Tag Archives: Super Moon 2012

Didn’t get it!

Last night I hiked to the top of the mountain to get the fantastic shot of the year. Hmm … that didn’t happen. After I got over my self-congratulations at making it to the top (really, it was a hefty hike with my photo backpack & small bottle of water), I casually wondered how I would get off the mountain in the dark. While waiting for the moon to rise, I enjoyed the expanse of the valley of houses below me and the glorious colors as the sun set in the desert. Around 7:10 PM the highly anticipated moon began to rise. On the top of the mountain, I was not able to move my tripod to a position to get the shot I wanted. In this shot below, we see the rising moon next to one of the mountains. You can see the homes in the foothills.

I wasn’t satisfied and tried to get a closer shot.

By this time, I was thinking “Holy Cow, how am I gonna get off this mountain without falling, breaking my leg, hitting my head on a boulder, and lying here all night?” (Actually my language was much more colorful … remember? I teach teenagers who are comfortable emitting gutter language and I have found the trashy words flying out of my mouth.) Just to cover my bases, I had texted my son who can track my cell phone and call out the calvary if needed.

With the help of my tiny flashlight that I keep in my photo backpack, I made it safely to the base of the mountain. I waited. I waited. I sat on a lawn chair. I ate an apple. I ate some chocolate. Still that moon did not rise above the mountain … the one I’d just descended.

I decided that this was ridiculous, got in my pretend SUV and headed out of the mountain park. As soon as I passed the gate (“Do not back up! Your tires will be punctured!”) I saw THE MOON peaking around the edge of the mountain.

I parked illegally (totally out of character for me) and pulled out the tripod & Nikon.

And now you have it: My adventures with the moon on the mountain. But, to my dismay, I did not get that award-winning shot of the orange-tinged moon rising over the horizon. So, to soothe my bruised ego, I finished the night with a juicy hamburger topped with corned beef and swiss cheese, accompanied by a cooling dark beer. Good Night Moon.

Isn’t she pretty?

You definitely want to view the video linked to this LA Times article: Super moon 2012: ‘Gloriously full,’ with 14% more lunar excitement…

According to NASA‘s calculations, 11:34 p.m. EDT Saturday is the moment when the moon will hit your eye like a big pizza pie, to paraphrase Dean Martin. It’s “super moon” time.

NASA is letting its enthusiasm show in a new video on the subject. “The timing is almost perfect,” it notes. At 11:34 (that’s 8:34 p.m. Pacific), May’s full moon will reach perigee  –  the closest point to Earth in its elliptical pattern — and “only one minute later, the moon will line up with the Earth and the sun to become gloriously full.”

Sometime Saturday evening, the moon should present some spectacular photo ops. I would like to find it rising over beautiful scenery … or even a tree or cactus. I’ll look for it. But tonight, I caught her high in the sky.