"Supermoon" going down on Sunday morning, March 20, 2011

If I had been a working photographer on assignment to photograph Saturday night's supermoon, I would probably be looking for a new job this morning. It is not that I didn't try. It is not that I didn't have a plan.

Sunday morning

The time of the moonrise was easy to find on the internet. The location was a little trickier, but with the help of a map and compass and using an azimuth table, I was confident that the moon would rise behind the perfect landscape that I had chosen for it. At the appointed time, I was ready with camera and tripod. It was a beautiful scene, but the moon didn't rise.  I checked my watch against the dashboard clock.   Five minutes went by, then ten. No moon. Finally, I saw the moon through the trees about 45 degrees from where it was supposed to be. You can't trust Mother Nature.

A moonrise is most dramatic just as it clears the horizon, particularly if the atmospheric conditions are right. I relocated and set back up, but the moon was well above the horizon, and not looking very super at all. By this time, it was too dark to include any part of the landscape, so I took a few desultory shots and headed home.

Sunday morning I got out of bed at 6:30 to catch the moon going down over the Blue Ridge from my front yard, but it set well to the south where our view of the mountains is blocked by closer hills and trees. So I made the best of it, and was thankful that my job did not depend on my photographic skills.