As you probably know, the full moon earlier this month (November 14, 2016) was the closest that a full moon has been to the earth since 1948. I was born in 1948 so I felt a bit of a kinship to this event. There won’t be another full moon this close until November 25, 2034, so I thought I’d better get out and take a look. I missed seeing the moon first peek up over the horizon but it was still hanging low over the trees where the hazy atmosphere distorted its shape and gave it a yellow-orange hue. I watched for about 45 minutes as the circular shape was restored and the color faded back to white. The sky was black and the moon was almost too bright to look at when I left. Watching the moon is hypnotic, like watching a crackling campfire or waves crashing upon a sandy shore. I don’t, however, associate any sound with the rising of the moon.
When I returned home I thought it might be interesting to look at some of my other lunar pictures. Here’s a selection.
Moonrise behind the Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle) in Washington, DC.
Moonrise over snow-covered Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin.
Moonrise over Planting Ground Lake in Three Lakes, Wisconsin.
This is actually a setting moon viewed at sunrise from the Yavapai Observation Station at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
This series shows the September 27, 2015 lunar eclipse as seen from Yellowstone National Park.