Crescent moon and clouds

05/17/12, 9 pm, looking up to the southwest

05/18/12, 10 pm, looking up to the southwest

There is something breathtaking about the crescent moon and veils of night clouds. The transparent and illuminated nature of the clouds is so special. How often are we awake and aware enough to look up and enjoy this magical sight?

Pale and cold

02/12/12, 7:15 am, looking up and west

This waning gibbous moon was pale and cold in the early morning sky. The temperature on the back porch was 14 degrees F. The bird baths were frozen solid and the crocuses and pansies were closed and hunched with cold. The moon was at 67% illumination, It looked like the dark spots on the face of the moon merged into the sky.

Waning gibbous moon and Jupiter

This waning gibbous moon of October 15th is dramatically different from the previous night. The shape plainly shows that it is past the full moon and on the way to the last quarter moon on the 19th.


This painting, done 24 hours after the previous one, was painted about 9 pm on October 15 again facing east--a cool clear night full of stars and planets, and space.