Lightkeeper's Journal

Full Snow Moon & the Penumbral Eclipse

Above:  February 10, 2017 Composite Image of the Full Moon and Penumbral Eclipse

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

 

Tonight, we had a Full Moon. Curtis and I love to photograph the moon; or, as I say, "God's NightLight in the Sky!" Last night, I photographed the Waxing Gibbous Moon at 98.6% illuminated. Tonight, Curtis photographed the stages of the Full Moon during the Penumbral Eclipse, when the Earth cast a shadow, a Penumbra, on the moon.

His first moon photograph was at 7:23 pm EST and the last was at 8:54 pm EST. Our vantage point was Dublin, Georgia. You can see how the moon gradually had a shadow on the left side. If we had not been using a 300 mm zoom lens, it would have been difficult to see. He created a composite image to showcase the different stages. Even though this particular eclipse was not a Total Eclipse, you can still see the shadow on the moon.

 

Below:  Thursday, February 9, 2017 photograph of the Waxing Gibbous Moon at 98.6% illuminated.  

Genesis 1:16 (KJV)

"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day,

and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also.

 

 

 

Copyright 2017, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.

Reflections from a Front Porch....and the Supermoon

The November 14, 2016 Supermoon behind the Georgia pecan tree

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

Short Story by Norma Beaird

 

It was a cold and humid night in the country as she clutched the hot cup of coffee while sitting on the old front porch. She was wrapped up in a leopard fleece blanket topped off by a black knit winter hat. She gazed at the full moon through the leaves of the pecan tree and thought about the craziness of the presidential election.

She realized that she was glad to be sitting in the woods drinking decaf while wild college students were making noise and marching through the streets of the cities. The closest thing to noise that she could hear were the two deer searching through the brush for falling pecans.

As she became mesmerized with the changing hues of the moon, she drifted into deep thought about the importance of nature and tranquility. She once endured the noise of the city, but now she was renewed by the call of the Barred Owl in the top of the tall Georgia pines.

As the moon rises above the trees out of the lower atmosphere,

the Supermoon is a ball of bright orange. 

As the Supermoon rises higher in the sky, we see a change in hue to a warm golden yellow. 

After the moon has risen even higher in the sky,

the ball of bright orange and warm golden glow turns into a bright fluorescent night light in the sky. 

 

 

Copyright 2016, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved. 

 

God's Night Light in the Sky - The Harvest Moon

The Full Harvest Moon at 99.7% illuminated

September 16, 2016

 

Photography and Poem by Norma Beaird

 

As moonrise begins,

a full Harvest Moon takes on a glorious golden glow.

Then, as the moon begins to rise higher in the sky,

the golden glow turns into a beacon of yellowish eggshell,

and then into a hue of ivory brilliance,

and, while basking in the cool night breeze,

as the moon is way up in the starry sky,

it turns into a bright electric white.

I call this God's Night Light in the Sky.

 

The Full Moon at 99.2% illuminated 

September 15, 2016

 

 

 

Copyright 2016, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

The Moon of March

 

Waxing Gibbous Moon at 99.5% illuminated

March 4, 2015

 

Photography and Poem by Norma Beaird

 

.....a breezy Georgia night,

in the glow of pink moonlight,

and a lamp so full and bright.

 

She admired the glistening hues,

of a sky so vivid blue,

what a wondrous, lovely view.  

 

From the Farmers' Almanac:

The Full Worm Moon of March. As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full moon of winter.

 

The Almost Full Moon of March

Waxing Gibbous at 99.5% illuminated

March 4, 2015 at 6:45 p.m.

 

We want to thank EarthSky for featuring our moon photo in their Full Moon feature! 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2015, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

January's Full Wolf Moon

 

Full Moon was on Sunday, January 4th, but we had quite a bit of cloud cover.  

However, the January 5th Waning Gibbous Moon at 99.2% illuminated was beautiful to behold.

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

 

From the Farmer's Almanac:

Full Wolf Moon – January Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon.

 

Waning Gibbous Moon at 96.8% illuminated

.....peeking behind the Georgia pecan trees

January 6, 2015

 

...and a little later

 

Waning Gibbous Moon at 96.2% illuminated

January 6, 2015

 

 

Copyright 2015, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

 

November's Moonlit Nights

 

Full Moon at 100% of full

November 6, 2014

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

Poem by Norma Beaird

 

At first it was very cloudy and humid.  The misty clouds of a cool and breezy November night hid the full moon as we awaited with great anticipation, while parked on the side of a rural Georgia highway. Thankfully, our patience rewarded us with a lovely full moon, a magnificent spectacle of beauty cloaked in the subtle golden glow of autumn.  

 

From the Farmer's Almanac

Full Beaver Moon – November  This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs.  Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter.  It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.

......earlier in the week......

Waxing Gibbous Moon at 90% of full

November 3, 2014

 

November's Moonlit Nights

 

Autumn leaves are on the ground,

the moon is shining bright,

cooler breezes rustle trees,

a calm November night. 

 

Nature casts a golden glow,

in autumn's evening light,

and warms the heart like crackling fires,

on cool November nights.  

 

As evening hides the sunset hues,

as songbirds take their flight,

the air of romance lingers in,

November's moonlit nights.  

