Friday, December 12, 2008

Full Cold Moon

Last night I couldn't help but take some 15 second exposures of the landscape. The moon was really bright....You might not think so to look at it, but this photo was taken long after sunset - around 9PM central time. Also, I set the camera up to do its own sort of lunar-lander self portrait.









From Scientific American: If tonight's full moon appears larger and more luminous than usual, it's not because you're loony or due for a new pair of glasses. ( I thought it was really weird that they said that because I am a little bit loony and I am due for a new pair of glasses ) The moon, you see, orbits Earth in an ellipse with one end closer to Earth than the other; tonight's full moon corresponds closely with the orbit's perigee, the closer end of that ellipse. (The more distant end of the ellipse is known as apogee.) What's more, tonight's perigee will bring the moon and Earth closer together than they have been at full moon since 1993. That means that tonight's moon will appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the other 11 full moons this year. The full moon in December is also know as the "cold moon".
Tried another solar oven experiment this morning....this time cornbread. Decided to avoid the rising dough mishap with a recipe that didn't require it. Cooked like a charm in just over 2 hours. Had time left over to do a load of laundry, come home and hang it to dry, and deliver my second solar baking sample to a few lucky Terlinguites.


2 comments:

MsBelinda said...

Found your site through Ara's blog. I am very impressed with your setup. Wanted to post earlier but since I am computer challenged I could not figure out how to create a Google identity and when I was finally able to do so...I could not see the darn word, lol...must be time for a new eye exam.

I could not help but think how beautiful the moon must of looked last night in the Big Bend area without obstructive city lights. Even here in Houston it was a sight to behold.

Congratulations on your one year anniversary and the completion of your solar oven...bread looks tasty too.

Belinda Salinas

John Wells said...

Howdy MsBelinda....
thanks for stopping by and for the nice comments. It was like daytime out here last night because of the moon.

cheers,
TheFieldLab