Lunar Eclipse from Ireland: 28 Sept 2015

It's me again. Out with my camera. This time, in the wee hours of the morning...or late at night, depending on your perspective. I set my clock for 2:50am, so you decide which end of the day it is ;-)

I'll just say here I'm really bummed because the time reported on thejournal.ie said the eclipse was to start was 3:11am! I thought I was early. They meant to report 2:11am!

According to those in the know, the last lunar eclipse was on 20 Dec 2010. It was earlier in the evening and we did have partial clearing to view it, but of course, I had a basic digital camera and the images didn't come out well, so I'm not sharing them here ;-)

The previous lunar eclipse I remember was on 16 Sept 1997. It was my first trip to Ireland, I was here for six months and heading toward my last month here before going home to California. I remember listening to the birds awaken in the full moon's glow, then quieting during the eclipse, then rousing again when the moon came out again.

Similarly last night, standing in the back garden with my camera on a tripod and me snapping a few photos as Earth's shadow passing over the moon, I heard gulls down in the dunes behind our house, rousing in the early morning light of the full moon, then settling as the moon was in full eclipse, then rousing again when the moon brightened the sky...and sunrise shortly after 6am when the eclipse was all said and done.

So, what's with full moons and eclipses? We had 12 to 13 full moons per year, but we don't always have full eclipses. We do have some interesting names for full moons though:

Harvest Moon
Huntsman's or Hunter's Moons
Blue Moon
Milk Moon
Wolf's Moon
Snow Moon
Hunger Moon
Long Night's Moon
Cold Moon

And dozens of others. Including Super Moon and Blood Moon, and of course, the Super Blood Moon.

A super moon is when the full moon appears closer than normal.

The term blood moon is recent reference. No one knows who first coined the term or the meaning. Some think it's religious, and some think it's simply due to the red color the moon turns after the first cycle of the eclipse when the moon is in full shadow.

And when you have a full moon eclipse that happens during the super moon cycle, and the moon turns a deep red color, it becomes a super blood moons. The last super moon eclipse was in 1982 but, to my knowledge, the moon didn't turn red. And if it did, the term blood moon hadn't been used then.

How rare is a supermoon total lunar eclipse?

Total lunar eclipses that coincide with a supermoon are quite rare. Since 1900, there have been just five — on 17 November 1910, 27 November 1928, 8 December 1946, 19 December 1964 and 30 December 1982 (all dates UT). If you get clouded out for this month’s totally eclipsed supermoon, then you will have to wait until 8 October 2033 for the next!

For those of you who follow astronomy, you might be interested in some information about the full moon  tetrad...a set of four total lunar eclipses within two years.

And for those who follow religious prophesy, this blood moon was the fourth in the Biblical predicted End Times, aka End of Days, or the Blood Moon Prophesy. You can read up here about that!

You can decide for yourself what this means, but for me, this was just a super cool phenomenon. This is why I set my alarm for 2:50am. And now I'm happy to share some of the better shots.

I'm not a brilliant photographer; I still have yet to really get into the workings of my 'new' Canon Powershot SX60 HR. But as you've seen in previous photos, I've taken some decent shots of the moon with this camera, and with last night's eclipse, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for more interesting shots.  I hope you enjoy them.

Full moon - 27 Sept 2015
hours before the eclipse

As above, national media got the time wrong,
so I didn't capture the start of the cycle. This is
around 3:15am, just before full eclipse.

Turning red

Turning red

Blood Moon

Blood Moon

Coming out of eclipse

Coming out of eclipse

6am and back to the full moon
Take note of the first full moon picture and this one.
The aspect has shifted clockwise by 35 degrees!

MONEY SHOT!

Here's the 'Money Shot'
Discovering this photo was the cherry on the sundae.
I captured the silhouette of a jumbo jet just as it was
passing the moon. I wonder if the passengers saw
the eclipse from their seats.

In My Garden

We've had a pretty dry summer with a decent number of sunny days. All a boon for me because it means I can play more with my camera :-)

I don't really have too much to say about the camera, other than it's a Canon Powershot SX60 HS and it can take pictures of the moon :-) I've also got a few great long range photos on land. And I'm always playing with getting the most close up image I can.

Here are a few recent photos, some up close and some far far away!

(Fr Ted fans will get this reference!)

Don't forget you can click onto any of these images for a closer look!

UP CLOSE

Hypericum
aka St John's Wort

Drinker Moth
named because the caterpillars love drinking dew

Cinnabar Moth
variety: Tyria Jacobaeae
Cinnabar Moths feed on and lay their eggs on ragwort
Cinnabar Caterpillars are easily identified by their yellow and black
banded bodies and feeding on the ragwort where they hatched

Irish Honey Bee and Cinnabar Moth

Irish Honey Bee and Cinnabar Moth

Irish Honey Bee on Ragwort

Scarlet-Tailed Bumble Bee

FAR FAR AWAY

Pied Wagtail (m)
named for their wagging tail while ground feeding

Pied Wagtail (baby)
having a rest after learning to fly

Ringneck Dove
a feed, a bath, and a nap

Goldfinch (f)

Goldfinch (m)
Feeding on thistle seeds by using a hard surface
to rub off the thistle fluff to get at the seed

Housesparrows
sunbathing after a big feed and a roll in the dirt

Starling (m)

I hope you've enjoyed these photos. Click here to see other photos in my collection.

