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Tonight’s Moon

Jennifer, what’s with this green crescent that is not visible to the naked eye?

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10 Comments
jennifer
jennifer

Nice job. Since I JUST looked at the pictures that Lew took of the exact same thing, I’m quite sure the green is an artifact of your particular camera. (I do wish I had last night’s moon and Venus; the crescent was smaller and Venus closer; I suspect the Earthshine was slightly more impressive and the lunar details clearer.)

jennifer
jennifer

Lew said the green in your third photo is not green cheese but chromatic aberration; you see it in photos with intense contrast. The first two are internal reflections; we think they are symetric about the center point of the original photo … did you crop the second one?

jennifer
jennifer

Oh, I forgot to say — Lew’s photos didn’t come out better; he had different problems.

rakkity
rakkity

You have stumbled onto a little known secret of the solar system. Those green crescents are the hidden habitats of the Zorg, the visitors from Epsilon Eridani who have been observing us for the last few centuries from lunar orbit. The crescents are only visible using cameras with special optics installed on a select few destined for the super-secret censored. You have received your camera in error. Send it posthaste to the Office of Homeland Security, where it will be used to identify the non-patriots among the citizenry.

michael
michael

I’m going with rakkity’s response because I’d already come up with the exact same scenario.

I love that smiley moon. The night before, the star was above it.

rakkity
rakkity

The night befor last I was admiring the same celestial delights myself, and when I showed the moon and Venus (the bright “star”) to Beth, she asked, “Is that unusual?” I answered, “Only the green crescent, hovering to the south.”

jennifer
jennifer

Well, I’d go with rakkity’s response because he is, after all, the astronomer. Or was that astrologer?

So, rakkity, you can see the green crescent with the naked eye? You and Beth both? Way to go!!

jennifer
jennifer

Hello? This is so … two days ago. Everything ok out there?

michael
michael

It’s a UV filter problem.

rakkity
rakkity

Spoilsport.

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