The Wolf Moon

Sadly, I have missed a couple of days posting, but I hope to get back on track.  We enjoy looking at the night sky together and are always interested  when we hear something new to us.  I heard about the "Wolf Moon," on a local news broadcast and thought we would make a point to check it out.

This term was new to us, so we went about doing a little research to find out what the "big deal," was regarding a Wolf Moon.  Come to find out, the "Wolf Moon," is the first new moon of the year.  The "big deal," in regards to this particular one is that it was to be 30% brighter and about 14% wider in appearance. Unfortunately, living in North Alabama, we were on the outside edge of the recent winter storm that passed through and the cloud cover didn't allow for viewing.  We did see some pictures, but they are just not the same as seeing it ourselves.  I have included one of the pictures that we saw.  I am sure you will agree, it is just not the same.

We have discussed the "Blue Moon," in the past and thought we might talk about that in a post, but finding out that each full moon has a name, was something new to us, so we thought we might better share.  If you are curious about the names of all of the full moons, you can click on the highlighted words and it will take you straight to the Farmer's Almanac legend that discusses the stories behind each month's full moon.

Also, I didn't forget!!  A Blue Moon was wrongly interpreted as occurring when there is a second full moon in a given calender month.  Actually, the Blue Moon is the moon that is a thirteenth moon in a calender year. The Blue Moon occurs during the year, dependent on the tradition that the observer is following.  I kind of like the second full moon in a given month the best, because it is simple. 

Next time you look up to see a full moon, I hope you have a little different appreciation for what you are looking.

Andy

Potpourri Thursday: Random thoughts and quotes.

As I continue to bring this project together, I am faced with the task of putting some order to my ramblings.....

Seeing as how I have not put the finishing touches on said plan, I reserve the right to hodgepodge it today.

Quotes given to me today from a couple of people at work.  Don't know who to credit these to, but rest assured, if I find out, I will give due credit.

*Don't criticize a person, until you have walked a mile in their shoes.  That way you will be a mile away and have their shoes!

*Live your life, like you are on a job interview.





Do you recognize the object in the picture below???

That's right!!!   It is the New Year's ball that is dropped in Times Square to ring in the New Year.

Do you know why the lit ball was initially dropped from this location at midnight??

I skipped down a little to give you a chance to think about the answer, before you read it.  May seem juvenile, but I thought I'd give you a choice.  The answer is:

The ball when initially dropped in 1907, was made of iron and wood, weighed 700 pounds, and was adorned with one hundred 25 watt light bulbs. Times Square had a high vantage point that made the ball highly visible from very far away.  The ball was called a time ball, but not why you think.  Although the drop coincided with New Year's revelers ringing in the year, it actually served a more practical purpose.  That purpose was to alert the ship captain's out in the harbor the precise time that midnight occurred.  Once the captain's saw the ball light up, they would synchronize their chronometers (a precise navigational instrument which could be used to determine longitude by celestial navigation).

I told you I liked learning and teaching. Hope you enjoyed!

A