Thanks for visiting.

Once in a Blue Moon

What's a blue moon?

Most months only have one full moon. But in the Nineteen Years Cycle, or 228 calendar months, seven or eight calendar months within that time will always have two full moons.

In other words, there’s a month with two full moons every two or three years. When it happens, the second one is popularly called a Blue Moon.

The last blue moon occurred 31 August 2012 and the next is not until 31 January 2018!

The term 'once in a blue moon' stems from our own lunar cycles . . . something that happens once in a blue moon means it happens rarely.

Here are a couple images of  the July moons.

Enjoy!

(all images taken with a Canon Powershot SX60 HS - hand held on superzoom)

Here are a few Blue Moon songs to celebrate the occasion:

Billie Holliday - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LOB_I7sgoI
Elvis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AAOM-BRxcg
The Marcels - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0fy1HeJv80
Beck - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIWbgR4vYiw
Chris Isaak - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuCZDanw3aE
Rod Stewart - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnfP_wlAq5k
Ohia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz2nyOLVwg8
The Rolling Stones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gy3PH4Sf6g
Ella Fitzgerald - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqwSde_eEv4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo3JznMhpWc
MIke Oldfield - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e80qhyovOnA
Nat King Cole - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21scyhRP_IU
Erik Henderson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsz4zNtHQ9k
Glen Miller - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuVfmfaNupQ
Audrey Hepburn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOByH_iOn88
Apollo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD7MmT4

Birdshot

Playing with my 'new' Canon Powershot SX60 HS.

Birds are a great challenge because they dart around so quickly. I'm learning that to get a good bird shot, I need to practice hand stabilization...and to use anything nearby as a support when a tripod isn't readily available.

Here are a few I snapped recently. These are some of funner images. What do you think?

Blackbird on his tippy toes to get the apply goodness

Blackbird caught swallowing

Blackbird tongue, licking the apple from his beak

Blackbird looking pleased with himself at his sweet treat

Baby Wagtail, having a rest on the top of  stone wall

Baby Wagtail -- "What's down there?"

Adult male wagtail came down to feed his baby

Jackdaw -- "You thought you could keep me out!"

Playing with my new camera

Here are a few photos from my new camera (Canon PowerShot SX60 HS). Still playing, but loving the zoom. What do you think?

Moon on 30 April 2015Taken at 1365mm/260x zoom...full zoom.
Hand-balanced on a 5 foot high retaining wall:
I aimed, held my breath, and hoped for the best ;-)

Corbie Crow
A type of raven with a grey body and black tail and wingfeathers,
and black hooded head.
Taken through the office window at approximately 40 feet.

Ring Neck Doves
One of two pairs which frequent our patio.
Taken through the office window at approximately 25 feet.

El Rato!
Taken across the garden at approximately 40 feet.

Male Sparrow
Taken across the garden at approximately 40 feet.

Vacation Snaps

I've been back from California for a week now. The trip went so fast...as usual. I didn't have enough time to do the things I wanted to do, or see as many people as I would have liked, but isn't that the way it goes?

Nor did I have a lot of time to play with my new camera. But I did play a little. Still learning things on my new Canon PowerShot SX60 HS.

Here's a small selection. What do you think? Comments below :-)

{click on images to enlarge}

Asilomar State Beach looking toward Del Monte Forest

Just some of the wild echium growing around the peninsula.
One of my favorite plants.

Coastal honey bee gathering nectar on young echium.

Male sparrow feeding on echium nectar.

Pink coastal iceplant blanketing the shore along Oceanview Blvd
near Lover's Point in Pacific Grove.

Monterey Harbor Seals basking on a small rock near
China Cover in Pacific Grove.

Woman kayaking near China Cove, PG. What else do you do in a kayak but
smoke a cigar and check your messages. Love the blue nail polish.

The Nephew
What's not to love about this cheeky little monkey?!

Mooning

I've always loved looking at the moon. Especially a full moon. I've tried taking pictures of it in the past, but let's face it. A smartphone camera isn't the 'man for the job.' They're great for instant snaps and relative close ups, but not for long distance.

Just bought myself a new Canon Powershot SX60 HS digital camera, so of course, the first chance I had, I grabbed a few photos of the moon. What do you think?

Not hugely crisp, but not bad for a shaky tripod and 238,900 miles!

I'd like to set it up one day with a telescope so I can take pictures of the reflectors. They're set up around the moon's surface and are active today.

Fun stuff. Can't wait to try this camera out when the weather improves.