My whole weekend was worth it for this shot. I’ve always wanted to take a picture like this of the moon.
It rose in an inconvenient part of the sky, and nowhere near the city. And it was way too high by the time it was dark to get a good silhouette of anything in front of it. So all of the people parked on the same hill as me were grumbling about how all we could hope for was a clearly-shot moon in a sea of boring black. Which is what I got.
And I love it.
Sunset, Moonset
On Sunday, July 31, 2011, when Expedition 28 astronaut Ron Garan aboard the International Space Station looked out his window, this is what he saw: the moon. And, he saw it 16 times. Said Garan, “We had simultaneous sunsets and moonsets.” For Garan and the rest of the station crew, this extraordinary event is a daily occurrence. Since the station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, each day the crew experiences this about 16 times a day. (NASA)
(HT: The Picture Show)
life:
Earth’s only natural satellite and nearest neighbor — otherwise known as the moon — has captivated our imaginations for centuries, inspiring countless works of art, music and literature, and providing fodder for astrologers and romantics alike. But other planets in our solar system have moons — often with much more memorable names — which are highlighted here in this astonishing gallery.
Above: This quartet of Jupiter’s moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, also known as the Galilean Satellites — were named for Italian astronomer Galileo, who discovered them in 1610.
see more — Lunar Delight: Other Planets’ Moons
Full Moon Rising
Photograph by Stefan Seip
The full moon seems to perch amid the trees in a picture taken near Stuttgart, Germany, in March and released last week. The moon looks larger on the horizon than when it’s overhead because of an optical effect called the Ponzo Illusion: The human brain perceives the sky as a dome, so we subconsciously think the moon is farther away—and thus larger—when it’s on the horizon than when it’s above us.
Longest lunar eclipse occurs on June 15
The eclipse will last for nearly six hours, but won’t be viewable from North America.
