1st April 2018

Spring Equinox / Easter

For Easter (spring equinox), I have put together a composite of three moons (25th November, 3rd December and 8th January).

I'm trying to show the old pagan Triple Goddess idea, where waxing moon represented birth, full moon represented life and waning moon represented death/rebirth.

Even back in the neolithic and beyond, people understood there was connection between the Moon and nature. But because they didn't have the science to explain it, they thought the Moon was a sort of spirit.

Their old idea of looking after the Moon and the environment is still important today.

Monday 26th & Wednesday 28th March 2018

The way the light is falling on the Moon creates shadows that makes Copernicus look 3D on the 26th but lack of shadow makes it look flat on the 28th.

Time 19:30 / 20:15.
Distance 229,360 / 230,514 miles.
Waxing gibbous / waxing gibbous phase.
140 degrees SE compass point / 125 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 49.7 / 38.4 degrees.

Sunday 25th March 2018

Six moon sightings March last year but this is only the second this March.
I did see the Moon last week but only briefly and I didn't have my camera.

Time 18:40.
Distance 229,522 miles.
First quarter phase.
140 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 51.8 degrees.

Weather: Partly cloudy and breezy.
Temperature: 8 degrees (feels like 6 degrees).
Humidity: 57%.
Pressure: 1015 mb.
Visibility: Very Good.
Precipitation: 0%.
Wind Speed: 8mph.
Wind Direction: NNW.

Wednesday 7th March 2018

The only moon so far this month - weather warning - snowy & rainy skies!
A big morning moon.

Time 07:40.
Distance 244,715 miles.
Waning gibbous phase.
225 degrees SW compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 12.2 degrees.

Moon montage month!

All the photos I've taken in February.

Moon 28th February 2018

Below zero night Moon.

Time 21:15.
Distance 226,946 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
135 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 43.4 degrees.

https://youtu.be/0QTfSGkivCY

Moon 7th & Moon 8th February 2018

Consecutive morning Moons. Lovely blue sky but still fair detail.

I couldn't see the Falcon Heavy on its test flight though. It's the idea of Elon Musk and his SpaceX company and it has the heaviest payload of any current rocket and he's hoping to do commercial flights at a cost of $1,000/lb ($2,200/kg). What would you like to send into space?

(Wednesday 7th / Thursday 8th)
Time 08:30 / 07:45.
Distance 245,397 / 428,211 miles.
Last quarter / Last quarter phase.
220 degrees S compass point / 200 degrees SW compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 17.3 / 42.7 degrees.

Live stream video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBr2kKAHN6M

Moon 31st January & Moon 1st February 2018

I didn't see the SUPER BLUE BLOOD MOON eclipse because it was the wrong time of day and the weather wasn't great either.

BUT, I did see it post-eclipse later that day and then a SUPERMOON the day after!

I also did a quick video to show the cloudy weather we have been having recently.

(31st January / 1st February)
Time 23:30 / 23:45.
Distance 224,555 / 224,553 miles.
Full moon / Waning gibbous phase.
150 degrees SE compass point / 140 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 49.7 / 42.7 degrees.

Moon 30th January 2018

Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning!

Nothing to do with the Moon, but a great sky this morning (07:40).

SUPER BLUE BLOOD MOON

Really impressive Moon yesterday.

First 2 photos were taken at 4 o'clock - lovely blue sky but the Moon really shone out.
Last 2 photos later during the evening & night. Great detail; and you can easily see the rotation.

This is building up to the...
!!! SUPER BLUE BLOOD MOON !!!
...on January 31st - first time since 1982!

1 - Supermoon - when it's closest to the Earth; looks very big and bright.

2 - Blood Moon (lunar eclipse) - when the Earth goes between the Sun and the Moon; the Moon looks red because of how the light goes through the atmosphere.

3 - Blue Moon - the 2nd full moon in a month.

But I probably won't be able to see it because the weather forecast here tomorrow is rain and cloud.

Date Monday 29th January 2018
Time 16:00.
Distance 223,190 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
72 degrees E compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 10.9 degrees.

Moon 26th January 2018

Moooo! You can't beat a bit of Bully.

And tonight the Moon passes the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the Bull - Aldebaran. You should be able to see it, just be careful of the Moon's glare.

The Pole Star nowadays is Polaris but IT USED TO BE Aldebaran!
Not only that, it was half of a DOUBLE POLE STAR, with capella.
This was a long time ago - 450,000 years ago.

Time 16:01.
Distance 229,204 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
110 degrees E compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 33 degrees.

http://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-aldebaran-ex-pole-star

Moon 23rd January 2018

The image is a bit blurred, partly because of the rain, cloud and rain, but also because I had to take this quickly and I had to lean out of the window.

Time 17:15.
Distance 238,918 miles.
Waxing crescent phase.
180 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 39.6 degrees.

3rd December 2017

 Here's a video from December that I didn't have time to post.

It's a great full moon but look at how much cloud there was and how fast it was moving.

Time 23:31.
Distance 222,212 miles.
Full moon phase.
160 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 53.9 degrees.

(https://youtu.be/QTkYfTeNMj8)

Sunday 7th January 2018 - half past midnight

I was very late coming back from seeing a friend and followed this great Moon on the way home!

Because of the tilt of the Moon you can clearly see what I think are the Montes Pyrenaeus and Sinus Asperitatis to the east of Mare Nectaris ("Sea of Nectar").

Time 00:30.
Distance 235,365 miles.
Waning gibbous phase.
110 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 19.9 degrees.

!!! Happy 1st Birthday !!!

Sam's Lunar Look-In has been going since 12th January 2017.
Happy 1st Birthday!

Moon 1st & 2nd January 2018

Two whoppers to start the year!

1st:
Time 20:38.
Distance 221,566 miles.
Full moon phase.
120 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 39.5 degrees.

2nd:
Time 22:52.
Distance 222,372 miles.
Full moon phase.
130 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 47.8 degrees.

Moon 31st December 2017

Hogmanay Moon.
What a whopper to end the year!
Happy new year.

Time 21:52.
Distance 222,128 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
150 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 53.7 degrees.

Moon 28th December 2017

Two photos, one hour apart, and the Moon appears to have rotated nearly 20 degrees clockwise.

But this is an optical illusion. The reason it appears to have rotated is because we look at the moon at different angles! This is because both the Earth and Moon are rotating anti-clockwise but the Moon rotates about 30 times slower.

Here is a video that may help!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZIB_leg75Q

(first photo, 21:30 / second photo, 22:31)
Distance 230,421 / 230,421 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase / waxing gibbous phase.
207 degrees SW compass point / 246 degrees SW compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 43.4 / 38.3 degrees.

Moon 27th December 2017

First moon after Christmas!

So I chose the nearest moon landing to Christmas Day to talk about which is Luna 13. It landed on Christmas Eve 1966, in the region of Oceanus Procellarum, the only 'ocean" on the Moon! It sent panoramic TV pictures on Christmas Day, and its last contact was 51 years ago today!

Back to my Moon photo, look at how it has rotated (compared to my 2nd October 2017 photo).
1, Mare Tranquillitatis
2, Tycho
3, Montes Apenninus or Apennines

Time 22:39.
Distance 234,323 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
240 degrees SW compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 27.5 degrees.

Moon 15th December 2017

Last Moon before Christmas.

It was an early, cold, clear, bright morning. Wonderful distinct silhouette of the Moon and Terminator but no detail.

Have a nice Christmas.

Time 07:35.
Distance 250,027 miles.
Waning crescent phase.
145 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 17.2 degrees.