francisco. One night was done without the aid of my powerful binoculars, I was out and the tripod would have seemed a bit intrusive. Last night was the closest we would get to a perfect quarter moon, it was officially and exactly quartered around 14:30 in the afternoon and our setting time last night over the City was 0:23.

I am a bit disappointed that I have not been able to successfully google pictures that do justice to the visuals I have seen. And I mourn one last time my own shortcomings in the telephoto/nocturnal camera arena. As always I will attempt to paint you a worthy image in words.

I also want to acknowledge my own, previously overlooked, lack of learning in the general area of astronomy. Each and every night I discover another phenomenon that sends me off asurfin' to uncover the physics of the heavens. I won't overburden you with each and every mote of new learning I uncover. I assume some of you know a lot more in this area than I do and many more of you do not want to wade through the formula, azimuths and ephemeris to "know" why the sky is just amazingly fascinating. 

As I said last night was a near perfect quarter moon but the previous evening (also fairly close to a quarter) I could clearly see the other facing quarter of the sphere. Instead of being slightly lighter than the dark sky, last night the dark quarter of the moon was precisely the same pitch as the sky. This meant the moon presented itself as a jagged edged illusion, as if the top half of the moon was not actually there, like the photo above. And while I watched the descent the oranging began. First the white slice became slightly dirty, then a few minutes later a perfectly hued hard taco shell loomed over the Transamerica building. Following the corn flour tan came the slow darkening towards burnt orange, but not without a new visual.

The low clouds over the City created a reflection of some kind, lines of orange would appear below the moon and slowly the two would melt together. At one point the detached line was a bit more red and dancing in the reflected heat of San Francisco. As the two merged it appeared that the lower edge of the setting moon had begun to flame and burn, as if it would need to quench itself in the Pacific.

The final setting was, as it has been for several nights, a complete distortion of the moon's crescent. Last night both the top and bottom tips of the quarter were lost in the over&undercast. Anyone peering through my magic glasses at that moment would have seen a large orange blob just above the buildings of the city. No one would have guessed this was the perfect quarter we had seen twenty minutes before. Finally, instead of descending behind one of San Francisco's many hills, a misty grey cloud rose up and consumed the orange and it was gone again until tonight

Cold hearted orb that rules the night

Removes the colours from our sight

Red is grey and yellow, white

But we decided which is right

               Moody Blues

"Late Lament" from Days of Future Passed

--

net photo - uncredited

The Water Vapor Channel

Just to wrap up a short series of posts on looking up to the heavens. The Perseids were really spectacular on Thursday night. About two-thirds of the sky up here in Northern California was clear, so I didn't have to go up the mountain to get a view. I also got a great binocular view of Venus during most of the early evening.

As regular readers know, I have a real affection for NASA space photography and in particular the vistas from the Hubble Space Telescope. I like to wander around the NASA websites looking for what those space cadets may have served up recently for our visual consumption. Here is my latest discovery from my extracurricular sky surfin': The Water Vapor Channel. These images come from the Earth Science Laboratories in Huntsville, Alabama.

What is fascinating about the water vapor shots is that you can see rain or snow a lot more clearly than just looking at cloud cover. Some clouds are just not as wet as others. In addition, you can make your own photo by putting in longitude and latitude; so when I go to the website I get a real time moist overview of the San Francisco Bay area.

There is also a link to an infrared channel, if you want to see some truly awesome shots of storm systems take a long look at them in infrared. The useage tips over on the left side make the site interactively a lot of fun.

Next post I will be back down to earth as strongly requested by several critical readers.

Vespertine Viewing

No I did not take that picture and no I am not doing acid again. But after nearly two weeks of evening fog cover, I finally got several nighttime looks at the moon with my new big eyes. I decided I needed some geographical assistance to know what I am looking at. So I turned to NASA. Twas very kind of NASA to provide a paint-by-the-numbers guide to the lunar surface. The multi-hued photo was actually taken in 1992 by the Galileo spacecraft.

As more planets and phases of the moon drift through the western skies beyond the San Francisco peninsula I will gaze on and share with you more of the view from my perch. For now, the image below is what I saw on the first clear night.

Full Pink Moon

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday 28th) at 8:18 AM EDT [5:18 PDT] will be the exact moment of the next full moon, which means tonight will be the fullest those of us in the Americas will see the moon this month. I will have to hope for an opening in the clouds later tonight because right now its grey and raining across the San Francisco Bay, hopefully where you are, there will be better viewing.

Early civilizations often named the full moons and the months they appeared. Since I am in currently in a part of the world previously populated by "native american" tribes. I thought it might be interesting to look at those labels. So the Wolf Moon in January is in the Wolf month and the Harvest Moon is well you got that one, right?

Tomorrow's is the Pink Full Moon and that might need some explanation. Apparently the moon namers were mostly Eastern and Northern tribes, so the relevance might be lost on us Californians. The grass pink or wild ground phlox is a widespread flower of spring in many parts of the Eastern U.S., hence the pink of the Pink Full Moon. Other lunar names for this month include: the Egg Moon, the Full Sprouting Moon and for those more coastal tribes -- the Full Fish Moon.

