Not pink and not that super!

The full moon at this time of year looks a bit bigger than at other times, because it coincides with the perigee of the moon's rather elliptical orbit. Hence the usual 'Supermoon' stuff in the media. Worth noting, but not really all that spectacular an event.

This year we've been hearing about the 'pink moon'. That's a new angle. Well it isn't pink either. Pink moon is apparently a North American term for the full moon at this time of year, because it coincides there with the blooming of a pink flower, the creeping flox. 

I had a look anyway, just in case.

 

Apollo 11 and a big blue moon

The Powerhouse Museum, like many other institutions around the world, has been doing its bit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon visit earlier this year. They have a small but eye-catching array of exhibits to enjoy and experience.

 I was very taken by the big moon hanging from the ceiling. OK, it's smaller than the real one but a lot bigger than most moon globes.



The (replica) spacecraft on offer was actually a Mercury replica rather than an Apollo, but what the hell!
You could do virtual reality explorations of a moon walk, or conduct an actual moon landing yourself, driving a simulator. I was tempted to push in on the queue of youngsters wanting to do all this. But their need was greater than mine, I decided. I'd lived through the 1969 events myself, after all.




















I've written about the Powerhouse Museum before. About what a fine institution it is, but how it's being closed down and shipped out from its unique site next year, presumably so the government can hand over the land to the property developers that actually run the state. See here: April 2018 Powerhouse post

More on photography too easy!

As I said the other day (earlier post) you're not supposed to be able to do astronomical photography without telescopes, tripods, cable releases etc. You're not supposed to just hold your phone in the air, point it at the moon while it's set on fully auto, and touch the shutter button. Or if you do, you don't expect an image like this one.

But this is what my high-end Huawei phone gave me!

No wonder the Americans (and Google) are worried about them!

More sun and moon

I got the big telescope fired up again the other day. It's been a while, but the size and weight of the thing can be a bit off-putting.

The sun's still full of major sunspots, despite it being a few years past the predicted maximum in its 11-year cycle.

Solar viewing and photography all done with proper solar filter in place of course. Never try this sort of thing without one.

And the moon was as spectacular as ever. Of course we now know there are lots of other bodies in the solar system that look rather like the moon - and lots that look quite different too. All amazing to behold, in their own ways.






Another technical note: with my cassegrain with prism eyepiece connector, things appear both upside down and back to front. If you're a competent moon-navigator and got disoriented, that's why.

Man on the Moon

When I grew up in Birmingham, there was a nearby pub called the Man in the Moon. I never actually went there, but it was a very well-known local landmark. Lots of people can see a man in the moon when they look at the full moon, at least in the northern hemisphere, where it's appropriately oriented. Mind you, in some cultures, they see a chicken, or a rabbit. (I see mountains and plains and craters, but that's another story.)

When NASA landed the Apollo 11 astronauts on the Moon, on 20 July 1969, lots of people chose to watch it on TV at the Man in the Moon, where free drinks and a big party were on offer. That night the pub changed its name.

One small name change for Man..........


I finally made it there on my recent trip. Opinion among locals I consulted was divided about the merits of the place, so I consulted Tripadvisor. And it came up pretty good. Take a look: https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g186402-d3502108-Reviews-The_Man_on_the_Moon-Birmingham_West_Midlands_England.html