There is a rainbow ring around the moon tonight

[rainbowvein]

Anyone else see it?

[Dagon]

I din't see it here, can you take a pic for us?

[Brian]

Localized and atmospheric but very cool when it happens, isn't it?

[silent thunder]

Love that affect.

My son and I watched moonrise as we walked away from the beach tonight, no ring, but she was huge n beautiful.

[joeblast]

I was looking, but no rainbow here!

[hydrogen]

No good camera for night sky shots, unfortunately.

 

You think your camera can capture the rainbow? Are you sure?

 

Congratulations! You have more channels opened up.

 

I sometimes see stuff that others around me can't see, I learn how to be quiet about it. A trip to hospital in a cop's car isn't my idea of fun.

 

Next time if you see the rainbown around the moon, ask someone around you with subtlety like "What a beautiful night! The moon looks weird to me."

[konchog uma]

you can capture that effect with a camera. you can also wikipedia moonbow.. its not mystical (you know what i mean)

[Ish]

Yeah reminded me, this New Year, as we were outside and it turned to 2013, there was a beautiful "Moonbow" out. Auspicious for the year? Who knows .

[hydrogen]

you can capture that effect with a camera. you can also wikipedia moonbow.. its not mystical (you know what i mean)

 

The same way afterimage can exlain explain the effect of candle gazing.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterimage

 

Anyway, it's safe to ask what others see around you. Having scentific explaination about everything is good tool too.

 

RV

 

Was what you saw like this in the picture (opposite part of the sky from the moon) or the rainbow was actually "around" the moon?

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonbow

Edited September 17, 2013 by hydrogen

[Brian]

My guess (not having seen it) would be a 22-degree halo. Splitting hairs on the terminology, though, imo.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Brian

[rainbowvein]

Yes, I know this is not a mystical event.

 

This is what last night's moonbow looked like.

[hydrogen]

Yes, I know this is not a mystical event.

 

Agreed. But it might show that you have improved "eye" sight.

 

Next time, you can ask people around you to comfirm that you have better "eye" sight. Or be happy about your practice and enjoy the scene.

 

If that's a "real" rainbow, it'd appear more often in places.

[joeblast]

Sometimes at night,

when the clouds are just right,

you just might

see a rainbow

 

[Taomeow]

Folks, it's one day before the moon holiday of taoism, aka Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon is at its brightest and prettiest at this time.

 

If you have an Asian grocery nearby, get some moon cakes in celebration.

[Dagon]

 

Yes, I know this is not a mystical event.

 

This is what last night's moonbow looked like.

That is pretty cool, thanks for sharing it with us!

[XiaoZi]

Folks - there is Chinese Holiday Today! Moon!)) Congratulations to everyone!

 

 

Falling on the 15th day of the 8th month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the second grandest festival after the Spring Festival in China. It takes its name from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the autumn season. The day is also known as the Moon Festival, as at that time of the year the moon is at its roundest and brightest.

The Moon Cake is the special food of Mid-Autumn Festival.

Pictures of moon cakes and chinese Goddness of the Moon

[hydrogen]

 

Born of a Legend

Like many Chinese festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from a legend. This particular festival celebrates the beautiful yet sad story of Chang E, the Moon Lady. Although there are many versions of this legend, the most common one is as follows:

 

Long, long ago, 10 suns rose in the sky and they scorched all the crops, leaving people in extreme poverty. A hero named Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns, saving the Earth from the destructive heat.

 

Heavenly Empress Wangmu rewarded him with a vial of elixir that would make a person immortal and allow life in the Heavens.

Hou Yi’s wife, Chang E, was known for her beauty and kind heart. Out of his deep love for her, Hou Yi gave the elixir to Chang E for safe-keeping until they could share it when he returned from hunting.

An evil man, Peng Meng, spied this through the window. Three days later, when Hou Yi left to hunt, Peng broke in with sword in hand, planning to force Chang E into giving him the elixir.

Chang E quickly put the vial to her mouth and swallowed all its contents. As soon as she had swallowed the elixir, she floated off the ground. She dashed out of the window and flew toward the moon.

When Hou Yi returned home that night, he learned from the maidservants what had happened. Tearfully, he looked up into the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife.

At that moment, the moon became especially clear and bright. Hou Yi saw a shadow of his wife who was looking down at him, also in grief.

Hou Yi set up an altar with incense in the garden. On the altar, he put the sweet cakes and fresh fruits that Chang E enjoyed most. Then, he held a memorial ceremony for his wife in the moon. It was the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar year.

The news that Chang E had turned into a celestial being and was living in the moon spread fast. Many people arranged altars with incense in the moonlight and prayed for the kind-hearted Chang E, the Moon Lady, to look after them.

 

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/288635-mid-autumn-festival-a-poetic-enchantment-in-china/

 

I like this version of the Change E. I always feel sad about the seperation of Change E and Hou Yi. I want to unite them somehow. I need your help.

 

There are many talented writers here. I'd appreciate it if you can put your kind heart into writing a follow up story to unite Change E and Hou Yi.

 

As incentive, I'd like to sponsor a life time subscription to Tao Bum Broad to the winner, two year subscription to the most authentic story, and one year subscription to the most poetic story.

 

The judging rules is simple:

 

1. Tao

 

2. Authentic (people think it's part of the original story).

 

3. Poetic (The poem are highly respected in China old days)

 

4. Happy Ending !!!!!!!!! (last not least).

 

I wonder how I can get this writing contest going.

[silent thunder]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

grabbed these with my telescope last year

Edited September 19, 2013 by silent thunder

[joeblast]

nice, it isnt easy to snap pics through a telescope. did you freehand it or do you have some sort of mount?

[silent thunder]

nice, it isnt easy to snap pics through a telescope. did you freehand it or do you have some sort of mount?

 

I have a tripod for it.

It's just a six inch, but I can get the rings of Saturn and Jupiter is a trip with various filters.

[joeblast]

Sweet, I have a 2.5 inch with some powerful enough lenses to see that stuff too, was awesome a few years ago when saturn's rings were at max tilt.

 

Fav thing to do with the moon - put it on the shadow, and watch it creep

 

I have an 8" also, but only a single lens good for moon viewing, and the base of it is terrible, so impossible to move around with precision. I'd considered getting a good hydrogen alpha filter for it so I could look at the sun...but man those lenses are expensive!

[Brian]

Something like this, r v?

 

 

This is from the BBC Astronomy link in the Cool Pictures thread...

[Dainin]

[silent thunder]

Sweet, I have a 2.5 inch with some powerful enough lenses to see that stuff too, was awesome a few years ago when saturn's rings were at max tilt.

 

Fav thing to do with the moon - put it on the shadow, and watch it creep

 

I have an 8" also, but only a single lens good for moon viewing, and the base of it is terrible, so impossible to move around with precision. I'd considered getting a good hydrogen alpha filter for it so I could look at the sun...but man those lenses are expensive!

 

I would love to have the sun filter as well... just not an option with that price.

The six inch I picked up came with a great tripod and is motor driven so I can track objects with small adjustments.

It's amazing when you start watching, how quickly everything slides around up there isn't it?