In some years the Full Pink Moon is also the Pascal Moon, which sets the date for Easter. The pagan and now christian usurped spring holiday is held the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. Vernal equinox was March 20th this year, followed by a Full Worm Moon on March 29th, so we had an early Easter this year on April 4th.

Wherever you are, take a peek tonight at the Pink Full Moon. I am sorely tempted to make some Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon reference. Well wait, I guess I just did.

Next month, the Full Flower Moon.
---
photo credit: NASA

Pictures of Earth

If someone hasn't already sent you these earth-from-space photographs (yes that is a real photo above). You will be getting them from several friends in the next few days I am sure. These particular shots are a couple of years old but they are making a internet renaissance in a new format. All of these photos were taken from the Space Shuttle. I may have mentioned in the past that I suffer from a small addiction to pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope, but Hubble never turns it's cameras on the Earth, it can't focus on something so close!

Here is a link to one of the many sites where these images are posted. If you find them at all interesting, I strongly recommend downloading the PowerPoint presentation called Blue Beauty (just google picturesofearth.pps). The photos are so much clearer and make a much stronger impression viewed in a full screen PP mode. I don't know when I first saw these but I did not see them in the PP presentation, it really makes a huge difference in size and contrast.

While the night shot of Africa above is my favorite, there is one of Iceland that is so impressive. You know how they say Iceland is green and Greenland is ice; well maybe not so much. I am sure you will have your own favorite

Try to ignore the somewhat over-the-top words and music that accompany the PowerPoint slide show, sometimes people actually can't help themselves and try to enhance perfection.

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photo credit: NASA and Gaia

Autumnal Equinox

As I post this blog it is just a few hours until the fall equinox, for those who love precision; the event falls at 2:18 PM PDT today. At that moment the sun will be directly over the equator on its way south. A nearly perfect day of equal parts light and dark. Here in far north-central California the prediction is for several more days in the 90s before fall weather takes over late in the week. We already have low 40s overnight, so it really doesn't have the feel of summer anymore, despite what the mercury says around four in the afternoon.

Actually to have equal parts light and dark, one has to actually live on the equator. Here, even on this day, the sunrise and sunset are about nine minutes off a perfect 12 hour cycle. And for those sun worshipers, even on the equator the light creeps over the horizon in the morning and lingers far past it decension in the evening. Light wins over the dark every time, well at least in the movies.

I went up Mt. Shasta yesterday. For those unfamiliar with this place. The mountain is impressive not just for its height (14,179 ft.) but because it appears to erupt from the land which falls on all sides to below 4,000 ft. Mt. Shasta stands out because of the sheer elevation differential.

You can drive to nearly the 8,000 ft. level on the Everett Highway out of Mt. Shasta City. On a fall Monday the number of day hikers was quite low. But what caught me yesterday was not the majesty of the mountain but the swarm of butterflies. Depending on which website I believe either the Alfalfa or the Red Admiral. I gotta go with the Admiral because this is the right time of year for the southern migration to be in full swing and that would place them at the higher altitudes of the mountain.

[Addendum: I stand corrected, those were California Tortoiseshell Butterflies]

What was fascinating was slowly coasting back down the mountain thru the pine forest and having the road in bright sunlight that attracts the butterflies. Now you could just drive on down the road and in the process collect dozens of carcasses on your windshield and bumper. Or, as I did, a slow coast would create a gentle wind tunnel for the insects to funnel up and over the car. I only had to pull over twice to let other cars pass and both times a couple of the butterflies flew into my car and danced about before moving on.

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photo credits: archives

Partially Darken Moon Arisin'

Still a few days from full, a hazy moon rose over Mt. Shasta last evening. My friend was outside outfitting his mini-motor home for a late night departure to begin a long labor day weekend. The rising moon and a big black cat kept us company, while we caught up on the last year or so of our existence. The moon drifting behind the mountain clouds reminded me that my reading from a Bay area astrologer last week had two mentions of a coming lunar eclipses.

This New Year's Eve (2009) there will be a full moon and a partial eclipse, unfortunately not visible where I (or most of you) will be. Not being seeable does not mean the effects of an eclipse on a arithmetically significant day will not trouble, plague or reward you. So for those of my readers who delve into such realms, this NYE could be cautionarily significant. I have been told (or is that foretold?) that it will be a perfect confluence to both end and begin one long term development in my journey. So be wary of the question: 'What are you doing new year's eve?'

More significantly, for all, will be the total lunar eclipse on the winter solstice next year. December 21, 2010 will have a complete eclipse of the moon with totality visible throughout most of North and South America. So plan your solstice celebration early. Change she be acomin' whether you are ready or not. Even in the realms of the absurd or the mystical, depending on your perspective, the advantage goes to the prepared soul.