Super Moon and Eclipse, September 27, 2015
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| Painted before moon watching started, Crater Lake Natl. Park |
When I realized, about four days ago, that we were about to
have a very special celestial event, I kicked into gear. I told Dale I really wanted to watch this
combination Super Moon and full lunar eclipse.
I assumed we’d drive about twenty miles west, up into the hills and away
from town, but he volunteered to go all the way to Crater Lake National Park, a
good two and a half hours from home. From
there we would feel as though we were sitting on top of the world and would see
the eclipse as soon as the moon rose above the horizon.
I quickly realize how little I know about astronomy. It’s easy to find the time for moonrise and when
the eclipse starts, when it is full, and when it ends … but where, exactly does the moon
rise? We need to park before the moon
actually comes up. This combination of
events isn’t going to happen for another thirty three years.
The moon rises in the east.
Right? Well, sort of. Exactly where in the east varies considerably
on different dates. Just this September
the moon rose anywhere from 66 degrees to 114 degrees ( 90 degrees would be due
east and the full compass is 360 degrees). On the night of Sept 27 the moon is
schedule to rise at 88 degrees. O.K. That
seems simple enough.
But then Dale points out a compass points to magnet north,
not true north. We need to figure that
into our calculations too. Back to the
internet. It takes a bit of sleuthing
but soon I know Crater Lake’s latitude is 42.9 and its longitude is 122.1 and
that means our compass needs to be adjusted about 15 degrees. That is how much it points east of true
north.
This sounds like a lot of fuss and bother, but when we
finally are on top of Crater Lake’s rim we are thankful we did the
homework. Mt. Scott rises just to the
east of Crater Lake and blocks much of the horizon. Also the road dips and winds along the
forested slopes around the lake. Most pullouts
are designed for viewing the lake, not the country to the east.
At last we find the perfect spot. A big pullout gives us a panoramic view to
the east and south. Dale’s compass
calculations say the moon will rise to our left, but to the right of Mt.
Scott. I’m guessing the spot where it
will rise is at least 50 miles from where we park. We leave for the afternoon to take advantage
of being in this beautiful country, and then return well before sunset. I even have time to sketch ‘fir owls’ and
then paint a cluster of pines. ‘Fir
Owls’ is my pet name for the big cones that sit on top of true fir
branches. They look like little owls up
there. More than once I’ve had to look
carefully to make sure they are all really cones.
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| Looking south from our parking spot. Mt. Shasta is back there, but it doesn't show well. |
Our parking spot eases into shadow long before the vast
expanse in front of us does. Over a
hundred miles away Mt. Shasta still catches the late rays of the sun. Here coolness takes over quickly. The breeze has died and a stillness
comes. All is quiet except for a noisy
family of Clark’s nutcrackers off in the distance. Soon they, too, quiet down. The sky above is clear; but there is a blue haziness
near the horizon. Wildfire smoke is
still a part of our lives.
The moon rises on schedule – 6:50 PM. At first I think just
imagine I see it. A thin sliver of peach
glows in the blue haze just above the horizon – right where Dale predicted it
would rise. The eclipse started over an
hour ago. Most of the moon is already in
the moon’s shadow and just this thin strip of moon is visible.
The moon is fully covered by the earth’s shadow at 7:11 PM
…. But we can hardly see it. The sky is
still fairly bright; haze and smoke blur
what should be visible. We wonder just
how much of this eclipse we are going to be able to see.
Slowly, ever so slowly, our view improves. The sky darkens; the moon rises above the
murky horizon. Oh my! It glows red in that vast expanse of
sky. The moon in full eclipse is far
darker than on a normal night, yet its distinctive face is still visible. Stars sparkle near its perimeter. The land in front of us has fallen into
darkness.
We stay longer than planned.
It is hard to break away with that glowing red ball hanging in the sky
above us. We hoped to get back to the
western rim in time to see if the moon’s light is strong enough to reflect on
the surface of the lake, but by the time we get there the eclipse is
ending. A sliver of bright white moon is
back, sparkling white on the surface of the lake.
Time for us to start our long drive home.
To determine moon rise, sunrise, etc:
To calculate the difference between true north and magnetic
north:
