The first super full moon of the year is coming soon, and will be a special one for those living in the Northern Hemisphere ‒ it will also be what is known as a “harvest moon.” This visual spectacular will appear low on the horizon, making it ideal for taking pictures or just enjoying a […]
This past week the weather was cooler and clear … just right for evening and early morning skywatching. I didn’t bother to set up the Lumix GX8 camera on a tripod or use a different lens, but I did have the lightweight 14-140mm lens mounted and took a couple morning photos (above) and a photo […]
Read the full article in Phys.org Ok … so it is not “manned,” but check out these physics facts from Discover Magazine anyway 😉 Q: Why does the moon always present the same face to us? I find it impossible to believe that this could happen by chance. — Michael Connelly, Toronto A: Nope, not […]
To make this a Throwback Thursday #TBT post, here’s a photo from Summer 2022. I used Brenda’s iPhone14 to capture the brilliant Super Blue Moon at the end of August … not bad. It was so bright that it basically lit up the flowering bushes off the rear porch. The late summer heat (90+ degrees […]
Skywatching and politics have little in common, unless one is stretching for a to put the two together in a morning after a November midterm election blog post. In the early Tuesday morning hours, before the election polls opened, the Blood “Red” Moon was being photographed and viewed by skywatchers — often referred to at […]
Not that I’m trying to promote astrophotographers (although have mentioned this photographer before) or the selling of things on my blog, but since I enjoy maps and space photography … check out this from Andrew McCarthy (see Sunrise on the Highlands).
It was exciting to see the new Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule move toward Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B this month as space-nerds anticipate NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission. The sight of such a large rocket “crawling” toward the launch pad brings back the Apollo program of my youth and the Space […]
The final new “half-moon” window was installed on Monday this week with the proper wagon-wheel spokes (photo below) .. which coincides with this week’s “Super Moon.” What makes this one somewhat unique is that there will also be a lunar eclipse where the earth shadows the moon. A total lunar eclipse completely blocks the moon, […]
Every once in a while when seeing what cellphone cameras can do, I wonder why I even bother to ever grab my camera bag and relatively expensive DSLR camera anymore? Last night the weather in Cincinnati was clear and humidity low. The moon was large and rising in the sky in the southeast and looks […]
As has been highly celebrated and reported in every form of media this week (and mention in not just one, but two earlier blog posts), today is the 50th anniversary of the landing a man on the moon. It was the historic Apollo 11 eight-day mission to the moon and back with the goal of […]
In the space race with the Soviet Union (USSR) during the 1960s, the United States “rocketed” ahead on July 16, 1969 as NASA sent the three men of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins into space at 9:32AM EST. The Apollo command module and Lunar Module (LM) sat atop the huge 363-feet […]
As we approach the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon in 1969, I’ve been enjoying both television anniversary shows, articles and the book Moondust – In Search of the Men Who Fell to the Earth. The Andrew Smith book, in particular, has been enjoyable as it blends events from the author’s memory […]
With the colder weather and clear sky over Cincinnati late Thursday evening and Friday morning this week, I took my Lumix GX-8 camera and 100-300mm lens out in the backyard to see what I could photograph. Not much as expected from Jupiter, but I think I could make out a couple moons in the pixelated […]
It has been a morning of computer server problems after updating Certbot on one of my Linux servers in order to keep the Let’s Encrypt certificates updating properly (the email warning below). For customers on Consolidated Printing and Publishing servers, there will not be a problem as the certs are commercial … but for my […]
A moon rock? Yes, my very own moon rock … or perhaps "rock" or even "stone" is too big a word – maybe moon chip or flake is more appropriate? Nevertheless, the publisher’s promotion to encourage social networking assistance in marketing Robert Kurson’s new book Rocket Men, The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the […]
It was a crisp and cold night for March in Cincinnati and with a pitch black sky at 6 AM (after the Daylight Savings time change), the Waning Crescent Moon (see Lunar Phase) gave me a chance to see if my Lumix GX8 and 100-300mm lens was up to the task. I’ve tried still photos […]
I haven’t been wielding my camera around much lately as it is so much easier to whip out the iPhone and take a photo or some video … but occasionally there’s a subject that can’t be photographed easily with a smartphone or even with a DSLR. Here was my quick attempt last night with the […]
A Supermoon chat with John Rowe & Mike Hasking – 1/31/2018 Tonight is your last chance to witness a once in a lifetime lunar event. A super blue blood moon will be visible in the night’s sky for just over an hour, from 11.50 tonight. It’s the third in a trilogy of large, red […]
The autumn Supermoon of 2016 has certainly been a beautiful sight in the night sky these past few days. The last couple of evening I’ve enjoyed the view and "attempting" to capture the using only my iPhone 5s since my son has my DSLR for an upcoming trip to Hawaii; I’m hoping he will practiced […]
Astronaut Rick Mastracchio (@AstroRM) posts some terrific space oriented photos. Here’s one showing he moon passing between the NASA climate observatory and earth. As he tweets, "almost unbelievable that this is a real photo."
A few of my photos on Sunday night of the Super Moon Solar Eclipse in the sky over Cincinnati, Ohio. Very cool. Graphic from skyandtelescope.com and usatoday.com below.
A plane flies in front of a supermoon above Westminster in central London en route to Heathrow airport on August 10, 2014. The full moon is positioned closest to the earth on its orbit in over 20 years. It is 50,000 kilometers closer than normal and 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual. The scientific […]
A late in the evening couple of photos to mark Cinco de Mayo. First, the warm winter and spring … and late opening of the pool for us … gave a bit more growth to the pool water than what I find inviting. Yuck. But it has already improved with a little cleaning, pumping […]
Interesting educational video explaining the super moon a little over a month away in May 2012. A couple of the points were interesting, such as the word “lunacy” (lunar) coming from the folklore of strange things happening under a full moon. The couple centimeters of tidal change also surprised me. It was less than I […]
In keeping with my previous theme of photography and space, my sailing acquaintance Fred Roswold currently working on his sailboat in South Africa posted his photo the June eclipse of the moon. His did a little Photoshop composite work after taking a series of shots 10-20 minutes apart. Great image Fred. The settings, for any […]
Amazingly … President John F. Kennedy’s speech setting the goal for the United States to “go to the moon” was given 50 years ago. Most in this country has heard parts of this speech and JFK’s delivery is burned into memory of many of my generation. For those too young to have heard the entire […]
Spending a quiet night aboard Encore under a full moon during a still evening and high tide.
Although my ‘supermoon’ photo from Saturday night isn’t one of the better ones from across the country, I did head outside to admire the “brightest moon since 1993.” The moon appear in its full phase just 50 minutes shy of the orbit that brings it closest to the earth … perigee. According to what I’ve […]
The moon was full and extraordinarily large as it rose above the road in front of me while driving home tonight. Unfortunately the Palm Pre lacks a bit in the camera department (photo below) and I pulled my DSLR out at home. The moon had already risen a bit further and lost some of its […]
Here are a few more photos as the earth eclipses the moon on February 20, 2008. (Photo above is about 10:20 PM in Cincinnati, Ohio) A bit further away (above) and here’s a close up photo.
Volkswagen is one of those companies that seems to get a tad ‘edgy’ in it advertising campaigns. From the “Vee-Dub” and “German Engineering, ya-man” ads mentioned a couple weeks ago, to the latest Hispanic targeting ads featuring the cartoon mouse ‘Speedy Gonzalez.’ I posted a comment a week or so ago on the CinciTDI group […]
Can you tell if this “Cow Jumped Over the Moon” image has been manipulated (Photoshopped), AI generated or is a real photo? You are exactly right. From the human eye alone, it is now often impossible to be certain, especially with images like this that sit right at the boundary between coincidence, editing, and AI […]
Here’s a Tech Friday item: The lidar maker Luminar for self-driving cars has filed for bankruptcy according to The Verge. Unfortunately for them, technology changes fast even when you have a great product and are innovative; in the real world, companies are still required to have a profitable business plan that keeps the lights on. ☹️ […]
Elon Musk‘s new Tesla pay package isn’t a guaranteed $1 TRILLION payout, it’s a stretch-goal incentive structure requiring him to achieve extraordinarily ambitious milestones: deploying 1 million robotaxis, selling 10 million FSD subscriptions, scaling to 1 million Optimus robots, and growing Tesla’s market cap 6x to $8.5T (surpassing Nvidia’s peak). Tesla also laid out a […]
Look at the feelers on this moth (link). God’s creation in nature is amazing! It has been so much more pleasant this weekend compared to last — weather wise – and besides mowing, decided to remove a couple overgrown low-spreading bushes in our half-moon. We didn’t plant flowers as usual this year knowing it was […]
Of course it would end up being a Music Monday repeat from several years ago, but since I’ve already snipped the ani-gif from SiriusXM’s The Bridge, I’ll continue on as an audio instead of the 1972 video. The album by Gary Wright (1943-1923), The Dream Weaver was released in 1975 and included the single Dream Weaver […]
Have you ever wondered how the yearly floating date for Easter is determined … or why it is so late this year (April 20, 2025)? Almanac.com had a great article, but since I’m thinking about Tech Friday today, here’s what Grok3 AI has to say about it. 😉 The date of Easter Sunday is determined […]
