A Harvest Moon & The Northern Lights

Three Nights of the Harvest Moon

"The Full Moon of Saturday, Sept. 17 also carries the title of the Harvest Moon for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. The Moon officially turns full when it reaches that spot in the sky opposite (180 degrees) to the Sun in the sky. This moment will occur on Saturday at 6:01 p.m. EDT (3:01 p.m. PDT)."

"Saturday’s Full Moon is the one that comes the closest to the September equinox so this year it falls in September, although in one out of three years this title can be bestowed upon the October Full Moon. The 2005 version of the Harvest Moon comes just five days prior to the Autumnal Equinox, although it can occur as early as September 8 (as in 1976) or as late as October 7 (as in 1987)."

Astronomy Picture of the Day
I've never seen the 'Northern Lights' which dance across the skies of the Earth's most northern zones. They seem to be a gift from heaven for man and beast alike. Airy colors, to make up for the freezing of your eye-lashes and the tip of your nose. While I sit in my desert home, I image that the colorful auroras are touching northern beating hearts and the warm flesh answers back in a rhythm that can not be explained but can only be felt.



Astronomy Picture of the Day
Northern Lights, September Skies
Credit & Copyright: Philippe Moussette

"Explanation: So far, the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights have made some remarkable visits to September's skies. The reason, of course, is the not-so-quiet Sun. In particular, a large solar active region now crossing the Sun's disk has produced multiple, intense flares and a large coronal mass ejection (CME) that triggered wide spread auroral activity just last weekend. This colorful example of spectacular curtains of aurora was captured with a fish-eye lens in skies over Quebec, Canada on September 11. Also featured is the planet Mars, the brightest object above and left of center. Seen near Mars (just below and to the right) is the tightly knit Pleiades star cluster. Although they can appear to be quite close, the northern lights actually originate at extreme altitudes, 100 kilometers or so above the Earth's surface."

Funny, the first few yards of fabric I every bought had the same pattern and colors to it. And, my yarn stash is awash in this same color scheme. Must be my way of bringing the Aurora frequencies to the desert.