Ring Around the Moon

Cold night but the sky was fairly clear. The moon appeared to have a ring around it. There are two different phenomena. A halo is caused by refraction  when moonlight passes through thin clouds of ice crystals high in Earth's atmosphere. As moonlight passes through the ice crystals, it is bent in a way similar to light passing through a lens. The shape of the ice crystals causes the moonlight to be focused into a ring.

However, this looks more like a corona.  This happens when the light of the Moon, is diffracted on small drops of water in the clouds, so by diffraction of the light and not refraction. A whitish disc with a coloured rim becomes visible.

Clear Skies Over Fife

Woke up to sunshine in Lundin Links this morning and that meant a great view of the solar eclipse at around 9.30am. Tried taking photos which didn't really work as I didn't have a suitable filter. Since it's dangerous to look at the sun I was just pointing the camera in the general direction. When I first put the photos on to the computer screen I thought they were all useless but then on a few of the photos I noticed a second image of the sun which showed the eclipse quite well (except that it's a mirror image). I have no idea how that occurred, presumably some quirk of the camera lens. There must be a rational scientific explanation.

 Inadvertently caught a bird flying past in the shot.

 Cropped the photo to show the second image.

 A slightly later photo and again the appearance of a second image.

At the height of the eclipse, roughly 95% at about 9.35am, the sky was an eerie bluish grey.

High Cloud Patterns

Some quite spectacular cloud patterns over Lundin Links this morning. In the photo above the moon is just visible. Not sure of the type of cloud, possibly altocumulus.

Moonstruck

Just a fleeting glimpse of the moon this evening at the tail end of the lunar eclipse. Unfortunately it was rather cloudy as the moon rose over Largo.

 The above and following photos were taken yesterday in much clearer conditions.

The Moon and Jupiter

The planet Jupiter is the brightest object in the evening sky just now. This picture was taken last night. It's not very clear, but shows a waxing crescent moon and Jupiter. The picture was taken facing West so Jupiter is seen South of the moon. From now on Jupiter will grow fainter and appear further from the moon.

Full Moon Over Lower Largo

Full moon shines over the beach at Lower Largo at dusk yesterday.

Full Moon

Once in a Blue Moon

Full moon tonight. It's called a blue moon because it's the second full moon in a month. Not that uncommon. It occurs every two or three years but how often on New Year's Eve? Now that's another question.

This picture was taken this morning and shows a moonset over Lundin Ladies Golf Course.

Venus and the Moon

A crescent moon and Venus in the same photo taken last night.. Venus is quite prominent in the sky just now.

Full Moon

Full moon seen from Lundin Links tonight.

Evening Sky Over Lundin Links

Pink tinged clouds over the rooftops.

A dry bitterly cold day, but I'm beginning to feel deprived because we have no snow. The sky is clearing and it looks like another very frosty night, and the moon is shining brightly.

Waxing Moon Gibbous 88% of full

Pascal Full Moon

Two photos of the full moon from Lundin Links tonight.

This is the Pascal Full Moon, which fixes the date of Easter. The rule (of the western Christian church) is that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the first Full Moon following the Vernal Equinox, which was on the 20th March. Easter Sunday is therefore on the 23rd, which is one of the very earliest Easter Sundays which it is possible for us to celebrate, (unless other provision is made by the Church.) The last year when Easter fell on the 23rd was in 1913, and the next will be in 2160!!