18 December 2008

Christmas moon

As we drove to the airport last week, the moon was high in the sky, tossed among Vancouver's clouds. A perigee moon - closer to the earth than it will be for the next 15 years, which made it 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual. I didn't know that then, just enjoyed being able to see it through the clouds.
Another Canadian moon experience, for which I have no photo but the memory, was driving east along a straight stretch of road in the early evening last February, and seeing the moon straight ahead, looking rather red and dim. A full eclipse, which we didn't know about till we saw it. Miraculously, no rain clouds to obscure it. A wonderful sight.

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