Rise of the Supermoon!

2012-05-06 20:38:28.000 – Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist

Rising Supermoon

Being the night observer last night was a special treat. Not only was it a nearly calm, comfortable, and clear evening, a special event called the Supermoon took place.

Lots of times, a phenomenon such as this is hit-and-miss on the summit due to the frequency of fog obscuring the sky. However, high pressure did its job last night in keeping skies clear, allowing the moon to shine quite bright.

Night was day, as the incredibly bright and brilliant moon moved into a special alignment with earth during the full moon phase–a scenario that happens once every year.

Although of poor quality, I snapped this shot of fellow observer Steve Welsh gazing upon the bright white celestial body. With the longer exposure, the moon has the appearance of the sun.

In fact, throughout most of last night, I stepped out to perform observations, forgetting for a moment about the supermoon, and thought ‘Wow, dawn is coming way too early!’. Of course I’d then look up at the moon and instantly remember the event in progress, then subsequently contemplate how lucky I am to be the night observer.

Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist