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ApS
08-31-2007, 06:03 AM
For an unrelated topic, I was determined late some night to photograph the house lights on the shore opposite me. (There are many fewer lights than in past seasons, but I want to compare photographs with future seasons).

Very early this morning, in response to an urgent personal need to get up from bed, :emb: I found an ideal moment to take that photograph.

What a surprise: the moon was nearly overhead and glowing through the clouds! There have been a few forum discussions lately of the effect of moonlight on lake boating, the effect of the moon's angle with respect to the horizon, and the hours that it will shine brightly.

As others have mentioned here (http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9294&postcount=8)—it was like daylight. The overall effect was like a giant fluorescent light over the lake! There was absolutley no trouble finding my way through the yard, taking three long sets of stairs, and going out to the end of the dock to take the photograph. (No flashlight used—or needed).

Even under four feet of water, that beer can—that I still haven't retrieved—glowed brightly!

I'm looking for comments of what others think about this moonight phenomenon this weekend. Whether it's cloudy or not this weekend, the moonlight on the lake should be interesting (if not illuminating :D ) for our after-dark boaters.

CanisLupusArctos
08-31-2007, 10:02 AM
I noticed it was looking very red upon rising this week, just as we have had many red sunsets. On the news it was reported that the redness has been a result of smoke from all the fires burning out west this summer.

You're right - it has had the brightness of a mid-winter moon on snow. Shining through clouds, the moon's light was scattered the same way a flourescent light gets scattered by one of those rectangular ceiling-tile lenses that you see in offices.

Today the moon is past full at 89% and shrinking fast- by the end of this weekend it'll be a half-moon - but the weekend weather looks fantastic and clear once the clouds leave us tonight.

Weirs guy
08-31-2007, 11:22 AM
When we watched the full moon rise the other night my son commented it looked like the sun coming up, big and bright red over Governors Isld. Then just yesterday morning the sun rise did in fact look exactly like the moon rise before it. Absolutely amazing.