Going through my iPhone’s photos folder to see what I’ve missed posting about is becoming a habit. This past weekend I realized that the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket with the crewed Dragon capsule‘s launch contrails on Saturday evening were blogworthy as was a condo “parking lot” photo of the Blood Worm Moon on Saturday evening (click […]
The nearly 75 year old ocean liner, the SS United States, was towed southbound in the Atlantic Ocean on February 26, 2025 and headed towards its finally resting place in the Gulf of America (previously Gulf of Mexico) somewhere off the coast near Destin, Florida to become an artificial reef. The 1951 (christened), 990 ft, […]
A newly married friend recently returned from his honeymoon in a beautiful and tropical location. He sent a photo overlooking the turquoise water of a harbor filled with anchored boats. It definitely pulled at my “dream” strings and has me missing boats and the sailing life. As the cold weather continues to make me think […]
When thinking about seasonal weather forecasts, it is enjoyable to check in with The Old Farmer’s Almanac. It has become a regular habit … although I can’t say how accurate year to year how close they are to what really happens? I’d venture a guess that they are probably more accurate than hurricane forecasting. […]
Back during COVID, Americans were not able to eat out the way we once did. Our habits in the Corbett household changed a bit, although we actually started cooking a bit more after our favorite restaurant closed (we were no longer just tossing food in the microwave or on the grill). One of the things […]
While clearing a few photos off my iPhone 7 Plus due to limited storage space this week, I decided it might be nice to archive a few photos … so “leftovers” from the week sounded like a good idea for this post. First, Brenda wanted a few new hooks for mops and things in the […]
Click images for larger images Our backyard may not have been the absolute best location to view a perfectly covered sun for the solar eclipse, but it was very impressive. Taylor took an afternoon off of work and came up with Gigi in the afternoon (we are north of Cincinnati), and I suspect he […]
Graphic at: https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety On April 8, 2024, much of North America will experience a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse (vs lunar eclipse) is an alignment of Sun, Moon, and Earth, verse the Sun, Earth and Moon. On Monday, the moon’s shadow path will make landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast, cross the United States from Texas […]
This first story is from my son-in-law Drew, and highlights just how communication for doctors has changed throughout the years. The “pager” is synonymous with doctors as hospitals and medical offices have used them for years to communicate quickly. Sure they pretty much all have cellphones and smartwatches these days (they do also still use […]
Most people enjoy a day or week at the beach, but few who are younger get the opportunity to spend much more time than that enjoying the sand and surf. Thankfully Brenda and I have figured out how to do it … even if it is not on a sailboat as I had planned. While […]
Mark your calendar for a couple of chances to see the Moon cast a shadow as it crosses the contiguous United States during the annular solar eclipse: October 14, 2023 and then a total solar eclipse in the spring on April 8, 2024 (images above from The Old Farmer’s Almanac). These dark paths across the […]
It is hard for me not to enjoy almost any James Taylor music no matter who sings or plays the songs, but the music is especially enjoyable when it is the Lexington Lab Band (includes my schoolmate from high school, Rob Pottorf). For Music Monday this week, here’s the group’s YouTube video of “Copperline” that […]
Who doesn’t smile when waking up to a cup of coffee in the morning — oh, I can smell it now. I know I do … and would be shocked if it actually smiled back! Really this is just adding to the archive in getting the yard ready for summer and the family this weekend. […]
This past month on our trip to Florida, I downloaded an audiobook on Hoopla from the library in order to save on iPhone data (our Mint Mobile plan has a 4GB limit). I started it on my AfterShokz headset while on the beach, but Brenda soon wanted to listen with me … so we both […]
As a boy growing up enamored with the NASA Apollo program and going to the moon in the 1960s, I’m still a little peeved at Pluto’s demotion from planet status. Nevertheless, I’m amazed at the New Horizon spaceship’s video flying over the mountains of Pluto. Amazing and a worthwhile Friday Filler.
