Blue Moon

The night is finally here!!  I have been looking forward to viewing the Full Moon since the beginning of this blog.  I was so fearful that I would not be able to see it because of the weather, but my fears have been relieved.  Here was what I saw tonight. 

                             


These pictures were taken on Friday, August 31, 2012 from the deck in the back of my home in Moody at 9:20pm.  The first picture shows the Full Moon peeking out from behind a cloud, while the second picture shows the Full Moon in its entirety surrounded by clouds.  Tonight is considered a Blue Moon because it is the second Full Moon of the month.  This does not occur very often.  There is nothing blue about the Moon, but its complete illumination does emit a great deal of light in the night sky.  It is a very cloudy night, but thankfully, the clouds are moving allowing for periods to actually view the Moon.

Neil Armstrong was laid to rest today in a private ceremony.  How appropriate that his service would coincide with the night that the Moon is most visible to the people on Earth.  I am remembering him tonight and his heroic "giant leap for mankind" that impacted not just America but all the world. 



Patience Pays Off

Tonight, my patience paid off.  I feared that I was not going to be able to see the Moon tonight because of all the clouds.  After numerous attempts, I finally saw it.  Here was my view.

I took this picture of the Moon on Thursday, August 30, 2012 from my backyard in Moody above the trees at 11:05pm.  The Moon was visible through a thin layer of clouds.  It looks completely illuminated, but the Full Moon is scheduled for tomorrow night.  I hope that it will be a much clearer night for Moon watching.  I would hate to miss it.

Overcast

I checked a couple of times for the Moon tonight and was not able to find it.  On my third attempt, this is what I saw.

I took this picture on Wednesday, August 29, 2012 on the street behind my house in Moody at 8:40pm.  It is a very overcast evening, and I observed the Moon through a sheer blanket of clouds.  It looks blurry because of the clouds.  Even though it is not a clear view, I can still see the illumination of the waxing Moon.

So Lucky!!

I got so lucky tonight.  When I went out to see the Moon, it was in the perfect spot.  Here is what I saw.

I took this picture on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at 9:20pm on the street behind my house in Moody between some trees.  You can see the cloud cover surrounding the Moon.  I feel so lucky that I got the picture at all.  It was perfect timing to get this shot as the Moon was located just between the clouds.  You can also see the outline of the trees to the right.  The Moon is not quite a Full Moon, but it continues to be increasing in its illumination.

Getting There

We are getting close to the Full Moon that I have been waiting for.  Tonight the Moon was clearly visible.  Here is what I observed.

I observed the Moon tonight, Monday, August 27, 2012,  behind my house in Moody just above the tree line at 9:15pm.  The waxing Moon continues to increase in illumination moving toward the Full Moon which is scheduled to occur in a few days. 

Bittersweet

I am back home tonight, and I had a nice view of the Moon.  Here is what I saw.

This picture of the waxing Moon was taken on Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 8:10pm in Moody.  I was able to go out my back door tonight and down to an adjacent street to see the Moon.  There were no clouds around.  I did see some stars, but none of them were close to the Moon.

On a sad note, I learned today that Neil Armstrong passed away yesterday. He was the first man to ever land and set foot on the Moon back in 1969.  I thought about him tonight as I was looking up at the Moon.  It was a bittersweet moment.  My great uncle was a friend of Buzz Aldrin (co-pilot to Neil Armstrong and the second man to walk on the Moon).  My uncle had the highest respect for Buzz Aldrin who in turn always spoke highly of Neil Armstrong and his character.  We have lost an American icon and true hero.

Can't Find It

I am in Muscle Shoals visiting my in-laws and have searched for the Moon today and cannot see it.  It turned very gloomy, and we have had rain showers this evening blanketing the sky with clouds.  I am disappointed but will try again tomorrow.

First Quarter Moon

Tonight I observed the first quarter Moon.  I was happy to be able to see it because it was a little bit hazy.  Here is what I saw.

I am in Muscle Shoals visiting my in-laws, so this picture was taken from the main street in their neighborhood on Friday, August 24, 2012 at 9:15pm.  It was a hazy night, and the Moon looked a little eerie just above the tree line in the subdivision where my in-laws live.  Half of the side of the Moon facing Earth was illuminated.

 

Clear View

I had another clear view of the Moon tonight.  It was beautiful.  Here is the picture that I got.

This picture of the waxing Moon was taken on the street in front of my house in Moody on Thursday, August 23, 2012 at 8:50pm.  There were no surrounding clouds and no stars observed close to the Moon tonight.

Gorgeous!!

The Moon is absolutely gorgeous tonight!  I am thrilled to have gotten two good pictures today.  Here they are.

                          

Both pictures were taken on the street in front of my house in Moody on Wednesday, August 22, 2012. The first picture was taken at 7:10pm, and the second picture was taken at 8:15pm.  What a difference an hour makes!  I think that both are good pictures, but the second one is so much more vivid as the contrast between the darkness and the Moon's illumination is observed.  I can certainly see why viewing the Moon at night allows for more clarity.

No Clouds!!

I was so excited tonight because I was finally able to view the Moon with no clouds directly surrounding it.  There were clouds all around the Moon making it impossible to see any planets or stars near it.  Here is what I saw.

This view of the Moon came from the street in front of my house in Moody at 7:50pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012.  It is amazing to see the difference that one day can make in the amount of illumination observed.  The waxing crescent Moon's illumination is growing making it much easier to see.  

Success!!

Tonight, I finally saw the Moon.  It was a bit cloudy, but I was still able to capture the essence of the Moon phase.  I waited for the clouds to move so that the Moon's full illumination could be seen, but that never happened.  This was the best that I could do.

This picture was taken in my neighborhood in Moody, Alabama at 8:15pm on Monday, August 20, 2012.  Because of the clouds it doesn't really show how much of the Moon is actually illuminated.  The Moon phase is still considered a waxing Moon.  When actually viewing the Moon it was bright white in color.  I think that the flash somehow gives it the reddish tint.  The clouds can be observed extending across the Moon's illumination.  While it does distort the view of the Moon a little bit, it is still a pretty picture.   

Cloudy - Again!!

I watched the weather all day hoping that there would be a chance to see the Moon today, but it just didn't cooperate.  It was cloudy all day long with intermittent rain showers.  There was no way to view the Moon.  Here is a sketch of what the Moon should look like today.

The Moon is continuing to illuminate moving toward the Full Moon in a couple of weeks. The difference between yesterday and today is that the waxing Moon is a little bit larger.  The area of darkness is diminishing while the area of lightness is increasing. 

I am hoping that tomorrow will finally bring some success in terms of actually being able to visually see the Moon.  I am eager to take a photograph.

Welcome to My Moon Blog!!

Welcome to my Moon Blog!!  I am excited to be observing the Earth's Moon and its phases for the next 30 days.  I know that I am going to learn so much about the Moon that I will one day use in my future elementary classroom.

Unfortunately, it has been a very cloudy day making it impossible to view the Moon.  Based on what I have learned about the Moon's phases, I have drawn a sketch of what I believe the Moon looks like today.

Today's Moon is a "waxing crescent" meaning that it will slowly illuminate as it moves toward the next Full Moon. 

Hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow, and I will be able to actually see the Moon and document its phase with a photograph.