Each time the Harvest Moon rises, I’m invariably viewing the spectacle while standing somewhere on the Great Plains. On the evening of September 27, 2015, I again found myself on one of my favorite dirt roads at sundown and, like many times before, I had the Big Sky and the silence all to myself…
This was going to be my first viewing of an eclipsed Harvest Moon, so I dedicated the entire evening to skywatching. The weather above this parcel of South Dakota was just perfect for the occasion, as it often seems to be in September. From this location, there was plenty to see right out of the gate, with sunset (19:19 CDT), moonrise (19:13) and the start of the penumbral eclipse (19:12) all bunched together. The fully eclipsed moon would be seen about two hours later, giving me plenty of time to enjoy the clouds and all the colors of twilight while the moon climbed higher…
See you tomorrow…
Thar she blows…
Still some lovely colors to the west…
Home on the range…
Better than a drive-in movie…
Deep into the umbra: With the moon darkened substantially, this was the first time I’ve ever captured stars and the moon in a single exposure…
The Harvest Moon this year arrives on September 16. No eclipse, but I’ll be watching anyway.
Riding with Carl 