Mooned

More than you probably want to know:

We will have a series of 4 full supermoons in a row. There’s 1 in July, 2 in August and 1 in September. Supermoons don’t necessarily look bigger, but they do look brighter! Also, the supermoon of August 30-31, 2023, will be the closest full supermoon this year, when it’s 222,043 miles (357,344 km) from Earth. And it’s also a Blue Moon, because it’s the 2nd full moon in a calendar month.

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46 thoughts on “Mooned”

  1. 2 supermoon events, including a sturgeon supermoon, are happening in August : NPR

    If you miss August’s Super Blue Moon, you’ll have to wait 9 years for your next chance

    The moon will seem extra big and bright and thus be quite a sight this August, with a sturgeon supermoon visible on Tuesday and then a rare blue supermoon coming at the end of the month.
    Two of the four supermoon events of 2023 will take place in August, with the first happening on Tuesday. On Aug. 30, there will be a blue supermoon, which won’t happen again until 2032. Here’s what you need to know so you can catch this summer’s lunar double feature.
    […]
    Up first is the sturgeon supermoon on Tuesday
    The sturgeon moon got its name from Native American tribes that found that the giant sturgeons from the Great Lakes were “most readily caught” at this time of the summer, according to Farmer’s Almanac. It’s also known as a green corn moon, grain moon, flying-up moon, harvest moon, ricing moon, black cherries moon and mountain shadow moon.
    This spectacle will hit peak illumination at 2:32 p.m. ET. “That evening, look toward the southeast after sunset to catch a glimpse of the Sturgeon Moon rising,” Farmer’s Almanac says.
    A sturgeon, for non-anglers, is an enormous fish with roots in the Jurassic Period that spends its life — up to 150 years — in both fresh and salt water. The white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America, reaching as long as 20 feet and nearly 2,000 pounds, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. But most of the sturgeons inhabiting the Great Lakes measure about 6 feet in length and weigh approximately 200 pounds.
    The second show is a rare blue supermoon
    While the term “supermoon” references the moon’s orbit in relation to Earth, a blue moon has to do with frequency, referring to when there’s a second full moon in a single calendar month, NASA says. “Blue moon” is also used to describe the third of four full moons in an astrological season.
    The moon takes 27.3 days to orbit the Earth, but because of how the sun’s light hits the satellite, it takes 29.5 days to complete its lunar cycle from one new moon to the next.
    The term “once in a blue moon” is an idiom used to describe a rare but nonetheless recurring event. But according to NASA, blue moons aren’t actually all that rare, recurring every two and a half years or so.
    A blue supermoon, however, happens far less frequently. According to the website Time and Date, the last blue supermoon was in December 2009, and the next one won’t be until August 2032.
    This year’s blue supermoon will peak at 9:36 p.m. ET on Aug. 30, Farmer’s Almanac says, but you can use its moonrise calculator to see when the blue supermoon will be visible in your area.
    The end-of-August supermoon will be the biggest and brightest of 2023 because the moon will be “exceptionally close” to Earth at 222,043 miles, according to Farmer’s Almanac, nearly 17,000 miles closer than average.

  2. speaking of big round Os earlier this morning:

    USA 0-0 Portugal: Women’s World Cup 2023 Group E – live reaction (theguardian.com)

    Full time: Portugal 0-0 USA
    Peep peep! The USA have gone through with a whimper. At least they reached the last 16, but this was an awful night for the holders. They were disjointed, listless and increasingly grumpy. The body language at the final whistle says it all. After a 0-0 draw, both teams look they have lost.
    Some of the Portugal players are in tears. In time, they will reflect on their World Cup debut with immense pride. Failure doesn’t come much more glorious, and they were inches away from a seismic shock when the substitute Ana Capeta whistled a shot against the post in injury-time.

  3. an “oopsie” in other celestial news:

    Search for Voyager 2 after Nasa accidentally sends wrong command | Nasa | The Guardian

    Nasa is listening for any peep from Voyager 2 after it lost contact with the spacecraft billions of miles away.
    Hurtling ever deeper into interstellar space, Voyager 2 has been out of touch ever since flight controllers accidentally sent a wrong command more than a week ago that tilted its antenna away from Earth. The spacecraft’s antenna shifted a mere 2%, but it was enough to cut communications.
    Although it’s considered a long shot, Nasa said on Monday that its huge dish antenna in Canberra was on the lookout for any stray signals from Voyager 2, which is more than 12bn miles (19bn km) away. It takes more than 18 hours for a signal to reach Earth from so far away.
    Voyager 2 was launched from Florida in 1977 to study the outer solar system as well as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – and was sent up just a couple weeks ahead of its identical twin, Voyager 1. It entered interstellar space in 2018, having discovered a host of new moons on Uranus and one on Jupiter.
    In the coming week, the Canberra antenna – part of Nasa’s Deep Space Network – will also bombard Voyager 2’s vicinity with the correct command, in the hope that it hits its mark, according to Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the Voyager missions.
    Otherwise, Nasa will have to wait until October for an automatic spacecraft reset that should restore communication, according to officials.
    Still in touch with Earth, Voyager 1 is now nearly 15bn miles (24bn km) away, making it humanity’s most distant spacecraft.

