The Rising of the Wolf Moon

The moon seems to be many things these days, blue, blood, and now wolf, and I have no idea what any of them are. What's a wolf moon? Is it hungry like the Duran Duran song? Does it cry like A-Ha sang it did? No bloody idea.

I didn't even know it was a wolf moon when I was incredibly lucky to see it rise exactly as the sun set this evening, and get some rather ropey photographs. Later on it became the "Wolf Moon", and my stepfather had a crowd of folk looking at it through his theodolite on the street - pop up astronomy!

There has also been a penumbral eclipse, although to be honest I doubt anyone could really tell the difference!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 10.01.20

Eclipse Fail

I did stay up for the total lunar eclipse last night, hoping that in the end the clouds would part an allow me a glimpse of the moon turning that potent crimson colour - everyone else says "blood red" and I  refuse to succumb to that cliche! - as it passes through the shadow of mother earth.

Of course the clouds never did part, so all I got for my troubles was very cold, very tired, and thus stressed for the visit of my landlord and a valuer to my flat. On a bright clear day good for photography, I  then had to stay home waiting for a plumber to show up to fix my kitchen tap.

The only wildlife I saw all day were these two.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.01.18

My Lunar Eclipse Vigil

Well, everything went pretty much as I'd planned for my "Super-Blood-Moon-Hype-Hype" eclipse watching session. I got home at 1am, spent an hour getting some warm food inside in me, and then took my garden lounger outside into the dark.

It was very, very cold, and very very clear. The moon already had a small bite taken out of if as I got outside at 0215, and over the next hour I watched the black shadow eat more and more of the moons glittering body. All the while I listened to an excellent radio documentary about a photographer who operated in the brothels of Weimar Berlin in the late 1920s.

It rather fit the mood actually, smoky champagne soaked artistic tales told as the moon's bright disc was gradually more and more obscured by the Earth's shadow, and as it's dazzling glare was reduced you could see the blood red refracted light painting the moon with a burlesque club's ambience.

Totality was reached about 0315, and at that point I found myself too chilly to continue, and took myself off to bed as the moon had now come round to the bedroom side of my flat with that documentary still ongoing.

I kept dozing, and found more and more of the moon revealed as it began to free itself of the Earth's dark shadow, rebirth finding its way into my dreams of running, I think.

I took some photographs, just so you get an idea of what mobile phone pictures of an eclipse look like compared with all those super ones you'll have seen on the web and in the press today.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.09.15