Moon over the Science Center

I was taking a walk the other day along the Baltimore Harbor and noticed the Moon was out.  I got a picture of it over the Maryland Science Center. (It's the bright object over the arching roof of the building.)

On Friday nights, if it is clear out, they open the observatory to the public.  When the Moon is out, and isn't a full moon, they look at the craters. Sometimes, they even aim the telescope at the planet Jupiter when it is visible in the sky. Even in the city you can see some stars in the sky, you just have to have to scan the sky on a clear night.  But if you want to see more stars you will have to leave the city for that. 

Next time you have a clear night or one with few clouds go outside and look up. (If it's winter you might want to grab a jacket, mittens and a hat so you don't freeze.)  Go explore the sky, Meet Me Outdoors.

Seattle, WA

 Seattle is a great walkable city, once you get past the idea of having to climb a few hills to get to places.  You know when people give the "When I was your age..." speech that usually ends with "going to school involved walking up hill both ways." Well I now understand how that could be possible. Going to dinner we went up one really big hill down a small one then up another big hill. So it resulted in being uphill both ways.  Food was well worth it, despite the climb.

Moonset in Seattle

Afterward, we went down to the waterfront to watch the sunset. Being on the West Coast, a sunset happens over the ocean, this is a nice change since one doesn't have to wake up really early to watch a sunrise over on the East Coast.  Since the moon was still relatively new, we also got to see a moonset not long after the sunset. I tried to take a picture of it since it was a nice clear night, but it may be hard to tell. In the picture with the Ferris wheel and ferry, the moon is faintly visible between the two in the sky. The other evening picture has the moon more visible as it sets, with a bird flying nearby. The phase of the moon shown is called a crescent.

Moonset with bird

We were able to catch the International Space Station as it moved across the night sky.  Pretty cool to watch, knowing that there are people up there in space and their spacecraft can be seen as a dot moving across the sky.  And, with my knowledge of the night sky we were able to locate a couple planets and various star pictures, like the big and little dipper.


This morning we decided to go check out the Farmers Market at Pike Place.  Witnessed fish flying over peoples heads, tried some amazing fresh peaches, and walked around seeing all the various stands at the market, tasting random foods along the way.  Since the peaches were just so good we had to go back and buy a few for the road, they made for a great snack on the train ride.

Gum Wall

A hidden feature, but well marketed as a site to see at the market (besides the fish tossing) is the Gum Wall.  As you may have guessed by its name, the Gum Wall is a wall completely covered with gum.  I only took pictures of part of it, because it is rather massive corner filled with gum.  I am sure no other wall has ever been as minty fresh as this one.  Yet I know that many of you reading this might share the same sentiment I have which is of how gross a wall of used chewing gum really is.

After the market we went on the ferry to Bainbridge Island. There we walked along the Waterfront Trail and through the shopping area in the center of town. You can spend a whole afternoon exploring what the island has to offer, unfortunately we had to make it back in time to catch our train to Spokane, WA which is our next quick stop that begins the driving portion of the road trip.

Me on the ferry returning from the island to Seattle

Until next time, Meet Me Outdoors.

Quarry Lake and Sorbet

After a series of really hot days outside I decided that some sorbet/ice cream would be a good way to cool off and in the process I went to a place that had outdoor seating with a view.  I ended up at Quarry Lake shopping area which has a nice little ice cream shop.  Across from the shopping area is Quarry Lake, which was once a  stone mine starting around the mid-1800s until a little over a decade ago. 

The mine is now filled with water and is known as Quarry Lake. It is surrounded by a development community and has a shopping center.  I go there for a view of the lake and for the sorbet.  There is a walking path around the lake and some benches to sit and admire the scenery.  In the picture above there are some ducks.  About a minute after I took that picture a flock of geese were squawking and flying in for a landing in the lake.  It was funny as they seemed to take over from the ducks that were already there.  I spotted the Moon up in the sky when I was walking around. On my way back I saw my first firefly of the season, I remember catching them as a kid... ok, ok even last year I caught a couple.  You just have to be very gentle with them when you catch them so they don't squish.

There were lots of families that had the same idea I had of going for a frozen treat and enjoying the beautiful evening.  As it gets closer to summer the days are getting longer and hotter so it is refreshing to have a nice evening such as tonight. 

With Memorial Day tomorrow I know there are going to be lots of people outside  picnicking and/or having a barbecue.  Just remember if you are spending lots of time outside to stay cool and remember to use sunblock to avoid a burn.  Enjoy the start of summer fun, Meet Me Outdoors.

Lunar Eclipse Photos

As promised I am posting my photos from the Lunar Eclipse that was on December 21, 2010.  This eclipse was visible all across North America in the early, early morning on that chilly December day, which also happened to be the same time as the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Braving the cold and the late hours of the start of the eclipse, I started taking pictures around 1:15am and tried to take them at semi-regular intervals, last picture taken around 2:30am just before it became a total eclipse.  (I have to go to sleep sometime.) I am also posting some of my favorite photos below the video as well.

In the slide show you will notice that the ball that is the Moon is slowly being covered by the Earth's shadow. I didn't have a tripod so the Moon in the same place in each time so it looks a little like a bouncing ball in the blackness of the sky.  And yes I know the banjo music is a bit funny, just enjoy it.

 These were taken from around 2am-2:30am. From where I was standing to take the pictures and see the eclipse there was a tree branch that you can see in silhouette in these pictures.  I actually didn't see that the branch was there until after I took the pictures. I think it makes the pictures look cooler than just the moon. 

Each picture is about 10-15 minutes apart.  If I stayed up an extra 20 minutes I might have gotten a shot of the Moon fully covered by the Earth's shadow, but I was too tired.  In truth, I think the partial eclipse looks more interesting in pictures than when it is a total eclipse because the Moon would be fully hidden. What do you think?

 You don't have to wait for the next eclipse to enjoy the wonders of the Moon and the night sky.  Go outdoors on the next clear night and see if you can see the Moon, stars, or if you are lucky a planet.  At this time of the year you can find some fun constellations like Orion the hunter, Taurus the bull and even the Gemini twins.  Use a star-map (you can also use the one listed on the resource page) to see where some of the constellations are or other interesting features in the sky.

Go out, have fun, Meet Me Outdoors!

Total Lunar Eclipse

Yes it is cold outside, and night time, but it is not often that you get to see a total lunar eclipse.  To be seen by all of North America and I am just waiting with anticipation.  I already took a peek even though I know it doesn't start for a couple hours. The whole thing starts at 1:32 a.m. EST when the full Moon starts to move into the shadow of Earth.  The Moon is fully in the shadow – and fully eclipsed – by 2:40 a.m. and stays that way until 3:53 a.m.  The darkest part of the eclipse occurs at 3:17 a.m., when the Moon is in the deepest part of Earth’s shadow.  From 3:53 to 5:02 a.m., the Moon moves out of the shadow.  

Next time we will get a total lunar eclipse in this part of the world will be in April 2014. So if you got clear sky's get outside and have a look. Join in the lunar fun and Meet Me Outdoors!