Supermoon Fading for Now

The night sky is wonderful this time of the year. 

Orion is out in the early morning hours and the moon phases across the star studded darkness. October's Hunter's Moon is waxing. A New Moon is on the way. November and December will also see their own Supermoons this year. Orion and his nebulae star cluster will watch the moon go by from new, crescent, waning, full, waxing into the nights. 

I am up to watch it all unfold. 

The mornings are cool until noon. That is when I am doing chores and coordinating my activities. Then it's off to sleep in the heat of the day.

It won't last long. Autumn beacons. The man made high pressure systems are about to fall. Mother Nature will get her way because she is about to move in.

I hope she packed some rain.

Have a great and wonderful day! 

Up 'n at 'em

This morning was really pretty in the Sonoran Desert. 

In the summer after staying up all night to avoid the extreme heat, I welcome the sun and all her glory. A few years back Venus and Jupiter were high in the eastern sky from 3am until the sun rose. My traveling companions. 

Now the rotations have shifted. Venus comes up later about 5am in the east. Don't fret. Jupiter and Mars are not far behind and when cool October mornings come around, all three will be very, very close together in our sky. I cannot wait!

I have been updating my blogs, publishing some poems. I have been doing the bored to death thing. I get like this during summers. Summer is just not that exciting to me. I know we have the monsoon storms, but those only happen when the geoengineers are being stupid or generous. I cannot figure out which. ;) 

I really do hate the toxic chemical laden, ecoterrorism being played out in our skies and no one seems to notice. I notice. I was raised with blue skies. I do not know what those lines are doing up there but to damage our ice caps and ozone lawyer. Yeah, and they say it is us. Nope! It is "them." 

So if you can wake up extra early, especially at the end of October, the alignment of those three planets should be spectacular. 

I for one cannot wait to fill up my camera's memory with the memory of a life lived. 

Have a great and wonderful day!

Comet Watchers, Lovejoy is Making an Appearance This Week

I was out last night for a moment. 

The night was cold in the desert but the sky was brilliant. The stars were shining above me. Orion glided onto the scene taking up most of the arena. Off to the north and west was Jupiter following the gallant hunter.

Tonight when I get my optical fix, I will be taking my binoculars with me. Comet Lovejoy should be passing near Orion's belt.

Here is the article with the information link: Comet Lovejoy Closest This Week.  

I hope everyone enjoys finding this tailless comet as much as I will.

Have a great and wonderful evening! 

Up in the Sky, It's the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter!

The universe is beautiful.

Look up to see the Moon setting with Jupiter and Mars coming overhead. It is magnificent. I love it.

I just wish my hands were more steady so I could take better photos. I used to be good at stills like that. Now with the neurological damage, not so much.

But the eclipse set for next week, I am going to get out my telescope, binoculars, and an old tripod. I better get some good photos of the moon, stars and planets then!

I love astronomy. When I look up and see the solar system, it makes me feel that I belong to something bigger than myself. It makes me feel complete.

Then the worries and angst wash away.

How can one stay stressed out looking at creation?

By the Light of the Pale Moon

That's right, folks, it's that time of the month again. The moon is full in the heavens. All the crazies are out and the stars like to twinkle, twinkle. 

I cannot hide it any longer. I am in love. I love the night sky. 

I love Orion, the planets, nebulae, Milky Way... all of it!

I have these great binoculars that are just about as good as any telescope I have ever had but these binoculars are easier to position. Much more efficient. I do not have to fumble around with lens, or balance, or anything. I point and gaze.

And, I do gaze.... remember, I'm in love ;)

I may not be the best astronomer in the world, but I  am the happiest. Tonight, before I go to bed, I am going to head outside and look up at the near full moon and wonder. I will wonder why I am the only one outside gazing upward.

When you look at the marvels in our solar system, you can dream of worlds beyond our own. You can dream. You can see that we are but a small blue planet in an ever expanding red shift. 

Out there is where we come from. Out there is who we are. Out there is the undiscovered country of our own imaginations.

Won't you join me?
 

Have a great night!