The mystic moon
I stood in our York driveway to photograph the “super moon” of June 2013
At midnight, in the month of June,
I stand beneath the mystic moon.
An opiate vapor, dewy, dim,
Exhales from out her golden rim…
—Edgar Allan Poe
Last Saturday, just after the summer solstice, I returned from a wonderfully cool evening walk with Pasha. Although it was nearly 9:00 pm, there was still daylight outside. Jeff told me there was to be a glorious “super moon” that night, so of course I dashed outside with my camera a couple of hours later, and took some photos just before the gorgeous light was blurred by clouds.
The moon was surrounded by a hazy halo of light larger than any I could remember seeing. It was absolutely magical, definitely a night to remember.
I hope you were able to get a glimpse of the “super moon,” but even if not, there are lovely full moons to enjoy each month, and crescent moons and multitudes of stars. Sometime while the weather is still warm and the night is clear, take a few minutes to go outside and enjoy the night lights of nature!
This post was originally published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: astronomy, beauty, Edgar Allan Poe, evening, full moon, joy, lunar events, moon, moonlight, night skies, perigee, solstice, super moon, wonder
6 Comments
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Hi Julia,
Great photo! I’ve tried to capture those stunning pictures of the moon, and stars, but mine never seem to come close to the actual setting. The night sky, when very visible, is a serene, awe inspiring canvas. Hope your week is filled with other inspiring moments!
Chris, oddly enough, I’ve had better luck shooting pictures of the moon when using my cheaper “point and shoot” digital camera than when using my digital SLR. I’m sure this is partly due to my ignorance of how to use the more expensive camera, but I would have thought it would be just the opposite.
Good morning, Julia!
What an enchanting photo and poem except!
I read the rest of Poe’s “The Sleeper.” These first few lines don’t seem so lamenting when out of context.
I’m a fan of the night sky, too. Do you have a sky map app on your phone? It’s so fun to be able to identify the stars and planets.
I don’t have the app, but my neighbors showed it (or something like it) to me with great enthusiasm one summer night about a year ago. They were using their iPad so we had a nice large view. It was great! I couldn’t help but wish Jeff was there to join in on the fun. He always liked the celestial events.
I don’t use it often, but this morning I pulled it up to verify that Venus is the bright star I saw in the east (not just a satellite).
Yes, I think I have often mistaken satellites as stars! Such wonders of technology will hopefully interest many in becoming astronomers, amateur or professional.