A most spectacular event

[Wolfgang]

Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake. Something, presumably ice
crystals, between the observer on the ground and the clouds was refracting
the sunlight reflected off the moon. There was a bright white nimbus
surrounding the moon and extending about two apparent diameters of the moon
all around it. Outside this glowing patch was a ring of barely perceptible
red.....as near infrared as my eyes could detect. Outside that followed all
the colors of the spectrum; sort of a rainbow in the round. Outside that
was another complete rainbow and, outside that, a third. Barely visible in
the white patch were much smaller ripples than those formed by the high
clouds, traveling west to east.

It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.

There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
the most part.

Wolfgang

[Tim Carter]

> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.

sounds kickass to me

>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.

Danl...where are you??

[Danl]

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...
> Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
> was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
> ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake. Something, presumably ice
> crystals, between the observer on the ground and the clouds was refracting
> the sunlight reflected off the moon. There was a bright white nimbus
> surrounding the moon and extending about two apparent diameters of the
moon
> all around it. Outside this glowing patch was a ring of barely
perceptible
> red.....as near infrared as my eyes could detect. Outside that followed
all
> the colors of the spectrum; sort of a rainbow in the round. Outside that
> was another complete rainbow and, outside that, a third. Barely visible
in
> the white patch were much smaller ripples than those formed by the high
> clouds, traveling west to east.
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.
>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang


Garcon!!!! I'll have what he's having, please. Make it a double.

Danl

[Tim J.]

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...
> Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
> was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
> ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake. Something, presumably ice
> crystals, between the observer on the ground and the clouds was refracting
> the sunlight reflected off the moon. There was a bright white nimbus
> surrounding the moon and extending about two apparent diameters of the moon
> all around it. Outside this glowing patch was a ring of barely perceptible
> red.....as near infrared as my eyes could detect. Outside that followed all
> the colors of the spectrum; sort of a rainbow in the round. Outside that
> was another complete rainbow and, outside that, a third. Barely visible in
> the white patch were much smaller ripples than those formed by the high
> clouds, traveling west to east.
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.
>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.

That's the kind of cool stuff I just love. I was once driving pre-dawn to beat
the NYC traffic on my way to lower-NJ and, as I crested a hill, was witness to
an incredible meteorite display. I doubt I'll ever see anything like that again
in my lifetime, but at least I saw it then. Awesome.
--
TL,
Tim
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

[ezflyfisher]

Wolfgang wrote:

> Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
> was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
> ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake. Something, presumably ice
> crystals, between the observer on the ground and the clouds was refracting
> the sunlight reflected off the moon. There was a bright white nimbus
> surrounding the moon and extending about two apparent diameters of the moon
> all around it. Outside this glowing patch was a ring of barely perceptible
> red.....as near infrared as my eyes could detect. Outside that followed all
> the colors of the spectrum; sort of a rainbow in the round. Outside that
> was another complete rainbow and, outside that, a third. Barely visible in
> the white patch were much smaller ripples than those formed by the high
> clouds, traveling west to east.
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.
>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang
>
>

nice "trip" report

wally

[B J Conner]

To bad we know ( or think we know ) the scientific reason for these kind of
things. In ages past it was probably just as beautiful and we had to make
up a reason for it, or get the shaman or witchdoctor to do it.

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...
> Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
> was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
> ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake. Something, presumably ice
> crystals, between the observer on the ground and the clouds was refracting
> the sunlight reflected off the moon. There was a bright white nimbus
> surrounding the moon and extending about two apparent diameters of the
moon
> all around it. Outside this glowing patch was a ring of barely
perceptible
> red.....as near infrared as my eyes could detect. Outside that followed
all
> the colors of the spectrum; sort of a rainbow in the round. Outside that
> was another complete rainbow and, outside that, a third. Barely visible
in
> the white patch were much smaller ripples than those formed by the high
> clouds, traveling west to east.
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.
>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang
>
>

[Svend Tang-Petersen]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000515.html

a single refraction in the ice crystals give a ring at an angle of 22 degress.
Higher levels of refractions in
multiples of 22 and at lower intensity.

