Super Moon

[valhalla]

We went over to Chesapeake Beach on Saturday evening to watch the Super Moon rise over Maryland's Eastern Shore.  I had forgotten my tripod, so I am really impressed that my old body parts were able to hold the camera steady enough (with the long lens) to get these images    Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35028&id=100000831247824&l=73fc6d09b3

[Annette]

Great pictures! 

[MAK]

     bguitar Cool pics Janet!   

[Donna]

Gee, is the moon not a perogy?

If you looked at the sky last Saturday, you saw the full moon at its perigee. This does not mean it was stuffed with potato, boiled and covered in sour cream. That would be the moon as perogy, which is unlikely, although there is a small crater in the moon’s northwest quadrant called Beer, which goes well with perogies.
The perigee is the closest point to Earth reached by a body orbiting this planet, just as the farthest point is the apogee. The perigee of the moon’s elliptical orbit is 356,410 kilometres from Earth, closer than the 406,697 kilometres at the apogee. Scientists say the moon is moving away from Earth at a rate of four centimetres a year, so you’d be wise to look at it now.

Perigee entered English by way of French from the modern Latin perigaeum, from the Greek perigeios, closely circling the Earth, from peri (near, around) and gaia (Earth). It belongs to an extended family of English words dependent on peri.

For instance, the perimeter, the outline of an area, comes from a Greek blending of peri (around) and metron (measure). The periscope combines peri and skopein, to observe. The period, a stretch of time, comes from peri and hodos (journey, course), in the sense of running a set distance. When it entered English, period specifically referred to the time a disease took from outbreak to resolution.

Since peri also had a hand in periphery (from the Greek periphereia, circumference, from peri and phero, to bear), permit me the peripheral note that the peregrine falcon gets its name not from the Greek but from the Latin per (through). Peregrine evolved from a blending of per and ager (field, land, country), which produced the Latin peregre, abroad.

There are two points of interest here. One is that when the Latin peregrinus (wandering stranger) entered English around 1200, it took the form of pelegrin, but nobody much liked the way that sounded. After years of slack pronunciation, pelegrin became pilgrim.

The second point is that the peregrine falcon got its name not because it travels, but because falconers would catch the bird in flight instead of stealing it from the nest, the way they did with eyas falcons. The Latin word for nest was nidas, which became niais in Old French. Thus, a nest in early English was “a nias.� But inattentive people began associating the “n� with the article instead of with the noun, turning it into “an eias.� So eias became the Middle English word for nest, and the eyas falcon got its unusual name.

All right, back to business. While perigee hasn’t caught on outside astronomical circles, the apogee (the most distant point) is frequently used as a synonym for climax or culmination. Britain’s Daily Mail used it on March 18 in criticizing the see-through dress modelled by Kate Middleton at university and auctioned off this month for a princely sum. “It’s not even as if the dress is nice,� the column said. “I mean, just look at it. It’s utterly hideous, the apogee of what passes for fashion in student land.�

The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., used it sarcastically in a piece on March 14. Armed with a remote control, the writer said, he could watch Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity every hour of the day. “We are living, my friends, at the apogee of civilization.�

Apogee comes from the Greek apogaios, far from Earth, from apo (away from) and gaia (Earth). A similar-sounding word, apology, comes from apo and logos, speech. In other words, an apology is a way of distancing oneself from one’s words.

For instance, I apologize for straying so far from the initial discussion of last Saturday’s moon. Have a perogy on me. Choose the closest one.


Well ok then!

[valhalla]

Over on FB, some of you might recall my mention of Bob - a very old friend, mentor, photographer, Earth-Space Science Teacher, and Christian.  Somehow, I retained all of the lessons about distances, orbits, spots, flares, and the like.  I had the great honor of learning from a teacher that was able to teach science and not go against creation.  Bob died in 2006, but he was very close to our thoughts last Saturday night - I know he would have said, "it is all cyclical, dependable, and known".

[Bird Crazy]

Over on FB, some of you might recall my mention of Bob - a very old friend, mentor, photographer, Earth-Space Science Teacher, and Christian.  Somehow, I retained all of the lessons about distances, orbits, spots, flares, and the like.  I had the great honor of learning from a teacher that was able to teach science and not go against creation.  Bob died in 2006, but he was very close to our thoughts last Saturday night - I know he would have said, "it is all cyclical, dependable, and known".

