Lunar Lag

You’ve probably noticed that the moon rises and sets later from one day (or night) to the next.  I know it’s about 50 minutes by the clock, but what does that translate to in space?  I had the chance to get an idea with two pictures.

The first I took on Saturday night.  There was Venus and the moon hanging in the western sky.

Saturday after sunset

Saturday after sunset — Will Venus catch the moon?

I was hoping for a cloudless Sunday evening.  I wanted to compare the positions of Venus and the moon.  How much closer would they be?

Sunday as Venus and the moon go hand-in-hand

Sunday as Venus and the moon go hand-in-hand

In the second shot, the moon was so brilliant that it “bloomed.”  It was only the second evening since the new moon, and only a tiny crescent was illuminated.  Against a very dark sky it was too much contrast.

Here’s a fully zoomed-in shot of Sunday night’s moon.  I only resized this shot and made no other changes.

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The camera does not handle the very high contrast all that well.  Perhaps there’s a mode to help with that?  I still have much to learn.  (In many ways.)

Posted in sky