APOD: Philadelphia Perigee Full Moon (2016 Nov 18)

[APOD Robot]

Philadelphia Perigee Full Moon

Explanation: A supermoon sets over the metropolis of Philadelphia in this twilight snapshot captured on November 14 at 6:21am Eastern Standard Time. Within hours of the Moon's exact full phase, that time does correspond to a lunar perigee or the closest point in the Moon's elliptical orbit around our fair planet. Slightly bigger and brighter at perigee, this Full Moon is still flattened and distorted in appearance by refraction in atmospheric layers along the sight-line near the horizon. Also like more ordinary Full Moons, it shines with the warm color of sunlight. Joined by buildings along the Philadelphia skyline, the perigee full moonlight is reflected in the waters of the mighty Schuylkill River.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

[/b]

[Joe Stieber]

The foreground body of water is actually the Cooper River in New Jersey, looking west-northwest from Cherry Hill. It couldn't be the Schuylkill River since the Schuylkill is west of center-city and this is a setting moon. The Cooper River flows into the Delaware River, which separates Camden, New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[Boomer12k]

So cool...

Clear but cold here tonight... brrr....

:---[===] *

[Cousin Ricky]

If this is looking west across downtown Philadelphia, then how is that the Schuylkill River?

[70sXmen]

Looks like they took two shots and combined into one...one of the skyline and one of the Schuylkill...too close to center city to be Cooper River park...it would have been the Delaware River that you would have seen east of the city...cool shot anyway...

[TPFITZPATRICK]

The river in the picture is the Delaware River. The Schuylkill River is on the other side of center city. The Cooper River is East of this location (behind the photographer).

[neufer]

The river in the picture is the Delaware River. The Schuylkill River is on the other side of center city. The Cooper River is East of this location (behind the photographer).

• The mighty Cooper's Creek:

<<Benjamin Franklin made a brief visit to Cooper's Creek on his way to Philadelphia, as a run-away apprentice from Boston in 1723: "However, walking in the evening by the side of the river, a boat came by, which I found was going towards Philadelphia, with several people in her. They took me in, and, as there was no wind, we row'd all the way; and about midnight, not having yet seen the city, some of the company were confident we must have passed it, and would row no farther; the others knew not where we were; so we put toward the shore, got into a creek, landed near an old fence, with the rails of which we made a fire, the night being cold, in October, and there we remained till daylight. Then one of the company knew the place to be Cooper's Creek, a little above Philadelphia, which we saw as soon as we got out of the creek, and arriv'd there about eight or nine o'clock on the Sunday morning, and landed at the Market-street wharf.">>

[Joe Stieber]

The river in the picture is the Delaware River. The Schuylkill River is on the other side of center city. The Cooper River is East of this location (behind the photographer).

Having taken pictures of center-city Philadelphia from this very location since the 1970's, I can assure you it is indeed the Cooper River. The Delaware River is too close to center-city and wouldn't provide a desirable perspective for the moon -- the image of the moon would be much smaller relative to the buildings (assuming the low-altitude moon wasn't being blocked the nearer buildings).

Regardless, it's a fine picture!

[scottsm]

If it's twilight and a full moon, wouldn't this be the moon *rising* instead of setting?

[scottsm]

If it's twilight and a full moon, wouldn't this be the moon *rising* instead of setting?

Oops -- sorry, it was taken at 6:21am; I was thrown off by the use of "twilight" instead of "dawn"

[Joe Stieber]

If it's twilight and a full moon, wouldn't this be the moon *rising* instead of setting?

Oops -- sorry, it was taken at 6:21am; I was thrown off by the use of "twilight" instead of "dawn"

Twilight is equally applicable to both evening and morning. Dusk and dawn would be specific to evening and morning respectively.

[BillBixby]

The refraction in atmospheric layers, reflected in the waters is forcing me to look further into the definition and meaning of the two words. The Asterisk uses them extensively but until now they were just technical terms from scholars who did know what they were talking about. Light being refracted through a lens, reflected off a mirror was nice to see but I did not need to understand as it was not part of my need-to-know.

Now, seeing refraction and reflection in today picture makes me want to learn more. I am starting to appreciate the care and art going into creating lenses which have the ability to not only bend the light but, because of their nature, also separate the frequencies so the colors are not hitting the same focal point. Mirrors with as much precision as possible to minimize distortion. The art and science of T-scope making. I am seeing the cost of the instruments in the quality of APOD pictures.

Mother nature has made a lens of low quality which is distorting the image of the moon. Then placed a mirror on the surface of the river of equally low quality so if you did not know what the image was you would be unable to know. Mother Nature has made the lens and the mirror. That is more than I have done.

Thank you to Jerry Lodriguss for today's beautiful picture which has brought out a desire in me to learn more

[oguydave]

I've always been inspired by Jerry's photography. It's a super supermoon picture!

Using some basic math, The Photographer's Ephemeris (http://app.photoephemeris.com), and Google Earth, I believe this photo was taken from the Cuthbert Blvd bridge over the Cooper River, N39 55.44 W75 3.32.

Another very good photograph, by Bruce Neumann (I hope he doesn't mind my posting and discussing his photo) is here https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater, and I believe this picture was taken from a higher elevation, and a little farther away, possibly a building just north of Rt 70 in Cherry Hill, at N39 55.54 W75 2.56.

My first time at doing this kind of exercise, so be kind if I'm off base! Sure was fun anyway!