Moon with Regulus and Mars

03/06/12, 9:30 pm, looking east

This was a cool, clear day with no trace of clouds so I painted an astronomical watercolor.


The moon was almost full at 90 % illumination and made a nice composition with the star Regulus and planet Mars. It is really difficult to see the pattern of craters on the moon unless one narrows one's eyes. That's how bright the light is when reflected off the moon. The full moon appears on March 8th.


Regulus is one of the brightest stars in the sky and the brightest star in the constellation Leo. From this distance (over 77 light years), Regulus appears to be one star but is actually two pairs of stars, Regulus A (one close pair), and Regulus B and C.


Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and appears reddish due to the iron oxide covering the surface of the planet. Mars' brightness in the sky is surpassed only by the sun, moon, Jupiter and Venus.

Afternoon moon

02/02/12, 4:40 pm, looking up and east

Despite the dramatic rain clouds that passed over Virginia yesterday, this little moon was what I painted. Yes, I missed all those cumulus clouds. Some days are like that, I guess.


Thursday morning was cool and very rainy with heavy storms overnight and the sky a solid gray. As the cold front came through, the clouds broke up and the temperature went lower. By 4 pm the skies were clear and cerulean blue. All that was left to paint was this waxing gibbous moon at 66 percent illumination. Rather lovely in the daytime, though.

New Year's Day Moon

01/01/12, 3 pm, looking up

The waxing gibbous moon rose mid-afternoon on New Year's Day and shone brightly in the cerulean sky. At 53 percent illumination, it is well on its way to full on January 9th. The swift cumulus clouds played peekaboo with the moon. They were whipped by the breeze and softly formed with trailing edges.


The cold weather is on the way for tomorrow night so we can expect  cold wind and more fast-moving clouds tomorrow. 

Almost New Year moon

12/30/11. 7:45 pm. looking up to the west north west

Here's the waxing gibbous moon at 42 percent illumination last evening at about 7:45 pm. Couldn't wait any later to paint it because by 8:30 it was covered in clouds. You can see the beginnings of the cloud migration in this painting.

I think that the night's silvery tone was also a thin layer of cloud across the sky. A very magical winter moon indeed.

Three moons

12/9/11 7:45 pm, looking up, Armour House

Yes, I know it is the same moon, just three visions of it in these paintings. In the first image from December 9th at 7:45 pm, there is something I'm calling a moonbow. Since there is a Wikipedia entry for it, it must exist, right? Apparently Aristotle thought so for he wrote about the rare moon rainbow in his Meteorology.


There was a lot of moisture in the air, a very dewy dew point, and maybe it reflected a ring of moonlight around the moon as I looked up at it. A full moon halo. So a true moonbow is white since it emanates from moonlight. Any bow containing prismatic colors is caused by sunlight.

12/10/11. 5:45 am, facing west

The second moon painting is the setting moon on the following morning at 5:45 am. This moon wears an altostratus cloud cap. This portrait was taken just before the lunar eclipse which we were unable to see on the East coast of the US. The moon set here before the eclipse began.

12/11/11, 7:30 pm, facing east

The third moon still looks full but is a waning gibbous moon at 92 percent illumination. The moon shine is particularly bright and strong. The moon face is seems somewhat quizzical and amused in its personality. Altogether, this is a charming, waxing gibbous moon.

Waxing gibbous moon with Jupiter and Hamal

November 7th was beautiful clear night after a cool and cloudless day. The waxing gibbous moon was at 82% illumination and was kept company in the east at 7:30 pm by Jupiter (lower left) and Hamal (upper left). Hamal is the brightest star in the constellation Aries and is known by astronomers as Alpha Arietis.


This drawing was made with 4B and 8B Derwent sketching pencils which add richness and texture. The moon's face is completely unintentional but shows where the idea of the man in the moon originated. When one really looks, there's a semblance of a face.

Waxing gibbous moon in daylight

The moon rises during the afternoon in the east and yesterday (November 6th) at about 4 pm was high above the horizon and well above the trees. This beautiful fall day was cloudless and cool, the red and golden leaves blowing in the breeze against a bright blue sky.


The waxing gibbous moon is growing toward full on Thursday. Yesterday it was at 76% illumination. You could also see the remainder of the dark moon if you looked very closely. This painting still has pencil in the moon's border and face where I sketched it in. I am always interested in other artist's work that leaves the sketch below the painting.

Waxing gibbous moon portrait

Here's a portrait of the waxing gibbous moon from about 10 pm on Saturday October 8th. The moon shone high in the south almost as bright as the full moon t will be this week. With the lack of humidity, the sky is so clear and sharp as if the brightness is turned up a notch.


The waxing gibbous moon is on its way to full moon on Wednesday which is the Harvest Moon or the Hunter's Moon according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. More about that later this week.