  4. D.C. animals (not the usual congresscritters) in news today

     Cows wandering through D.C. suburb, authorities say – The Washington Post

    Even in the sometimes casual world of social media, it is rare for a government to declare its announcement is genuine. But municipal authorities in a Washington suburb did so Monday to preface a report of cows wandering through the streets.
    “This is not fake news,” the city of Bowie tweeted.
    Bowie police have received reports over several days of “two cows on the loose” in the small city to the east of Washington, the city said.
    It was apparently not possible to avoid a hint of lightheartedness in reporting the actions of the vagrant bovine.
    The cows “have been moo-ving through Bowie,” the city tweeted.
    Elaborating in a more formal announcement, the city said its police department has been hearing about the animals’ journey for the past four days.

    “just one more cow” can be heard emanating from somewhere in a NW neighborhood of DC

  5. a new yorker ‘toon from their 8/7 mag that sturge may appreciate:

     

    “Oh, me? I make e-mails.”

  6. DC Grand Jury just arrived at courthouse. Could be indictment day in the J6 case. They last met Thursday for 7 hours without hearing witnesses, a hint that might have been prosecutor presentations leading to indictment today. They next meet this Thursday.

  7. Here is an interesting item in the online retail business, a name that might hold its own with Amazon, Target and Wally wolrd. Bed Bath and Beyond (BBB used to be the trade symbol), is the new Overstock.  This should be interesting, but only if they work fast and used the email lists to good advantage.  I just checked to see if I got a new BBB email saying “we are back, here is a 20% off coupon”.  I did not.

  10. Lt night’s moon was pretty impressive 1 day before full.
    But here’s campaign finance grifting at its finest.  WaPo:

    ‘Strategy consulting’ fees for Melania Trump’s former stylist

    Though Trump’s growing legal jeopardy has contributed to a strain on cash for the Save America PAC that has been handling many of his legal bills, that committee still found the funds to pay Melania Trump’s former  stylist. The committee reported payments of $108,000 to designer Herve Pierre Braillard for “strategy consulting” during the first six months of this year.

    Brought to you by…. (drumroll) …  the Trump crime family.

  12. Jamie – I got something similar the other day; “we’ve seen a lot of activity from this address,” and then an odd-looking request to prove I wasn’t a robot.  I did not trust it; cleared my cookies, and started over. 

    Sturg, This first full moon’s for you.

    Tried to get a good moon pic with the new phone, but not much better than before and I don’t see any of the buttons on the tutorials, even though I’m running the newest version of everything.   The moon is the only thing that’s gotten me outside; except between 6am and 10am, I am in hiding near all of my fans.

  15. …I got something similar the other day; “we’ve seen a lot of activity from this address,” and then an odd-looking request to prove I wasn’t a robot.  I did not trust it; cleared my cookies, and started over. 

    BID: I got that same notification, I tried the secret codes but they just went round and round. Thanks for sharing, I thought it was my fault. 

  16. I’ve spent the day fussing with insurance and writing to the three Senators I know give a rat’s rear end.  Since I retired and I’m too young for Medicare, I have ACA insurance and they do not cover things normally covered in a yearly physical.  They are taking government money, in addition to customer premiums, and withholding preventative care.   All of the insurance companies who provide ACA plans should have those plans and their company’s policies investigated.  Man, I wish Great-Grandma hadn’t left Denmark.  
    Thankfully, I’m healthy, but I’m hesitant to go in for my physical.  Basically, I’m paying for nothing, but if I don’t get ACA next year (Medicare is still so far away), then I’m gambling that nothing will happen.  
    We need health CARE in this country.  

  17. https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/01/business/incandescent-light-bulb-ban/index.html

    The war on lightbulbs is won, for now. 

    “The ban caps off a decades-long bipartisan effort to ban incandescent bulbs that started in the Bush administration. But the rule has faced somewhat of a backlash, particularly on conservative media channels and among some Republican politicians.”

    “Former President Donald Trump’s administration in 2019 undid a previous Obama-era expansion of the 2007 light bulb rule, although the Biden administration later reinstated it. Trump once famously complained about the quality of the light coming from LED bulbs, telling House Republicans “I always look orange” in the energy-efficient lighting.”

    “Next on the banned list: compact fluorescent light bulbs.”

    Nobody looks good under fluorescent light.

  18. Grand Jury has left the courthouse but Foreperson stayed behind, who is the only one needed for official return of the indictment. Looks imminent 

  19. https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/01/us/oklahoma-religious-charter-school-opening-lawsuit/index.html

    “A lawsuit filed Monday in Oklahoma is seeking to block the state’s support for the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school.”

