Tag: Earthglow

International Space Station

pre-dawn sky event

MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

December 23rd, sky clear at 6:30 am, the International Space Station (ISS) passed through the zenith with a waning crescent, a bowl filled with earthglow, in the southeast. On December 22nd I received the following email from NASA advising me of the event.

HQ-spotthestation@mail.nasa.gov

Sun 12/22/2019 7:00 PM

Time: Mon Dec 23 6:30 AM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 87°, Appears: 10° above SW, Disappears: 11° above ENE

Visit the NASA site to research if ISS viewing is possible from your location.

Here is another photograph of the crescent moon filled with earthglow.

Click photograph for the expanded view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • Cresent, McGraw Tower, Regulus
    Cresent, McGraw Tower, Regulus
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Earthglow

pre-dawn sky event

MichaelStephenWills5 Comments

December 23rd, sky clear at 6:30 am, the International Space Station passed through the zenith with a waning crescent, a bowl filled with earthglow, in the southeast. Here is a photograph of a waning moon above Cornell University from October 2017.

Click photograph for the expanded view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.
  • Crescent, McGraw Tower, Regulus, Venus
    Crescent, McGraw Tower, Regulus, Venus
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Thin Crescent Bowl filled with Earthglow

pre-dawn sky event

MichaelStephenWills7 Comments

A thin crescent bowl filled with earthglow floating above the dawn attended by Venus, Mars, Virgo.

 

Thin Crescent with Planets, Stars, Dawn

This was the view from Ithaca, New York at the start of dawn this morning of Tuesday, October 17, 2017.  Mars is next to the moon, the stars of the constellation Virgo scattered around, Venus is the bright object below.  We had a bright, clear sky not unusual for September and October.

Want more? Click the link for my Online Gallery

In the city, an arch of Schoellkopf Stadium on the Cornell University campus.  Cornell is on east hill.  We live on west hill, across the valley.  It is quiet on west hill, away from the students.

Earlier this week the crescent was in the constellation Leo where the bright limb occulted the bright star Regulus, to reappeared from behind the dark limb, a brilliant spectacle that happened after dawn for New York.  It was cloudy, as usual, on October 14.

When I woke, the moon was shining through the trees, still full of just turning leaves. The crescent turned, cup like, above the horizon, to cradle the dark orb glowing from the reflected light of our earth. I did not recognize Mars, the disk was less red than usual. Research revealed the moon had two planets in seeming attendance. I also learned that, when the horns point right the moon is waning, moving toward a new, or un-illuminated, moon. When the phase moved from new it is also a crescent with horns pointing left.

This morning was a fortunate gift, I had never contemplated the moon in quite this form before.

Copyright 2017 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Cresent, McGraw Tower, Regulus

Thin Crescent with McGraw Tower, Venus and Star

pre-dawn sky event

MichaelStephenWills7 Comments

Here are two photographs in follow-up to yesterday, taken about the same time, 6:30 am, today, October 18.

The moon rises later each day, so these shots include a larger disk closer to Cornell University.  Both components, the crescent and earth-glow, were dimmer this morning.    In each photograph Jenny McGraw Tower is visible.

Crescent, McjGraw Tower, Regulus, Venus
The star is Regulus, the brightest in the constellation Leo, close below the moon.  I don’t know the star close to Venus.

Here the tower is slightly to the right of the crescent, the arch of Schoellkopf stadium further right.  Among the trees on left, is the baleful red glow of Bradford Hall.

Cresent, McGraw Tower, Regulus

Click for another view of McGraw Tower from my Online gallery.

The tower is outlined by the lights of Uris library, presumably filled with early rising students.

The light of Regulus (“small king”),  below and to the right, is a composite of four stars moving together through space.  The position of Regulus on the path in the sky of the moon, planets and asteroids (called the ecliptic) leads to the occultation of the star by the disks of the moon and, less regularly, the planets and asteroids.

Copyright 2017 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Cresent, McGraw Tower, Regulus

Thin Crescent with McGraw Tower, Venus and Star

pre-dawn sky event

MichaelStephenWills22 Comments

Here are two photographs in follow-up to yesterday, taken about the same time, 6:30 am, today, October 18.

The moon rises later each day, so these shots include a larger disk closer to Cornell University.  Both components, the crescent and earth-glow, were dimmer this morning.    In each photograph Jenny McGraw Tower is visible.

Crescent, McjGraw Tower, Regulus, Venus
The star is Regulus, the brightest in the constellation Leo, close below the moon.  I don’t know the star close to Venus.

Here the tower is slightly to the right of the crescent, the arch of Schoellkopf stadium further right.  Among the trees on left, is the baleful red glow of Bradford Hall.

Cresent, McGraw Tower, Regulus

Click for another view of McGraw Tower from my Online gallery.

The tower is outlined by the lights of Uris library, presumably filled with early rising students.

The light of Regulus (“small king”),  below and to the right, is a composite of four stars moving together through space.  The position of Regulus on the path in the sky of the moon, planets and asteroids (called the ecliptic) leads to the occultation of the star by the disks of the moon and, less regularly, the planets and asteroids.

Copyright 2017 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Thin Crescent Bowl filled with Earthglow

pre-dawn sky event

MichaelStephenWills12 Comments

A thin crescent bowl filled with earthglow floating above the dawn attended by Venus, Mars, Virgo.

Thin Crescent with Planets, Stars, Dawn

This was the view from Ithaca, New York at the start of dawn this morning of Tuesday, October 17, 2017.  Mars is next to the moon, the stars of the constellation Virgo scattered around, Venus is the bright object below.  We had a bright, clear sky not unusual for September and October.

Want more? Click the link for my Online Gallery

In the city, an arch of Schoellkopf Stadium on the Cornell University campus.  Cornell is on east hill.  We live on west hill, across the valley.  It is quiet on west hill, away from the students.

Earlier this week the crescent was in the constellation Leo where the bright limb occulted the bright star Regulus, to reappeared from behind the dark limb, a brilliant spectacle that happened after dawn for New York.  It was cloudy, as usual, on October 14.

When I woke, the moon was shining through the trees, still full of just turning leaves. The crescent turned, cup like, above the horizon, to cradle the dark orb glowing from the reflected light of our earth. I did not recognize Mars, the disk was less red than usual. Research revealed the moon had two planets in seeming attendance. I also learned that, when the horns point right the moon is waning, moving toward a new, or un-illuminated, moon. When the phase moved from new it is also a crescent with horns pointing left.

This morning was a fortunate gift, I had never contemplated the moon in quite this form before.

Copyright 2017 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved