January Crescent Moon

In the lead up to the Super Blue Blood Full Moon* at the end of this month i took a series of photos in the first quarter phase…

(Click on Pic to open in new window and again for full detail)

January 19 7:30 pm

Jan 19 7:40 pm

Above: You can just make out the outline of the lunar disk opposite the lit Crescent.

Jan 20 8:00 pm

 

Above: Ever see the Other Side of the Moon?

Sorry – you still haven’t. This is the only side of the Moon most of us will ever see down here on Earth, it’s just the Sun is lighting up most of the ‘far’ side while what you can see here is the ‘Full’ moon surface being mostly lit by the sunlight being reflected from our ‘Blue’ Planet. This will usually be most visible around sunset or sunrise so as to get the most earthlight reflected onto the lunar surface. I’ve only ever vaguely seen this happen to the naked eye ‘once in a blue moon’ 🙂 but the extra exposure of the camera makes it much clearer.

Jan 21 8:45 pm

Above: How the Crescent Moon usually appears to our eye ( OK – to an Eagle’s eye!) 😉

Below: How it looks to a camera.

Fire on the Moon! Jan 22 10:00 pm

Looks like someone has set fire to the edge of the moon while it sinks behind the Fir tree.

 Moonbeams! Jan 23 8:30 pm

Jan 23 8:10  pm

Jan 24 11:00 pm

Jan 24 8:00 pm – Unretouched photo taken ‘as is’ – 60 x zoom.

 

*  – Super means it appears about 7% larger than the average moon.

– Blue means it is the second full moon in the same month.

– Blood means it will turn reddish/orange as it enters the Earth’s shadow (a lunar eclipse)

 

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