NASA: composite photo by Galileo (headed for Jupiter), Dec. 1992
Good evening, Kibitzers! I am writing on Monday afternoon, before the first debate, so I have no idea whether all our heads exploded and there is no one left to read this when it posts. Let’s pretend they did not and see how that goes.
The Harvest Moon was a week and a half ago now, and I was meaning to write about it but I got busy and forgetful. I’m sure we all know that the Harvest Moon, these days, is officially considered the full moon occurring closest to the Autumnal Equinox (which was last Thursday, the 22nd). The earliest possible date for the Harvest Moon is September 8, while the latest is October 7 (because if a full moon is outside that range, it’s guaranteed that there’s another full moon closer to the equinox). That full moon is called the Harvest Moon because in the days of small family farms, it provided enough light for farmers to work late getting their crops in.
This year, people not in the Americas were able to see a penumbral eclipse of the moon that night. It’s a minor sort of eclipse, not the kind where you can clearly see the Earth’s shadow on the moon. It’s more a shading at the edge. Astronomy Picture of the Day has a beautiful composite shot of the moon rising over Lisbon, where you can see what the eclipse looked like. You can also see that shot at this space.com page, where you can click that and several other photos including a side-by-side comparison and see them full-screen.
More about the full moon, harvest moon, and eclipse at this link, unfortunately with an auto-play video, although the video is interesting once the list of all the names of full moons by month is over. And here is a good link about why moonlight plays tricks with our vision:
Moonlight won't let you read. Open a book beneath the full moon. At first glance, the page seems bright enough. Yet when you try to make out the words, you can't. Moreover, if you stare too long at a word it might fade away. Moonlight not only blurs your vision but also makes a little blind spot.
For alternate boomer associations with the diary title, your links are here and here. Other generations, you’re on your own.
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
