21 February 2008

Yet Another Reason I Love Wyoming


The incredibly awesome, super-duper sky. Where on clear nights, you can see the Milky Way, and oh, yeah, nifty things like a lunar eclipse. Now I know why eclipses freaked our ancestors out. A nice copper-amber shade crept across the moon, little by little. Coyotes howled, and the wind rose, then fell into an eerie silence just as the moon was obscured. You have to freeze your butt off to see it, but hey, good things come to those who can operate a camera with wool mittens on.

Right?

Of course, it took me about as long to find my tripod, drive towards Montana to a dark spot, and set up as it did for the eclipse to reach this phase.

According to my old reliable copy of CyberSky, the dot in the lower left is Saturn, the one on the right is Regulus. After paying homage to my old friend, Orion, and refilling my awe-o-meter on the Milky Way, I fled back to town and the warmth of indoors.

Thank you for viewing another episode of "Whim-based Photography" Theater. Donations to the Pneumonia Fund would be greatly appreciated...

18 comments:

Gabriele Campbell said...

We always get clouds when there's something interesting happening in the sky. :(

Constance Brewer said...

But you have Roman ruins and we don't! I'll trade... *g*

Gabriele Campbell said...

Em, I think I keep the Roman ruins. :)

Constance Brewer said...

Somehow, I thought you'd say that... But as long as you keep photographing them, I guess I'll be happy. :)

Anonymous said...

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie,that's Wyoming?????????

Constance Brewer said...

You got it, Dino. *g*
Enjoying that snow back there?

Meghan said...

Wow. That's an AMAZING picture! When anything spectacular happens in the night sky it's usually foggy or cloudy here in the Bay Area.

Anonymous said...

Your camera thanks you for taking a picture of something other than a Corgi.......

Btw...do they howl when the moon is full,or do you?

Constance Brewer said...

Meghan- thanks. :) Only time it seems to cloud up here is during meteor showers.

Constance Brewer said...

Anon, was that a Corgi picture request I heard??
We don't howl, we just listen to the coyotes do it for us.

Gabriele Campbell said...

When the moon hits your eye
like a big pizza pie,
that's Wyoming?????????


Sounds like a song text. What about a band called Wyoming Coyotes?

Constance Brewer said...

What anon is so facetiously referring to, is a song we heard frequently in our youth, That's Amore, by Dean Martin.

When the moon hits your eye like a big-a pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine
That's amore

Carla said...

Amazing photo - a real Blood Moon.

Anonymous said...

Maybe in some future blog entry we can quote a couple more of your old childhood favorite songs.

"The Ballad of the Green Berets" and "Sink the Bismarck" come to mind.....

Just waiting for an opening!

Constance Brewer said...

It was pretty impressive, more amber colored most of the time. Didn't look as red in person, could be the film...

Constance Brewer said...

Anon - I still cringe when I hear college fight songs. I think Dad still has that tape - now CD!

anthonynorth said...

It's very rare to see an eclipse in the Uk because of cloud cover, but the occasional one I have seen was absolutely beautiful, and awe inspiring.

Constance Brewer said...

anthonynorth- You'd love the night skies here. Very breathtaking. :)