    “Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt applauded the board’s decision at the time, calling it “a win for religious liberty and education freedom in our great state.”

    Mmmm, Kevin probably wouldn’t have said that about a madrassa.

    “But Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and other opponents said the decision was unconstitutional and warned that legal action would likely follow.”

    “The defining feature of America’s public schools is that they must welcome and serve all students, regardless of a student’s background, beliefs, or abilities,” the lawsuit states. “Schools that do not adhere to this principle have long existed and are entitled to operate, but they cannot be part of the public-education system.”

    “St. Isidore would not be open to all students, in violation of the Oklahoma Constitution, the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act and the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board regulations, the lawsuit claims.”

    “In violation of the Oklahoma Constitution and the Charter Schools Act, St. Isidore in fact will discriminate in admissions, discipline, and employment based on religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other protected characteristics,” the lawsuit states.

  20. “Grand Jury has left the courthouse but Foreperson stayed behind, who is the only one needed for official return of the indictment. Looks imminent”

    Craig, yes, from personal experience on a grand jury, the foreperson has a load of work, signatures and the like, that the regular members are not burdened with. Fingers crossed.

  21. Tried to get a good moon pic

    that’s one thing smart phones can’t do, there’s too much light.  Back in the SLR days one still needed a “moon-filter”, a telephoto lens helped, too.
     
    i’ve tried making filters but it makes the software go haywire because it doesn’t know on what to focus

  28. Trump camp already putting out statement comparing this to “Nazi Germany” and the “former Soviet Union”

    lol, yes, just like those two diametrically-opposed regimes, neither of which indicted a former leader

  29. Hot damn! Next up a little fun in Georgia.  This is so good.  Ah, the week is wonderful.  Ketchup colored walls – is that a song?  Is it time for another grift of the cult? 

  35. He literally said they were going to march to the Capitol and fight like hell.  That’s what they did. The only kind of fighting his followers understood was physical fighting.  They weren’t going to vocally argue their nonsensical case on the steps of the Capitol building.  And, he refused to call them off or to send help.  We heard all of that during the televised  hearings. Orange Adolf attempted a coup.  Mike Pence is either an idiot or terrified, maybe both, to blame the DOJ.  Hunni, He woulda LET them hang you if it would’ve helped him.  As he refused to let them take him to a second location, I think he was aware that his security/transportation detail wasn’t necessarily working for him on J6.

  37. https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/01/health/leprosy-central-florida/index.html

    “…Central Florida could be an unexpected leprosy hotbed.”

    “Also known as Hansen’s disease, leprosy is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae, which attacks nerves under the skin. Scientists aren’t completely sure of how it spreads, but most believe that it’s transmitted via droplets when an infected person coughs and sneezes. Its telltale symptoms include lesions and rashes that are numb or lack sensation because of the involvement of nerves.”

    “Nine-banded armadillos in the Southeastern United States can also carry the bacteria, and gene studies have linked human infections to the leprosy strains carried by armadillos, although it’s not always clear how humans encounter armadillo-carried bacteria. Many patients can’t recall ever having contact with the animals.”

    Well, sure. Why not?

  38. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/31/texas-federal-courts-conservative-takeover-trump/

    “When President Barack Obama left office, about half of Texas’ 52 federal judgeships were filled by Republican appointees, about a third were Democratic appointees and a full 20% were vacant, having languished under a Democratic president who didn’t prioritize judicial nominees and two Republican Texas senators who did.”

    “Our soldiers are lawyers”

    “The system is in place for Texas to use the courts to “go after the enemy that hates this country,” as Reitz put it — “to save America, to save Texas and to preserve these conservative values that we believe in.”

  39. BID, the 9 banded armadillo is simply following its traditional migratory routes – the medians of I-10 and I-20. to I-75 and I-95 Armadillo pizza became somewhat common next to their migratory routes over the past 50 years.  Who knew they were fleeing the leper colony otherwise known as Texas?

  40. Who knew I’d be heading out to look at the full moon with a heat index of 106?
     
     

  41. I’m up to page 28 of the indictment, it’s a compelling read, one of my favs so far: 

    The Defendant called the Acting Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General and raised multiple false claims of election fraud. When they refuted the claims, the Defendant told them, “Just say that the election was corrupt ande leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen”

  42. Yes, implicate the entire GQP who he has by the shirt hairs.   Lordy!
     
    Where’s the moon?

  44. Yes, it always rises somewhere in the East.  However, we had wispy clouds and only caught a partial look for a couple of minutes.   It was bigger than last night, but it was clear last night. Not worth putting up with the heat coming off of the pavement. 

  45. Why are the coconspirators unindicted?  It’s coming down the pike or they were granted immunity? 

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