Supermoon

The supermoon woke me at 3:37 a.m., poured its rays into the room, feigning daylight. No wonder my stay-asleep mechanism was overwhelmed. Nothing to do with the fact that this is my first day back in the office since December 21. 

I read a while, ignored the moonbeams and drifted back. All the while this meteorological marvel, what astronomers call the perigee syzygy, was beaming down on the frigid landscape. It was lighting up the salt crystals on the road and the little patches of snow still left from last week's dusting.

By the time I left for work, it was low in the sky, just above the treetops, and I quickly snapped the shot above.  (Quickly, because it was 7 degrees outside and I was anxious to put my gloves on.)

We're closer to the moon during a perigee syzygy than we are otherwise. And tomorrow is the perihelion, the point in earth's orbit when we're closest to the sun. Thanks to these heavenly bodies for lighting our way, and for making the dark, cold hours so much more bearable. 

This supermoon is from November 14, 2016. I saw it glinting on the Java Sea from the island of Sumba, Indonesia. Photo:  Wikipedia