Wolfgang wrote:

> Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
> was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
> ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake. Something, presumably ice
> crystals, between the observer on the ground and the clouds was refracting
> the sunlight reflected off the moon. There was a bright white nimbus
> surrounding the moon and extending about two apparent diameters of the moon
> all around it. Outside this glowing patch was a ring of barely perceptible
> red.....as near infrared as my eyes could detect. Outside that followed all
> the colors of the spectrum; sort of a rainbow in the round. Outside that
> was another complete rainbow and, outside that, a third. Barely visible in
> the white patch were much smaller ripples than those formed by the high
> clouds, traveling west to east.
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.
>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang

--

Svend

************************************************** ***************
Svend Tang-Petersen, MSc Email: svend AT sgi.com
SGI Pager: svend_p AT pager.sgi.com
1500 Crittenden Lane Phone: (+1) 650 933 3618
Mountain View
California 94043
USA
MS 30-2-526
************************************************** ***************

[Stan Gula]

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang

I'll say. It's so cold here that when I came in from my nightly walk I had
snotsicles on my mustache.

--
Stan Gula (OK, I'm not as poetic as Wolfgang...)

[Marshall Krasser]

Yep saw it a couple of nights ago - I have been trying to get
a "good" digital picture of it for reference [for a "monster" movie
that's coming out this Spring]. If anyone gets a good snapshot
please send it my way. mkrasser(AT)pacbell(DOT)net or
marshall(AT)ilm(DOT)com

Thanks, Marshall

Wolfgang wrote:

> Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
> was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
> ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake. Something, presumably ice
> crystals, between the observer on the ground and the clouds was refracting
> the sunlight reflected off the moon. There was a bright white nimbus
> surrounding the moon and extending about two apparent diameters of the moon
> all around it. Outside this glowing patch was a ring of barely perceptible
> red.....as near infrared as my eyes could detect. Outside that followed all
> the colors of the spectrum; sort of a rainbow in the round. Outside that
> was another complete rainbow and, outside that, a third. Barely visible in
> the white patch were much smaller ripples than those formed by the high
> clouds, traveling west to east.
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.
>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang

--
NOTE: Please remove "MY_WADERS" from my return Email address
if you wish to reply directly. Thanks, M

[Bill Kiene]

Cool stuff Wolf,

We would go out at night up at Little Glass Valley Reservoir at about 5,000'
and lay on our backs and watch the stars............very special.

Once I was at Christmas Island on a full moon with my brother. We sat
outside our little cottage drinking a beer and watching the moon. It was
real hard to stop and go to bed.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA, USA
www.kiene.com

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...


> Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
> was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
> ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake. Something, presumably ice
> crystals, between the observer on the ground and the clouds was refracting
> the sunlight reflected off the moon. There was a bright white nimbus
> surrounding the moon and extending about two apparent diameters of the
moon
> all around it. Outside this glowing patch was a ring of barely
perceptible
> red.....as near infrared as my eyes could detect. Outside that followed
all
> the colors of the spectrum; sort of a rainbow in the round. Outside that
> was another complete rainbow and, outside that, a third. Barely visible
in
> the white patch were much smaller ripples than those formed by the high
> clouds, traveling west to east.
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.
>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang
>
>

[Roger Ohlund]

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.

Well, it sounded beautiful

> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.

Most is better than TV ...... for that part.

/Roger

[Frank Reid]

<beauty snipped>
I was lucky enough to be in a window seat flying across the Atlantic during
the height of Halley's comet. Not to many folks watched the movie.
Speilberg and crew ain't got nothing on mother nature.
--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

[Jeff Miller]

get a digital camera... please.

Wolfgang wrote:

> Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
> was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
> ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake. Something, presumably ice
> crystals, between the observer on the ground and the clouds was refracting
> the sunlight reflected off the moon. There was a bright white nimbus
> surrounding the moon and extending about two apparent diameters of the moon
> all around it. Outside this glowing patch was a ring of barely perceptible
> red.....as near infrared as my eyes could detect. Outside that followed all
> the colors of the spectrum; sort of a rainbow in the round. Outside that
> was another complete rainbow and, outside that, a third. Barely visible in
> the white patch were much smaller ripples than those formed by the high
> clouds, traveling west to east.
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.
>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang
>
>

[Wolfgang]

"Greg Pavlov" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 7 Jan 2004 21:24:28 -0600, "Wolfgang" >
> wrote:
>
> >Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon.
....
> >
> >It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.
> >
> >There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> >the most part.
> >
>
> Sounds neat. Most of us would have missed it because
> we don't smoke (any longer):-)

You will if enough heat is applied.

And who said I was smoking? Um......well, o.k., lucky guess. :)

Wolfgang

[rb608]

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...
> Standing out on the front stoop just now, I looked up at the full moon. I
> was facing nearly due east. High thin clouds looked very much like the
> ripples in the sand in the shallows of a lake.

There's few things like a full moon & clouds of any sort to paint some
stunning images. Yours sounds exceptional. We have the same full moon, but
maybe we'll get those high cirrus tonight.

That's one drawback I've found with the flood of point & shoot digital
cameras. No shutter adjustment for time exposures.

