Moon Over Old Central

The combination of intense moonlight and the fresh snow has been creating great dark shadows out in the country this week. The trees cast awesome, gnarled shadow shapes on the snow. I don't have to leave the porch light on - the moon gives off plenty of light to see.

I take the dog out at night and enjoy the eerie scene for a while - the moon, the shadows, the crisp air. The howl of a wolf - "were" or otherwise - would be the perfect capper to the scene.

It's not your imagination.  The moon is brighter, because it is at apogee.  More fascinating stuff, as always, can be found on Bob King's blog (a.k.a. Astro Bob).  My kids and I particularly enjoy going outside and looking up based on the table of ISS flyover dates and times he posts.  I read that blog and learn something new almost every day.

So that's what's going on. Nice picture by the way.

No, it's pretty impressive.  Thanks for explaining that, too.  I saw a similar view up at the Kenwood shopping center around the same time I guess.  The batteries are dead in my camera or I would've taken a pic myself.  It stood out brilliantly above that stand of huge pine trees on the east side of the parking lot by Super One.  

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threadjack alert ... I've been concerned for some time now about how the very tippy top thingie on Old Central HS is listing to the side.  

I know we're spending like half a billion dollars* fixing up our working schools in this town, but along the way I hope we don't run out of money to fix the ones we've got.  And Central IS a school, btw, home to ISD 709's alternative high school programs: ALC, Unity, and Teen Parent, plus I think U of M extension has programs there, too.  

*disputed figure, I know - I get that, and I'm not intending to express an opinion on the "Red Plan" here.

Uh oh... the chimney appears to have been drinking...

The moon was big & orange while rising in the sky the other night.  It is so bright it lights up the backyard like a spotlight.  Thanks for posting this Paul.  The moon indeed has been very impressive this week.

The moon has been rather impressive, the other morning as I was relaxing in my chateau I noticed the way the moon was shimmering in the velvety black sky. I quite enjoyed the moonbeams that washed down over my luminous pale body. The way it shone in the light was quite mesmerizing and caused several small children to stop and stare. Anyway.
Nice pic!