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Blue Moon

August 1, 2015 by Steve Hirsch
Blue Moon

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “Once in a Blue Moon”, right? You know, it’s that rare sighting of the full moon that’s supposed to be, well… blue. So without further ado, here it is… the 2015 blue, um… uh…Pink Moon? Wait a minute. Was the guy who discovered it color blind??? It doesn’t look blue to me! And that’s where the rarity comes in. Certain atmospheric conditions is what makes the moon take on a blueish appearance. It once happened in 1883 when the volcano, Krakatoa, erupted in Indonesian. It spewed so much ash into the atmosphere that the moon appeared blue for years. It also happen again in 1950 from the smoke and ash particles of a wild fire in Canada. So when a season (every 3 years) has 4 full moons, the third one is called the Blue Moon. And the rarity of it being blue will depend on atmospheric conditions.

As you probably know, I love chasing the moon. So this time around, I thought I’d try out the new 50 megapixel Canon 5Ds, with a Canon 100-400mm II lens. This was shot roughly in the same area as the Strawberry moon I shot last month. About 13 miles Northwest in Arvada. Using the zoom of the lens creates what is called the Ponzo Illusion (google it). Meaning, because I’m so far away, and zooming so far in, it’s compressing the image to bring that moon closer to my subject. It took me a while to comprehend that until I got it right over the years. Later in the evening for the windmill shot, I brought out my Profoto B1 to light up the windmill. At least that’s blue!

Tags2015 Blue Moon Blue Moon denver Steve Hirsch Steve Hirsch Photographer Steve Hirsch Photography stevehirschphoto.com steven hirsch photography
Comments
  • August 1, 2015
    smiller257

    Beautiful pictures, Steve! We are in Fort Collins, Colorado last night and saw the moon, how spectacular!

    Steve – http://www.WeBeTripping.com

    • August 1, 2015
      Steve Hirsch

      Thanks Steve! It’s good to hear from you!

  • August 1, 2015
    Laurie Orr

    I love this photograph! I’m glad I was able to see via your photo because it was cloudy here in Savannah.

    • August 1, 2015
      Steve Hirsch

      Thank you Laurie! It got cloudy here too in the afternoon. But it cleared up by the time I got to my location. Whew!

  • August 2, 2015
    Susan Eberwein

    Nice crack in that moon of yours….doh! Beautiful shot, Steve! Thanks for the history lesson too :).

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