Reminds me of one of the coolest astronomical things I've seen. What must
have been a large meteorite made a huge, bright, trailing but brief streak
as I was looking up. My mind barely had time to form the impression, "wow",
when I heard a "pop" sound behind the meteorite. For a long time, I'd
assumed I'd actually heard the meteorite hit the atmosphere; but in
retrospect, the sound came way too soon after the streak to have traveled at
the speed of sound from that altitude. Is it actually possible the pop
sound was from the meteorite, or is it more likely the sound coincidently
came from somewhere else?

Joe F.

[Conan the Librarian]

Marshall Krasser > wrote in message >...

> Yep saw it a couple of nights ago - I have been trying to get
> a "good" digital picture of it for reference [for a "monster" movie
> that's coming out this Spring]. If anyone gets a good snapshot
> please send it my way.

SWMBO and I were in the Big Bend area over the holidays and had a
couple of nice "ice-rings" around the moon. We're still trying to get
a decent shot of one. Also, the stars there are just about as bright
as we've ever seen. The only place where they seemed closer and
brighter was probably in Jasper, Canuckistan.

We also ran across a very interesting couple of clouds one late
afternoon as the sun was just getting low in the sky. They looked
distinctly like holograms. Even more so when viewed through polarized
lenses.

No, really.


Chuck Vance (not paisley again?!)

[Jeff Miller]

rb608 wrote:

>
>
> That's one drawback I've found with the flood of point & shoot digital
> cameras. No shutter adjustment for time exposures.

olympus stylus 300 or 400 - try one.

>

[Jeff Miller]

mine has a "night" photo feature....

rb608 wrote:

> "Jeff Miller" > wrote in message
> news:68dLb.70332$hf1.57099@lakeread06...
>
>>olympus stylus 300 or 400 - try one.
>
>
> Hey, wait a minute; I *have* the Stylus 300. Maybe I oughta read the manual
> more closely.
>
> Tx,
> Joe F.
>
>

[rb608]

"Jeff Miller" > wrote in message
news:68dLb.70332$hf1.57099@lakeread06...
> olympus stylus 300 or 400 - try one.

Hey, wait a minute; I *have* the Stylus 300. Maybe I oughta read the manual
more closely.

Tx,
Joe F.

[Charlie Choc]

On Thu, 08 Jan 2004 08:37:07 -0500, Jeff Miller
> wrote:

>
>
>rb608 wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> That's one drawback I've found with the flood of point & shoot digital
>> cameras. No shutter adjustment for time exposures.
>
>olympus stylus 300 or 400 - try one.
>
Good time exposures of the moon are difficult - usually if they are
long enough to get good detail you will see the movement of the moon.
FWIW
--
Charlie...

[Wayne Harrison]

Charlie Choc wrote in message
>...
>On Thu, 08 Jan 2004 08:37:07 -0500, Jeff Miller
> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>rb608 wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> That's one drawback I've found with the flood of point & shoot digital
>>> cameras. No shutter adjustment for time exposures.
>>
>>olympus stylus 300 or 400 - try one.
>>
>Good time exposures of the moon are difficult - usually if they are
>long enough to get good detail you will see the movement of the moon.
>FWIW
>--
>Charlie...

assuming a film speed of asa200 (typical color film), the proper
exposure
for an image of the full moon on a clear night would be 1/60sec at f4, give
or
take an f stop. of course, you could open up to f2.8 and select 1/125sec
for your
shutter speed, which would make for a crisp image even if hand held. the
only
thing produced by *longer* exposure times, such as several seconds, with a
tripod, would be an appearance of daylight.

yfitons
wayno (and, sure enough, it works with digital as well... :))

[Charlie Choc]

On Thu, 8 Jan 2004 11:41:21 -0500, "Wayne Harrison"
> wrote:

>wayno (and, sure enough, it works with digital as well... :))
>
You're right, I was thinking of moonlit landscapes - I bow to your
superior knowledge of actually shooting the moon. <g>
--
Charlie...

[Wolfgang]

"rb608" > wrote in message
...
> ...Reminds me of one of the coolest astronomical things I've seen.
What must
> have been a large meteorite made a huge, bright, trailing but brief
streak
> as I was looking up. My mind barely had time to form the
impression, "wow",
> when I heard a "pop" sound behind the meteorite. For a long time,
I'd
> assumed I'd actually heard the meteorite hit the atmosphere; but in
> retrospect, the sound came way too soon after the streak to have
traveled at
> the speed of sound from that altitude. Is it actually possible the
pop
> sound was from the meteorite, or is it more likely the sound
coincidently
> came from somewhere else?