The world needs more Bobs in it.

[Shaky]

The world needs more Bobs in it.

And fewer Charlies.

[anneintoronto]

I had the great honor of learning from a teacher that was able to teach science and not go against creation. 

I am very disturbed by what I am reading here.  Although I am very sorry your obviously wonderful teacher, mentor died – I really am -- I, and others, who have mentioned it to me, don’t think topics that are of a highly volatile nature, such as Creationism, should be brought up or discussed in this forum.  We all have our own strongly held beliefs, but aside from caring about Nature, I think that they are best kept to ourselves.  It only inflames others and to what purpose?  Certainly not any that should be important in this group – a peregrine falcon, bird and general nature group.  Religion does not belong here and Creationism, the belief that God created all things out of nothing as described in the Bible and that therefore the theory of evolution is incorrect, although totally your right to believe in, may well be quite offensive to many members.  I am not going to voice any tenet per se, as it also does not belong here and is mine and only mine.  As far as the greater reaches of all religions inclusive and any positive ways of living our lives, trying to treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated and loving our neighbours, are important and universal.  Further than that, please let's try to keep religious comments out of our writings.

Thank you,

Anne in Toronto

[Bird Crazy]

I thought we were discussing Bob not creationism  

Bob as a great teacher who was able to connect with his students and made them want to learn and actually remember what they learned. Not teachers who teach a test the student must pass. Sure they pass but do they retain any of this knowledge have they reached the student.

I had such a teacher she made me love science, Mrs Robinson was great. 

[czybuki]

Wow. How can one be offended by the mention of the word "creation" in the context of a description of a well-respected person?  There is, so far, no discussion regarding religion except for yours, Anne.

I lurk here all the time, enjoying the conversations and comments, but I was quite taken aback by your post, which seemed to be an attack. I frankly think that you owe Janet an apology.

Dawn Pisello

[MAK]

Wow. How can one be offended by the mention of the word "creation" in the context of a description of a well-respected person?  There is, so far, no discussion regarding religion except for yours, Anne.

I lurk here all the time, enjoying the conversations and comments, but I was quite taken aback by your post, which seemed to be an attack. I frankly think that you owe Janet an apology.

Dawn Pisello

I agree!

[jantur]

I posted the following on the Yahoo Board but it occurs to me that I'm one of the very few people who still go there.  I'm sorry that the same message will show up there twice!

Re: Super Moon



There are billions of people in this world of ours and they all have their own
beliefs about everything. This is a Message Board about birds and nature and I
wish we could all stick to that. I'm sure that Bob was a wonderful teacher but
it seemed unnecessary to tell us that he was a Christian and that he could teach
science without going against Creation. That could be offensive to someone who
is NOT a Christian or who doesn't believe in Creation. I'm sure there must be
more appropriate Message Boards to discuss those things.

Jan in CT

[czybuki]

It is unreasonable to take offense to something that was not meant to cause it.  Why such vitriol over an innocent comment? Again, I say: wow.

[Patti from Kentucky]

I feel very strongly that Anne didn't intend a personal attack, and I didn't interpret her comment as such.  I think her intentions were honorable: to encourage us, as Jan in CT echoed, to keep religious discussion off the board.  Was I offended by Janet's words?  No...disquieted would be more like it.  Did I interpret her words as being overtly religious, even before Anne commented on her post?  Yes.  Do I agree that religious topics are highly wrought with emotion and likely to cause hurt feelings, dissent, dissonance?  Yes, that was my sense of disquiet...generally on religious matters people are almost unable to hear or understand each other at all, and I could sense that's where the thread might head.  I'm generally one to simply take deep breaths and not get involved, but I value Anne's and Janet's contributions to the board and felt that Dawn's comment needed to be addressed...I really didn't hear any vitriol...just a plea that we get along, not discuss religion, and consider other viewpoints.

[Donna]

It is unreasonable to take offense to something that was not meant to cause it.  Why such vitriol over an innocent comment? Again, I say: wow.

Personally, I found nothing wrong with Janet's post. Like everyone say's, if you don't like it, skip over it. Don't attack. Ok, back to our regularly scheduled program...EGGS!