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| A few minutes before snapping this photo the moon was perched atop the mountain, twice as large and seemingly within reach. |
The Blue Moon—the second full moon occurring in the same calendar month—is rarely blue but always compelling. And worth the 20 mile trip to Price Canyon Recreation Area to witness this spectacle which won't recur until January 31, 2018.
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| The sky darkens, and features of the moon sharpen. |
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| July 31, 2015 |
Read a lyrical account of last Friday's blue moon by Soumyendu on his wonderful blog, Ramblings:
http://manikchand-ramblings.blogspot.com/2015/08/blue-moon.html
Rita, you have actually left me speechless with your kindness!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get a picture on the 31st as the sky was overcast with clouds and this lady was playing hard to catch. Isn't it a wonder how this piece of aggregated rock orbiting the earth has managed to induce splits of ecstasy among so many of us!
Incidentally, this particular full moon night is also when the Buddha gave his first sermon. Looks like the Buddha too had a thing or two about this glorious orb in the skies above :)
Yes, the moon—our constant cosmic traveling companion—is a glorious orb indeed!
DeleteI'm sure someone has written a paper or done a study on the moon's significance to various cultures and religions over the course of human history. Interesting stuff.
Thanks for your comments, Soumyendu!
Rita, thanks for sharing your "blue moon" photos. You got some truly remarkable photos! Also, thanks for providing a link to Soumyendu's blog about the blue moon. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of links, most likely you've already discovered the link below on your own. Nonetheless, it contains information about the "blue moon" that I found interesting.
http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/blue-moon.html
John
Thanks for providing the link on the blue moon. You're right—that website contains a lot of interesting information.
DeleteThe weather cooperated and we had a nice, clear evening for our full moon-viewing picnic, and for the picture-taking.
I'm glad you enjoyed Soumyendu's blog post, and I appreciate your comments, John!
Beautiful photographs - I always have trouble photographing the moon with my phone; it's amazing how much clarity and detail you capture of the surface.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely way to spend the evening!
We took the moon shots with a point-and-shoot Canon SX700 digital camera with 30x zoom. It's a great little camera.
DeleteOur blue moon evening was lovely—we met a few friends for a picnic dinner at the overlook, took a short hike in the cool mountain air, and returned to the overlook for the full moon viewing. Just perfect!
As always, thanks for reading and commenting, Vickie!
I so enjoyed the photographs and the link, Rita. I grew up not knowing what the saying "once in a blue moon" meant, and when I learned what a blue moon is, I was pleased that the saying made so much sense.
ReplyDeleteI often wondered about the origin of many common, well-known phrases in the English language—we have so many of them.
ReplyDeleteAnd then I found a used book in "Downtown Books" in Craig, titled "Lock, Stock and Barrel! Familiar Sayings and their Meanings". It's a great reference; however the phrase "Once in a Blue Moon" isn't included in the book!