 

 

Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

October's Full Moon & Lunar Eclipse

 

The moon photo was taken on October 7, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. EST

According to Moon Connection, the moon is 100% illuminated.  

According to Time.Unitarium, the moon is 99.7% illuminated.

 

Moon photography by Norma Beaird 

 

According to Sky and Telescope:

We’re approaching the second of four total lunar eclipses that come at half-year intervals in 2014 and 2015: a lunar-eclipse tetrad. All four can be seen from at least parts of North America.

The one before dawn on Wednesday, October 8th, will be visible from nearly all of the Americas. Moreover, the Moon, two days after perigee, will be 5% larger in diameter than it was during the first eclipse of the tetrad on April 14 - 15 earlier this year.

 

 

You can view the lunar eclipse livestream via Griffith Observatory on the slope of Mount Hollywood in California, starting at 4:15 a.m. EST.

Below is an illustration of the lunar eclipse from Sky and Telescope.  Click on the illustration to read in detail about this fascinating celestial event.  

 

NASA has produced a You Tube video about the

October 8th Lunar Eclipse:

 

 

For more information about the October 8th Lunar Eclipse, 

click on Fred Espenak's Eclipse Wise.  

 

Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

 

 

The Full Buck SuperMoon

 

The Full Buck Moon, also known as the July 12th Supermoon

Vantage Point is Rural Georgia at 9:31 p.m. EST with 96% Humidity

Tonight's moon is a Waning Gibbous - 99.4% Illumination

Full Moon occurred at 7: 25 a.m. EST today

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

Article by Norma Beaird

 

Tonight, we captured the beautiful Full Buck Moon, also known as the first of three Supermoons of 2014.  It was extremely humid tonight.  When we walked outside to put our cameras in the jeep, it was as though a cloud of mist had descended over the yard.  

The very first pictures were fuzzy due to humidity so thick, you could cut it with a knife.....as the old saying goes.  It had rained earlier and we had cloud cover; however, the clouds begin to clear and we captured a rich, golden Supermoon.  

The 100% full moon occurred at 7:25 a.m. EST today.  Therefore, as the day progressed, the totally full phase of the moon transitioned into a Waning Gibbous by this evening.  Full or waning, it was a gorgeous July moon! 

According the Farmer's Almanac:

The Full Buck Moon – July July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month’s Moon was the Full Hay Moon.

 

Supermoon Update:

 

Waning Gibbous Moon  - 99.2% Illuminated

Vantage Point is Rural Georgia with 98% Humidity

July 13, 2914 at 12:20 a.m. EST 

 

 

Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

 

Upcoming Supermoons of 2014

 

Waxing Gibbous Moon at 92% of full

July 9, 2014 - Photographed at 11:11 p.m. EST

 

Photography by Norma Beaird

Supermoon Information from EarthSky 

 

According to EarthSky:

On July 12, 2014, we have the first full moon after the June 21 solstice. Around this time of year, in North America, buck deer start growing antlers, thunder storms rage and farmers struggle to pile up hay in their barns. Thus, according to folklore, we call this full moon the Buck Moon, Thunder Moon or Hay Moon.

The July 2014 full moon is also the first of three full-moon supermoons in 2014. Previously, we had two supermoons in January – on January 1 and 30 – but they were new-moon supermoons.

The full moons on July 12, August 10 and September 9 all enjoy the supermoon designation because they are full moons at their closest to Earth for that month. The centers of these moons and Earth are less than 361,863 kilometers (224,851 miles) apart. The closest supermoon of the year comes with the August 10 full moon, with a moon that’s only 356,896 kilometers (221,765 miles) from Earth.

 

 

Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

The Friday the 13th Spooktacular Full Moon

 

Full Moon at 100% of full

Friday, June 13, 2014

 

Photography by Curtis Beaird

Article by Norma Beaird

Information from Farmer's Almanac and National Geographic

 

During the month of June 2014, the full moon occurs on June 12 and 13.  On Thursday, June 12, we experienced overwhelming humidity, cloud cover and thunderstorms in rural Georgia.  On Friday, June 13th, it began to rain in the late afternoon.  After viewing the skies once again, watching the extreme humidity settle over Georgia while the clouds gathered in misty formation, we assumed that we wouldn't be photographing the June full moon. 

Then, in dramatic fashion at 10:46 p.m. EST in the flat countryside, between the tall Georgia pines, the clouds began to part and Curtis captured a full moon that would make any Halloween fan proud.  

Well, it was Friday the 13th......

.........and the dark, smoky clouds gave us a spooktacular result! 

 

According to Farmer's Almanac:

Full Strawberry Moon – June   This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry! 

 

According to National Geographic:

...the June moon is also referred to as the Honey Moon

With the sun's path across the sky at its highest during this month of the summer solstice, the moon is at its lowest, which keeps the lunar orb close to the horizon and makes it appear more amber than other full moons this year.

The amber colors are due to the scattering of longer wavelengths of light by dust and pollution in our atmosphere. "It is a similar phenomenon as seen at sunset, when sunlight is scattered towards the red end of the spectrum, making the sun's disk appear orange-red to the naked-eye," says astronomer Raminder Singh Samra of the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, Canada.

 

Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.