It is difficult to ignore the success of the private space industry and admire companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX as it launches and re-launches rocket after rocket. From satellite launching to shuttling astronauts to and from the International Space Station, SpaceX definitely has the potential to land astronauts back on the moon and to be […]
Since the post scheduled for today is for those who have signed-in (you should register) … I’m adding this one as a public filler for the day. These week we had our first slick road for the season with a touch of snow … and as it does every year, triggered an accident on the […]
I took a quick photo as the Moon and Venus are lit up by the sun well down in our evening sky in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Cold, clear and beautiful. Be watching for Saturn and Jupiter!
… Boom … Our new windows are really not that clean, but obviously the reflective quality is not helpful and looks painful for birds flying into them. I’m starting to wonder if we should rig up some kind of netting or thin sunshade? The latest bird to hit the window left a “dust” imprint clear […]
TIDBIT: Although Jupiter and Saturn can look “relatively close” from our perspective, they are actually 456 million miles apart. Saturn is nearly twice as far away as Jupiter. We have had a few unusually cool evenings for early August (50-60F degrees) and the clear skies have me looking up. For stargazers and amateur sky watchers, […]
Most news outlets are covering the Jeff Bezos and crew launching the few minutes delayed Blue Origin first crewed 11-minute space flight on the anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing in 1969. The New Shepard spacecraft launched flawlessly and was a beautiful site … although, shockingly short, for $28 million dollars per passenger. Interestingly, […]
Yesterday was my “space-camp” and NASA Sharp daughter Katelyn’s birthday and I had been saving a link that I forgot about just for the occasion … so will post it a day late … along with an amazing 2020 photo of Jupiter and Europa from the Hubble Space Telescope. We share an interest in space […]
The Who was never at the top of my music listening list, but like all who grew up in the 1960-70’s era, we all knew the music. This past Wednesday was the 60th anniversary of Alan Shepard‘s flight into space and as a boy who grew up mesmerized by our NASA space program (still am) […]
For Christians, there’s no more celebrated day than Easter … for without a risen Savior, no other day in Christianity would matter. He is risen indeed! BUT … why does the day always change? I mean, we’ve assigned December 25th to celebrate Christmas and most other holidays on our calendar at least fall in the […]
December 2020 rolled in with a light white blanket of snow and colder weather to let us know that winter is probably here for a while. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to the temperature change, but I really don’t mind the hushed beauty of a “new-fallen snow” … as Clement Clarke Moore wrote […]
The NASA liftoff of Perseverance (7/30/2020) was a great sight this morning as was hearing that the new new rover “phoned home” an hour later. Those who grew up with the space program are fondly remembering the race to the moon days as well as the excitement in man probing space. This trip to Mars […]
It has been a slow start to getting our yard in shape. By now we usually have the pool open and flowers planned, but for some reason (probably rain) we are not ready for summer. Thankfully though, Saturday was nice most of the day. I waited as long as possible to add a few brown […]
While Brenda and I wait for the new season of our favorite book-to-television Amazon Prime’s “Man In The High Castle” series, we (or should I really say “she”) got hooked on the popular binge watched series “Stranger Things.” It is amazing how our television habits have changed in this past decade? Gone are the weekend […]
Who wants to go swimming? The Great White Shark can detect blood in the water up to 3 miles away! Just look at those expensive teeth. I watched several science programs regarding space and the Apollo 11 moon landing these past couple of weeks … and one the other night explaining the Big Bang theory […]
A lot of things needed to go right when NASA sent three astronauts rocketing towards the moon in July of 1969 … but one real close call happened after their safe return to earth. It seems, some of the iconic photographs were “almost lost to posterity,” explains Zeiss, the company that provided the lenses for […]
Brenda and I watched the movie Interstellar (2014) once before, but we watched it again this past week, and as often happens, we picked up on a few more interesting facts that made our brains hurt … well at least mine: General relativity, The Science of Interstellar, Black Holes and Time Warps. Thankfully I could […]
Just north of Cincinnati the sky was perfect for viewing the rise of Jupiter as the sky darkened about 9:30PM. The bright dot (photo below from my iPhone) rose in the SE sky and arched slowly until reaching its highest point due south at about 12:30AM and then moved lower well after I was in […]
The subject line of this post is definitely one of the quirkier tidbits for a Music Monday song, but I thought it was a somewhat unique way to mention Into The Mystic and post a couple different YouTube videos – here’s the LP version (pretty cool) and a live version embedded below. According to a BBC […]