Moonlighting

EVG reader Gregory Patrick shares this photo looking downtown from last night...

And now, the waxing crescent moon

Local astronomy buff Felton Davis had his gear set up earlier on Second Avenue and East Third Street ... here's a shot of the waxing crescent moon via Brian Van ...

Capturing the lunar eclipse before it 'sank into the haze'

East Village resident and astronomy buff Felton Davis set the alarm early to capture the lunar eclipse.

He shared the following:

"Magnificent pre-dawn spectacle at Battery Park, with enormous cloud banks passing over the full moon, but occasionally parting to show the progress of the eclipse. Had to hold my hands over the tripod to keep the camera from shaking in the cold wind coming down the Hudson. The first shadow appeared at about 4:45 a.m., and the moon darkened steadily until it was no more than a sliver, and sank into the haze at 6:15 a.m."

And what about the blood moon the media is taking about today?

"There was no reddish or turquoise moon over the Hudson, just silver and grey, and most of the time behind the clouds."

Our next shot at a blood moon is April 4, 2015.

Last night's waxing moon

Here's a report from local astronomy buff Felton Davis:

It rained all day Saturday, and that must have washed a lot of soot out of the atmosphere, because the waxing moon came up unusually sharp and clear. Gassendi Crater on the edge of the Mare Humorum was spectacular as the shadow of the sun receded across its sharp edges and central blip. And down and to the left of Tycho was another stretch of jagged craters that will all look smooth on Tuesday night when the moon is full.



The eclipse of the moon will take place just before dawn on Wednesday, Oct. 8, as the earth passes directly between the rising sun and setting moon.

We've had a whole lot of partly-cloudy-chance-of-showers in the last week, so don't get your hopes up for anything different on Wednesday. If it is clear, all the way down to the horizon, I plan to get on the #5 Train to Bowling Green at 4:30 am, and walk over to Battery Park. The moon will set long before the eclipse is over.

It's too cold and too far away to bring the telescope, but anyone with a camera and a tripod should be able to get some amazing photos. Will the darkened moon set over the Statue of Liberty, over Ellis Island, or north of Ellis Island? I have no idea!

Crescent moon over 2nd Avenue last evening

Here's a report from local astronomy buff Felton Davis… from last night:

A crystal clear night, and the crescent moon was out and over 2nd Avenue shortly after 6 p.m. Later tonight it will pass directly over the planet Saturn — a rare occultation — but not visible from the streets of Manhattan. How high would a person have to be to see this occultation? About 2,548 miles. Let's be grateful for what we can see at street level!

… and Bobby Williams took this photo at 7:42 p.m. from his observatory…

Waxing moon over 2nd Avenue

Local astronomy buff Felton Davis was out last night on Second Avenue near East First Street for some moon gazing. It's a warm-up of sorts for next week.

"I only hope that the Full Moon on Monday will be as cool and clear."

Last night's moon

Photo by Grant Shaffer

Up close and personal with the supermoon

Bobby Williams took these supermoon shots from atop the Williams Observatory in the East Village between 12:37 to 12:42 a.m.

Last night's nearly full moon over 2nd Avenue

Local astronomy buff Felton Davis was out last night with his telescope.

A quick report from him: "The nearly full moon rose up over 2nd Avenue and East 1st Street by 8 pm, and three hours later there was still a long line of people waiting to see it as it slowly arced over the intersection."





… and another view from a different location via @heathterry …



In other moon news, via space.com:

"The largest full moon of 2014 rises tonight (Aug. 10) … August's full moon, a so-called "supermoon," rises when the natural satellite is at perigee — the closest point to Earth in its orbit. It is the second of three supermoons this summer, according to NASA."

And now, equal time for the Supermoon

Here's a look at 3 a.m. from Avenue A and East Third Street via EVG reader Peter Shapiro …



And Bobby Williams took this photo at 2:27 a.m. ….



… and I'm not sure exactly when Stephen Popkin took this one…



Cutting and pasting this from ABC News:

The full moon this weekend will be extra large due to it proximity to the Earth, according to NASA. It’s the second supermoon of the year, though the largest one will occur in August.

The moon will peak around Saturday and will appear bigger and brighter than a normal full moon as it hits its closest point to Earth.

The Moon and Mars last night from 2nd Avenue

[Photo via Felton Davis]

Felton Davis was set up at East Third Street and Second Avenue last night for the conjunction of the Moon and Mars.

And just one astrophotographer, Kristan Enos, was able to get the Moon and Mars into a single shot… (you can just make out Mars at the top of the image…)


[Click image to enlarge]

And here is the waxing gibbous moon — 58 percent illuminated and just past first quarter phase! — at 12:20 a.m. via Bobby Williams…

The moon was at it again last night

And the EVG Moon Correspondents were there to capture the, uh, moon … the first two photos are via Bobby Williams after 4 a.m. …



… and a more upclose and personal shot via Grant Shaffer…



And tonight!

On Tuesday evening (May 13), as the moon, just one night from full phase rises in the east-southeast sky it will be accompanied by a very bright yellowish-white "star" shining off to its lower left. That "star" will be the planet Saturn.

And now, photos of the moon showing off last night

"As darkness falls on May 11, 2014, the bright waxing gibbous moon shines in between the planet Mars and Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo." Dunno about Mars and Spica, but here's the moon …



Top photos by Bobby Williams … and via Grant Shaffer with a telescope …

How was your lunar eclipse?

Bobby Williams caught some of the lunar eclipse late last night/early this morning from his East Village perch.

The first two photos are from 1:30 a.m. …



… and the last shot was at 2:30 a.m.



As we cut-n-paste from CNN:

In a total lunar eclipse, the full moon turns a coppery red as it passes into Earth's shadow. During the process, the moon's bright glow dims, taking on a red hue because of shimmers of sunlight and sunsets seeping through the Earth's atmosphere.

Apparently clouds obscured the blood moon part of it on the East Coast … otherwise, this would have been the projection…


[Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty Images]

Tonight's almost full mooooooon

Looking east from East Houston Street via @speakman

Today's photos of last night's moon

From the EV Observatory by Bobby Williams

Morning moon

Photo by EVG Moon Correspondent Bobby Williams

From ConEd to the Moon

Over at the ConEd plant on Avenue C ... Photo this evening via Shawn Chittle.

There's a moon over...

Photo by Bobby Williams tonight...

Moon set

Last night... photos by Bobby Williams