Last night, on March 19, 2011 we had a Perigee Moon aka The SUPER MOON!
Mike, Mariah and I went to the park to watch the moon rise. It was pretty cool. We didn't take our camera because it was too dark for it to capture any good photos. We did use the cell phone and I think Mike got one usable photo on his. After a bit, we headed home to watch it at our house. Turned out though, it was still about an hour from clearing the tree line. I bundled up and watched until I was really cold and tired.
But this morning was another story. A good night's sleep and a kitty to make up to for missing sunrise yesterday, we headed out extra early.
Here is the last of the Super Moon in a photo taken at 6:00 a.m. this morning just as it was about to disappear from my view.
The "Scoop" on the Super Moon:
LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – While tonight’s Perigee Moon for March 19, 2011 is called a “Supermoon”, NASA tells news that the “super” in the word Supermoon refers to the rare beauty and illusion that the Moon will create this evening. At first glance, tonight’s full Moon may not have a proportional difference than any other night. But as NASA explains to news, when tonight’s full Moon is observed behind foreground objects like trees and foliage, it will appear “supersized” and brighter.
How big will tonight’s Moon appear? NASA predicts that this evening the full Moon may appear as much as fourteen percent larger than on average. And while the Moon may appear substantial supersized tonight, NASA explains it’s all an illusion. Tonight’s illusion is the result of the Moon’s orbit passing loser to the Earth.
But here rests the irony.
As NASA explains to news, tonight’s full Moon may appear fourteen percent larger but it is not that much closer to the Earth than on average. As NASA adds, “the moon may seem bigger although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times.”
There is more to be excited about tonight’s Moon besides it enlarged appearance. It will appear also thirty percent brighter that a normal full Moon. The last time this happened was March 1993. And yet, tonight’s Moon tonight is only fifty thousand kilometers closer to the Earth to create this spectacle.
The very last seconds of the Super Moon...
The Deer were watching it too.
The first photos were taken from the front yard. When the moon got too low, I decided to go out back to the top of the hill. The patio wasn't quite high enough, so I stood just past the tree you see there in the middle... and sensed I was not alone. I had looked and didn't see a thing but it was still dark. Usually the deer will run, especially if you get that close! Geez. So I get a nice whiff of deer poop (that's a first). The Super Moon is slipping away, but I'm wondering if I'm about to get a deer in my back. I look over my shoulder s-l-o-w-l-y...
and there she is off to my left about 2 deer bounds away. Lovely. And she ain't twitching. She doesn't seem to be very concerned but lemme tell you, those deer have total poker faces. So I slipped BEHIND the tree, so I wouldn't be quite so close to her and then I took that last photo of the Super Moon as it went away.
Just then, Pixie realizes I'm in danger! She races up the walkway moving so fast she's just a little brown blur. She runs diagonally past me and the deer and up into the neighbor's play fort. I'm smiling at the silly cat. Here's the dialog from the wonderfully scary place inside my head:
Yes, Pixie, I do realize I am standing next to a deer. Thank you for alerting me to that fact, but we seem to have an agreement here. I take my photo of the moon and move away and the deer keeps eating. What's the problem? Oh, look at you? OK... ahaa.... there's an ENTIRE family of deer and I'm in the middle of them all?! I did kinda wonder where the rest of them were. Yes, I can see why that would be a problem that standing behind one small birch tree won't solve. Why thank you little kitty. Extra treats for you... if I make it out alive.
So I'm back to moving slowly and quietly. A couple of deer stomping hoofs. But they must have been hungrier than nervous because they never left. I made it to the patio below the birch trees and they were still just watching me. As soon as I hit the bottom stair Pixie races out of the tree fort and down the stairs just as fast as she went up them. She looked at me like I was a crazy person. I asked her if she'd like her kitty treats for saving me now and she agreed that now was good for her. Brave Pixie!!!
The "Scoop" on the Super Moon:LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – While tonight’s Perigee Moon for March 19, 2011 is called a “Supermoon”, NASA tells news that the “super” in the word Supermoon refers to the rare beauty and illusion that the Moon will create this evening. At first glance, tonight’s full Moon may not have a proportional difference than any other night. But as NASA explains to news, when tonight’s full Moon is observed behind foreground objects like trees and foliage, it will appear “supersized” and brighter.
How big will tonight’s Moon appear? NASA predicts that this evening the full Moon may appear as much as fourteen percent larger than on average. And while the Moon may appear substantial supersized tonight, NASA explains it’s all an illusion. Tonight’s illusion is the result of the Moon’s orbit passing loser to the Earth.
But here rests the irony.
As NASA explains to news, tonight’s full Moon may appear fourteen percent larger but it is not that much closer to the Earth than on average. As NASA adds, “the moon may seem bigger although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times.”
There is more to be excited about tonight’s Moon besides it enlarged appearance. It will appear also thirty percent brighter that a normal full Moon. The last time this happened was March 1993. And yet, tonight’s Moon tonight is only fifty thousand kilometers closer to the Earth to create this spectacle.
The very last seconds of the Super Moon...
The Deer were watching it too.
The first photos were taken from the front yard. When the moon got too low, I decided to go out back to the top of the hill. The patio wasn't quite high enough, so I stood just past the tree you see there in the middle... and sensed I was not alone. I had looked and didn't see a thing but it was still dark. Usually the deer will run, especially if you get that close! Geez. So I get a nice whiff of deer poop (that's a first). The Super Moon is slipping away, but I'm wondering if I'm about to get a deer in my back. I look over my shoulder s-l-o-w-l-y...
and there she is off to my left about 2 deer bounds away. Lovely. And she ain't twitching. She doesn't seem to be very concerned but lemme tell you, those deer have total poker faces. So I slipped BEHIND the tree, so I wouldn't be quite so close to her and then I took that last photo of the Super Moon as it went away.
Just then, Pixie realizes I'm in danger! She races up the walkway moving so fast she's just a little brown blur. She runs diagonally past me and the deer and up into the neighbor's play fort. I'm smiling at the silly cat. Here's the dialog from the wonderfully scary place inside my head:
Yes, Pixie, I do realize I am standing next to a deer. Thank you for alerting me to that fact, but we seem to have an agreement here. I take my photo of the moon and move away and the deer keeps eating. What's the problem? Oh, look at you? OK... ahaa.... there's an ENTIRE family of deer and I'm in the middle of them all?! I did kinda wonder where the rest of them were. Yes, I can see why that would be a problem that standing behind one small birch tree won't solve. Why thank you little kitty. Extra treats for you... if I make it out alive.
So I'm back to moving slowly and quietly. A couple of deer stomping hoofs. But they must have been hungrier than nervous because they never left. I made it to the patio below the birch trees and they were still just watching me. As soon as I hit the bottom stair Pixie races out of the tree fort and down the stairs just as fast as she went up them. She looked at me like I was a crazy person. I asked her if she'd like her kitty treats for saving me now and she agreed that now was good for her. Brave Pixie!!!
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