The clouds were still hanging low behind the Sandias when the first full moon of 2021 rose cost to 6:00 pm tonight. Between the brightness of the full moon and the clouds, my lenses had trouble finding a sharp edge to get a sharp focus. I miss the old days when I could dial a lens to infinity and the moon would be in focus. I didn’t have to deal with finding edges in bright objects to focus on.
Mama Owl sunny side up
Uncropped photo taken from the irrigation ditch bank right under the owls just before sunset.
Cropped photo of Owls taken after sunset from the levee near the Tangle Heart tree.
The Beaver Moon rose in the northeast on November 30th. I had to photograph it through the cottonwoods to get its yellow color when it was just above the horizon. A Beaver Moon in cottonwoods seemed most appropriate. This Beaver Moon was also the last penumbral lunar eclipse of the year.
There was a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse tonight, July 4, 2020. The moon was so bright, I couldn’t see any changes to it besides the clouds drifting by adding a little drama to the scene. It was rather anticlimactic, but I photographed in anyway.
The tracker on my screen showed the coverage at the peak on the eclipse.
A cloud drifting by at 10:07 pm gave an eclipse look to the moon.
The flowery full moon rose over the Sandias a little before 9:00 PM behind a bank of clouds. It finally started showing softly through the clouds, and then through the branches of the trees.
The super pink moon appearing between clouds over the Sandias, reflecting in the river.
I waited on the banks of the Rio Grande for the super pink moon to rise over the Sandias. In an otherwise clear sky, clouds lingered over the Sandias blocking the moon rise. The moon was able to make a brief appearance in a break between the clouds. The clouds persisted in hiding the moon long after darkness set in, and beavers splashed in the shadows of the river bank.
I had one opportunity to get a shot of the super pink moon as it rose through a break in the clouds.Clouds behind Resa’s trees lit up by the super pink moon lurking behind them.
The last full moon of 2019 completes the first decade in the new millennium, and it will peak at 12:12 on 12/12, EST. All these twelves are significant in many ways. Here are a few that come to mind:
There are 12 months in a year, and December is the 12th month of the year. Time is often measured in two 12-hour periods signifyling the split between night and day. Twelve is a symbol of cosmic order, and the number of space and time.
The are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, and 12 signs in the Zodiac. There are Twelve Tribes of Israel, and Jacob had twelve sons who are considered the ancestors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. When a Jewish girl turns 12 she becomes Bat Mitzvah. There are normally 12 jurors on a jury in the US.
In numerology, the number 12 is related to perfection, harmony, motivation, achievement, independence and completion. There are the 12 days of Christmas. The Flag of the European Union has 12 stars, and 12 people have walked on the moon.
Finally, 12 is considered the perfect number because there are 4 elements, 4 corners of the earth, and 4 cardinal points. Three is considered the sacred number of God; therefore, when the 4 elements, the 4 corners and the 4 cardinal points are multiplied as 4 x 3, the result, 12, is the perfect number.
At 12:12 on 12/12 the man in the moon shows himself for an instant.
This is the super moon eclipse from full moon through the full eclipse. We’ve had varying cloud cover tonight, and as it got closer to the full eclipse, the clouds became more dense almost completely blocking out the moon. They thinned out a little at the maximum eclipse, but the eclipsed moon was fuzzy looking through the clouds.
Mama Owl sunny side up
Uncropped photo taken from the irrigation ditch bank right under the owls just before sunset.
Cropped photo of Owls taken after sunset from the levee near the Tangle Heart tree.
Off Center & Not Even 