Sunshine, Moonlight

We enjoyed a day of 100% clear skies, calm winds and cold temperatures. There is little snow and the ground is frozen so we took our dog to the woods for the first time this year. At the end of November, the vet discovered a tumour on the roof of her mouth and gave us a sad prognosis of one to six months. Raven had lost considerable weight so we stopped giving her kibble and started a soft textured home-cooked diet. I thought she might not make it over Christmas but she has decided to thrive. She will be 13 years old in two weeks and has some arthritic stiffness as well as a heart murmur. But her appetite is terrific, she has gained weight, her energy levels have improved, and she is not in pain.

We let Raven choose the path through familiar woodland trails and she happily completed the longest route. Being outdoors in bright sunshine and crisp, clean air was a pleasure.

Sunset

The sunset was at 6:04 PM tonight and a full moon rose at 6:18 PM. The sky remained cloudless making it a perfect evening to enjoy the sun, moon and emerging stars and planets. The local astronomy club arranged a meet-up on the top of "Mount Trashmore" in our neighbourhood. Several people brought telescopes and an enthusiastic member gave a short lecture. After the sunset, it was frigid on the hilltop but we stayed until our limbs were numb.

Moonrise

The moon did not disappoint as it rose above the horizon as an enormous reddish ball. The moon appears extra large at the horizon due to an optical trick called the "moon illusion".  I cannot explain it succinctly but this Wikipedia entry describes various theories that astronomers have developed over centuries of study. The medical building where my husband's ophthalmologist has an office stood in front of the moon giving perspective to the moon's size. The moon is large and on the horizon we can compare it to familiar landscape features. It is still the same size as it rises but we lose the comparative perspective.  The moon's edges appear irregular in the lower atmosphere due to the refraction of light from larger molecules and dust. The upper atmosphere is clearer with less moisture and the moon's appearance changes as it rises.

An enthusiastic nine-year-old girl with her dad on the hill showed us some night sky features with her telescope. She lined up Jupiter with some of its moons and rings in the scope. Other planets and stars became visible as the sky darkened and I learned more about astronomy in fifteen minutes than I have retained in a lifetime. Smartphone apps have become little tutors and can be used with newer telescopes to identify celestial bodies.

If it hadn't been so cold I would have learned more!

The astronomy club had a bundle of eclipse glasses which were passed out to people who wanted to be prepared for our next big sky event. A total solar eclipse is coming on April 8, 2024, to parts of eastern Mexico, United States and Canada. We would have to drive an hour south of our city to Hamilton ON to observe the total eclipse for 1 minute and 50 seconds and to Niagara Falls to observe 3 minutes of total eclipse. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and the glasses will be put to good use. 

Full Snow Moon in the upper atmosphere, February 24, 2024