I've seen a couple of meteors that left an incandescent trail which
lasted for several seconds. I also saw one split up into numerous
pieces on one occasion. None of those times, or any other for that
matter, did I ever hear a sound associated with the event. Given that
sound travels at roughly five seconds per mile, I suspect that if one
hears a "pop" from a meteor in something under a second after seeing
it, it would probably be the last thing one ever heard.....and one
would have very little to say about it. It would be a hell of an
exit, though. :)

Wolfgang

[Bob Patton]

"Wolfgang" > wrote in message
...
//great description snipped//
>
> It looked a lot prettier than it probably sounds.

Then it must have been spectacular.
>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang
>
A couple of years ago I spent a night on a mountain top in NC. I could see
about a zillion stars, and the milky way, which I hadn't seen (or, at least,
hadn't paid attention to) in years. One of these days I want to see the
aurora borealis, but figger I have to go to Alaska in the winter to do so.
Objective: catch native brookies in the daytime and see the milky way and/or
the aurora at night. I'd never leave.

Bob

[Willi]

Bob Patton wrote:

> A couple of years ago I spent a night on a mountain top in NC. I could see
> about a zillion stars, and the milky way, which I hadn't seen (or, at least,
> hadn't paid attention to) in years. One of these days I want to see the
> aurora borealis, but figger I have to go to Alaska in the winter to do so.
> Objective: catch native brookies in the daytime and see the milky way and/or
> the aurora at night. I'd never leave.
>

Don't think you'd find many (any?) Brookies in Alaska. Substitute
northern Canada and you can get both the aurora and big Brookies.

Willi

[Bob Patton]

"Willi" > wrote in message
...
>
//snip//>
> Don't think you'd find many (any?) Brookies in Alaska. Substitute
> northern Canada and you can get both the aurora and big Brookies.
>
> Willi
>
>
I'm sure that's right. I wonder where's the southernmost part of the US
(other than McMurdo station :-) ) that the aurora can be seen.
Bob

[B J Conner]

"Bob Patton" <rwpmailatcharterdotnet> wrote in message
...
> "Willi" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> //snip//>
> > Don't think you'd find many (any?) Brookies in Alaska. Substitute
> > northern Canada and you can get both the aurora and big Brookies.
> >
> > Willi
> >
> >
> I'm sure that's right. I wonder where's the southernmost part of the US
> (other than McMurdo station :-) ) that the aurora can be seen.
> Bob
>
>
They were seen in Oregon a couple of years ago. We had to drive out of
town about 25 miles. Just so happened on one of those rare cloudless nights.
They were not as good as what we could see in NoDak.

[[email protected]]

On Thu, 8 Jan 2004 20:20:47 -0600, "Bob Patton"
<rwpmailatcharterdotnet> wrote:

>"Willi" > wrote in message
...
>>
>//snip//>
>> Don't think you'd find many (any?) Brookies in Alaska. Substitute
>> northern Canada and you can get both the aurora and big Brookies.
>>
>> Willi
>>
>>
>I'm sure that's right. I wonder where's the southernmost part of the US
>(other than McMurdo station :-) ) that the aurora can be seen.
>Bob
>
I understand they were once seen as far south as Florida. Caused much
panic.
--

rbc:vixen,Minnow Goddess,Willow Watcher,and all that sort of thing.
Often taunted by trout.
Only a fool would refuse to believe in luck. Only a damn fool would rely on it.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli

[Willi]

Bob Patton wrote:

> "Willi" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> //snip//>
>
>>Don't think you'd find many (any?) Brookies in Alaska. Substitute
>>northern Canada and you can get both the aurora and big Brookies.
>>
>>Willi

>>
>
> I'm sure that's right. I wonder where's the southernmost part of the US
> (other than McMurdo station :-) ) that the aurora can be seen.
> Bob

You can see it pretty far south. Occasionally we get to see it in
Colorado, but it is a pale reminder of the show you can see further
north. I saw it in what I think is its full glory for a few days in
northern Canada. It seemed like you could reach up and touch the
curtains of unforgettable colors. Like an acid trip without the drugs.

Willi

[~^ beancounter ~^]

tv ain't hard to beat....i am watching
3 kids grow up.....that's a bit of fun...

;-)


ps: and fishin' of course...when i can...


>
> There's a lot of really cool **** in this world......better than T.V. for
> the most part.
>
> Wolfgang

[Wolfgang]

"Bob Patton" <rwpmailatcharterdotnet> wrote in message
...

> ...Objective: catch native brookies in the daytime and see the milky way
and/or
> the aurora at night. I'd never leave.

The odds are very good in the UP.

Wolfgang