In trying to think of this from a scientific point of view, I think there are a couple of reasons. I have some scientifically trained people in my corner with whom I'd like to double check my theories, but for now I'll tackle this one from off the cuff.
Is that the correct metaphor? Off the cuff? I mix my metaphors all the time, sometimes to be punny, but sometimes I genuinely don't know what I'm talking about. But I digress.
The moon does not have a geometrically perfect circular orbit around the earth. It's more elliptical, or in the vernacular, wobbly. When the moon is closest to the earth it is at its perigee. In this phase, the ocean or large body of water tides are stronger. If the full moon rises in its perigee while there is a lot of moisture in the air (dew point), the water molecules can magnify the "look" of the moon, kind of like a mirage. Since we mere mortals are looking at it from terra firma at an approximately horizon-level stance, we view it through the maximum amount of water vapor in the air. As the moon rises (that's in a James Taylor song: "Sweet Baby James") and we follow its orbit, the higher we look up the less the water vapor is acting like a lens, rendering our vision of the moon a more realistic size.
The moon is said to be at its apogee when it is farthest from the earth. I have no further comment on that, other than one might expect the tides to be relatively calmer in relation to the waning pull from the moon's orbit, though I do not know if this is true. I do know, however, that apogee and perigee are fun 50-cent party words to throw around and impress people who think that they are better than you. Well, they aren't. I know you are wonderful because you are reading my blog.
So that ends today's lesson on astronomy.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Welcome to my blog, "On the Beaten Path," by Kathy.
Today I am going to review a book I recently read and found myself wanting more from a first-time novelist, whose story both rattled and broke me down, tear by tear, smile by smile.
"The Age of Miracles," by Karen Thompson Walker, chronicles the coming of age of an adolescent girl in the dawning days of a dystopian world -- a world where hope is a lost concept and pandemic insanity sweeps the Earth as a major yet unknown rift shifts the planet's magnetic field.
In order to keep her sanity, navigate through puberty, and watch her once dynamic family unspool before her eyes, young Julia attempts to seek solace through her friends and daily routines. But as the Earth's rotation slows, days grow incrementally longer and Julia's friends abandon her, and combating the temptation to give in to the prolific madness and drop out of society becomes an increasingly formidable endeavor.
This is a dark and sometimes chilling story but is told with a tender yet fiercely determined voice. When I finished it I wanted to reach through the pages of the book, grab the author by the hand and say, "I want more!" There were times I quite literally could not put down this book. I loved it -- Walker's prose speaks to us intelligently, as we are thrown into a world of chaos under grace.
5-12-2013
Today I am going to review a book I recently read and found myself wanting more from a first-time novelist, whose story both rattled and broke me down, tear by tear, smile by smile.
"The Age of Miracles," by Karen Thompson Walker, chronicles the coming of age of an adolescent girl in the dawning days of a dystopian world -- a world where hope is a lost concept and pandemic insanity sweeps the Earth as a major yet unknown rift shifts the planet's magnetic field.
In order to keep her sanity, navigate through puberty, and watch her once dynamic family unspool before her eyes, young Julia attempts to seek solace through her friends and daily routines. But as the Earth's rotation slows, days grow incrementally longer and Julia's friends abandon her, and combating the temptation to give in to the prolific madness and drop out of society becomes an increasingly formidable endeavor.
This is a dark and sometimes chilling story but is told with a tender yet fiercely determined voice. When I finished it I wanted to reach through the pages of the book, grab the author by the hand and say, "I want more!" There were times I quite literally could not put down this book. I loved it -- Walker's prose speaks to us intelligently, as we are thrown into a world of chaos under grace.
5-12-2013
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