Moonrise
An occasional habit of ours is enjoyment of company while viewing the effects of sunset from our east facing patio. The Sunday of January 20, 2019 I prepared for total lunar eclipse by researching moon rise. Online charts (search for “moonrise”) give the time and compass heading for particular locations.
This departing cruise ship was in line of sight and I was disappointed to have missed effect of the reflected sunlight on the myriad windows we so often enjoy with friends. The preceding and following photographs present an illusion of a cruise ship appearing larger than the full moon, the effect of the much larger body viewed from an enormous distance.
In these photographs a newly risen full moon appears to emerge from ocean cloud cover. A full moon is a requirement of a lunar eclipse, it is not possible to have an eclipse without a full moon, although the reverse is not true.
The apparent large size of the moon low in the sky is an optical illusion caused by the alignment of vision with earth-bound objects on the horizon.
A simple experiment is to find a pebble that is the same size as the newly risen full moon when held at arm’s length. Wait until the orb is well up and apparently smaller. You will find the same pebble covers the moon. On the horizon or high above, the full moon covers the same angular diameter.
Click for the next post in this series
Copyright 2019 All Right Reserved Michael Stephen Wills
Michael Stephen Wills Photography 
Ethereal photos of the moon, Michael … always a reminder of our own small space in the cosmos! 😀
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Good to learn of your enjoyment, Annika. There are more moon shots to come, next week.
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These are beautiful, thank you.
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Thanks for sharing your pics as well as your description.
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Beautiful pictures of this lunar event!
The cruise ship is an added bonus.
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There is more to come, next week.
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What a great view! That last shot is magnificent.
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Thanks, Irene. What struck you about it, especially?
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First of all, the clarity and brightness of the moon. Then, the blending of colors in the sky. There also seems to be a layer of clouds right above the water. Was this a long exposure on a tripod?
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The full moon is bright so 1/1000 of a second at F10 ISO 800. I “always” use a tripod when using an SLR for such shots and did so here.
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Nicely done. 😊
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Excellent pictures as always. As an amateur astronomer, I’m always looking at great shots of anything in the sky. Two thumbs up on these.
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You’ll enjoy the next post on the Total Lunar Eclipse. Your compliment is appreciated.
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Nice photos. We missed out on the eclipse in January. Too many clouds in the sky.
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we lucked out
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Wonderful moon photos, Michael Stephen, I especially like the last one…those colors are so rich.
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