It’s actually a decent-sized moon, but when it’s 250,000 miles away (give or take) and you’re using a wide-angle lens, it can appear to be quite tiny.
See it? Up there in all of the cloud layers (rain moving in for tomorrow and Thursday) and contrails?
Zoom in far enough and you can see that it’s a bit short of being a half-illuminated moon, but well beyond the crescent phase.
I still dream that some day, some how, I get a chance to go there. It could happen!
Filed under Astronomy, Photography, Sunsets
The new computer arrived today. The good news is that it was originally estimated to arrive March 12th. Eleven days early is GREAT, considering how fast the old computer was failing. The bad news is that I have to set up the new computer and install all of the programs and get them set up the way I like them – in the meantime it’s like I’m trying to work with oven mitts on, drunk, and with one arm tied behind my back.
Frustrating, to say the least.
Yesterday night I was playing with with time lapse function on the iPhone, watching the coastal clouds stream by during sunset. It turned out pretty nice. See?
It was a rough couple of days, with a big annual payroll update and tight deadline at work leaving me a little bit light on sleep. Then I had a scheduled blood donation at the Red Cross, but my hemoglobin level was unexpectedly low and I was deferred from donating today. Doing some searching on the internet about what that means and what could be causing it and how to solve it for now and prevent it for the future just left me depressed and slightly alarmed. I’ll think about it more some other day. But I was not a happy camper.
So while The Long-Suffering Wife went through with her blood donation, I ran to the office (literally, directly across the street) to take care of a quick IT task, and in the process was treated to a delightful, cotton candy pink sunset as the coastal fog and clouds were rolling in.
So, not a complete bust! (I especially like that last picture!)
Filed under Health, Photography, Sunsets
A half hour or so prior to sunset we were getting a high layer of clouds and I had hopes that it might lead to one of those really colorful & spectacular sunsets.
It did not.
It wasn’t grey and terrible, not exactly Suckasaurus Rex, but neither was it mind blowing and spectacular.
A little pink, some deep oranges right at the horizon, and Venus trying to shine through.
Beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!
Filed under Photography, Sunsets, Weather
Just about perfect “just after sunset” timing for a SpaceX launch out of Vandenberg. I missed it, but my daughter caught it from near Downtown LA.
(Photo: Michi Willett)
I ran outside.
The rocket was long gone over the southern horizon, but the high altitude contrail, still lit up by the sun somewhere over the horizon to the west, was still glowing.
The other view I’ve seen is from the Virtual Railfan Hesperia/Cajon Pass webcam. If you can see a copy later, grab it. It’s great to see that when we move up to the High Desert we’ll still be able to see launches.
It lasted for a while, until the Sun moved on and the contrail dissipated.
Filed under Airshows, Critters, Photography, Space, Sunsets
There were a bunch of weeks there in December and January where, if I was leaving the office about 17:45 and driving home, it was already pitch dark outside.
Yeah, I know what causes it, that whole “seasons,” and “axial tilt,” and “winter solstice” thing. Just sayin’, it was noticeably dark, early.
Tonight, leaving at 17:40 and driving west homeward, it really was noticeable that the sun was setting through the broken clouds, right in my eyes. The cyclic nature of that “axial tilt” thing had carried us past the solstice and we’re well on our way to the equinox next month.
The weather looks okay for the weekend, which will be nice for our Superb Owl party on Sunday, but there’s a lot more rain expected next week.
Good, we need it. I don’t want to get into another drought.
Filed under Astronomy, Critters, Photography, Sunsets, Weather
I don’t know if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow or not.
Here, we had enough clouds to make sunset spectacular, with the crescent Moon now well above the brilliant Venus.
Let February begin.
Filed under Astronomy, Critters, Photography, Sunsets
Similar sunset to yesterday (they’re never quite identical) but this time looking to the east at the pines in the back lit up.
I wish the photo portrayed the vividness of the light half as well as it appeard to the eye.
We may safely blame the photographer, not Mother Nature, for the discrepancy.
Filed under Critters, Photography, Sunsets
It’s been a while. Between one thing and the other I haven’t been out much at any time of the day except to retrieve the mail and take out the trash, let alone going out at the correct time.
Nothing fancy – simple, straightforward, beautiful.
No Moon out there tonight – the first New Moon of the year means that it’s the beginning of the Lunar New Year! Happy Year of the Snake!
Venus is still out there like a diamond. When it gets a bit darker, Saturn’s visible a bit below it. When it’s fully dark, you’ll see Jupiter, almost as bright as Venus, straight overhead. And back toward the east rom there’s Mars, not quite as bright but very, very red.
Enjoy!
Filed under Critters, Photography, Sunsets
I’ve written several times (here, here, here, and probably more) about an astronomical phenomenon call “The Belt Of Venus.” It’s the Earth’s shadow seen opposite the Sun at either sunrise or sunset.
This looks a LOT like it, but the problem is that it’s in the south, not the east, and it’s way too dark and opaque.
A closer view also shows that it’s “lumpy.” The Earth’s shadow is nice and smooth and uniform.
Nope, this is the cloud of smoke from the Palisades Fire, stretching out over the ocean toward Japan, or at least toward Catalina and the Channel Islands.
The good news is that yesterday’s fire is out and it’s calm here, we’re in no danger. The bad news is that the Palisades Fire has flared up (and there are still a handful of other, smaller fires burning around the area) and is moving toward the east and the 405 Freeway, Encino, and Tarzana. It’s going to be a long, long night for a million-plus folks over in those areas, some of whom we know personally.
There’s no one in LA right now who isn’t affected or who doesn’t know someone who’s affected by all of these fires.
Filed under Astronomy, Critters, Los Angeles, Photography, Sunsets
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