Moon 27th July 2018

It's the century's longest 'Blood Moon' lunar eclipse, when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon.

T-minus 48 hours: big Moon
T-minus 24 hours: big Moon
Eclipse: No Moon! Too cloudy!

Let's see what you could have seen:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44945452

Time 20:30.
Distance 252,397 miles.
Full moon phase.
130 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude -4.6 degrees.

Moon 24th July 2018

Look at the bright spot in the bottom left; what is it?
It's not Jupiter because that was to the right of the Moon.
It's possibly Mars but that should appear red and this didn't.
So it's probably either Saturn or the star Antares, the brightest light in the Scorpio constellation.
Which do you think?

Time 22:10.
Distance 251,225 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
170 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 15.6 degrees.

Moon 23rd July 2018 Moonoshop Art

I've been thinking about the Moon as a crazy source of art so I messed around in Photoshop with tonight's picture of the Moon.

Complete list of tweaks:
1st photo: ordinary Moon
2nd photo: pointillized version of the 1st photo, maybe how Georges Seurat might have painted it!
3rd photo: contrasted version of the Moon in clouds
4th photo: monster contrasted version of the 3rd photo

Time 22:10.
Distance 249,871 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
180 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 17.7 degrees.

Moon 21st July 2018 Jupiter

And on the 49th anniversary of Apollo 11, the Moon can be seen with Jupiter - look for the small spot in the bottom right. Scientific proof that Jupiter is a lot smaller than the Moon!

Time 22:05.
Distance 245,485 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
200 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 20.4 degrees.

Apollo 11 Moon DVD

I have been watching the NASA footage of the Apollo 11 mission on this cracking DVD, 'Apollo 11; Men on the Moon', lent to me by space nut Russell Hale.
My favourite bit was the lo-fi 'beep' radio transmission sound when they were talking on the Moon.
I would recommend Moon buffs buying it.

Moon 22nd July 2018

22nd July - Apollo 11 Lunar orbiter goes out of lunar orbit. Back home!

Time 20:25.
Distance 247,761 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
165 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 19.1 degrees.

Moon 21st July 2018

21st July - Apollo 11 Lunar lander started the return launch. Armstrong & Aldrin had spent 21 1/2 hours on the Moon plus 7 hours rest period drop off!

Time 20:45.
Distance 245,485 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
180 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 23.1 degrees.

Moon 19th July 2018

19th July - Apollo 11 Lunar orbiter goes into lunar orbit, but it was behind the Moon so we couldn't have seen it!

Time 22:10.
Distance 239,026 miles.
First quarter phase.
230 degrees SW compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 19.5 degrees.

Moon 18th July 2018

***  1 0 0 t h  P O S T  ***
18th July - 49 years ago today, Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin put on their spacesuits and climbed through the docking tunnel from the Columbia Command Module to the Eagle Lunar Module.

Time 22:05.
Distance 235,292 miles.
Waxing crescent phase.
240 degrees SW compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 18.5 degrees.