Super Moon Over Connecticut (Photos)

I turned to the east at 7:23 and right on schedule…. nothing. That’s not right. The Moon is always on time!

I would have written this a few minutes ago, but I wanted to wait until the feeling returned to my fingers! Spring may be under 24 hours away, but winter isn’t done yet. It was windy and cold as I made my way to Quinnipiac University’s York Hill Campus.

Tonight is the night of the “Super Moon.” The Moon is full while it and Earth are at their closest point. It’s unusual for both those things to happen simultaneously.

I know enough to know it wasn’t going to be spectacular, but it would be nice.

Moonrise was scheduled for 7:23 PM. “What are you waiting for,” Helaine asked a few minutes before 7:00?

It only takes five minutes to get from here to there. Within the first thirty seconds I knew what I’d been waiting for–warmth.

I first stopped behind the fieldhouse to take a few twilight shots of New Haven. A security officer showed up thirty seconds later. He’d noticed me driving beyond the “No Vehicles…” sign.

I’m lucky. He was nice about it. I got to take my shots before moving on.

There were a few other people waiting at the top of QU’s hill as I crossed from the parking lot to the easternmost overlook on this new campus. I could see other folks even higher up near Quinnipiac’s Windspire Wind Farm.

Yes, electricity was being produced tonight. Lots of electricity.

With a few minutes still to pass I turned toward Lockwood Farm down in the valley below. The silo… it’s a cell tower! Is nothing sacred?

I turned to the east at 7:23 and right on schedule…. nothing. That’s not right. The Moon is always on time!

I waited. Still nothing. Maybe the Moon was behind Sleeping Giant Mountain?

As it turned out though we had no clouds overhead there were a few on the horizon. The Moon began to poke through around 7:30.

It’s a little larger. It’s a little brighter. It’s still the full moon. If no one would have talked about it being oversized tonight you wouldn’t have known it!

I, on the other hand, am thinking of soaking in a hot tub. It’s still winter!

20 thoughts on “Super Moon Over Connecticut (Photos)”

  1. Thanks Jeff, this is an amazing shot! I couldn’t get my camera to work, could not have done better than this 🙂

  2. Great pictures – thanks! I work at QU and didn’t know there was a windfarm – surprise! Good luck thawing out – I’ve been keeping windows open because it looks like it should be warm enough. It isn’t.

  3. Jeff great shots, I went out and wait for the moon to rise over Groton and it was not on time according to what I had. I was so angry, I set me camera to what the suggested setting were and bam, I could not get a good shot. I have some great spots over the water, but nothing. I had to go back down after the rise and take some test shots to get it right. But yours on the other hand are great. Keep it up. I know that you are a great photographyer and I love your things.

  4. Amazing pictures, Geoff. I love the ones of the view from the hill. I love it up there, but driving up and down can cause the knuckles to turn white!! However, it’s worth it for the view and the basketball games. (Did you notice I used “it’s” correctly???)

  5. I was out there too, freezing my bum. The moon was late in coming out, I saw it peeking through the trees and it was larger and so much brighter than the usual moon …for me it was worth it. I couldn’t get as close as your pics because my camera is just a Kodak digital but I got some nice shots I posted on FB.

    Thanks for sharing yours with all of us Geoff.

  6. Quinnipiac needs to hire you! You could teach meterology, or photography, or broadcasting – there’s got to be something there that’s a fit for you. And my niece is transferring there from CCSU and will begin her Junior year there in the fall. I can’t wait to take a drive there and see the new campus, especially the wind farm! Thanks for the photos. And yeah, the moon didn’t really seem any different to me tonight.

    1. Dianne – I just can’t see myself as an academician. As I said to someone else recently, my educational bonafides are well short of what universities conventionally require.

      1. That might be true, Geoff, but your extensive experience should count for something. Plus your post on how you got the moon shot proves you can teach as you just very clearly explained how to get the shot, and not just how to get the shot, but the thought process behind it. But again, that’s why we always liked you on air – because of your ability to explain things in a way that was simple and clear.

  7. Thanks Geoff, your moon pic is far better than anything I saw… I thought maybe I had not caught it at the right time… but it didn’t seem to live up to the hype… I guess I have to wait 18 years???

  8. Had crystal clear skies and temps in the mid 70’s here in South Florida, Palm Beach County……observed the “supermoon” rise above the eastern horizon ascending above the Atlantic ocean. Was a spectacular sight as the moonlight reflected off the water and created a pathway directly to it. Was joined on the beach by about 700 other moon watchers. Lots of cheer and cheers as the moon rose over all the onlookers!

  9. I have added a post on how I got the shot. Maybe that will help for next time? I quote you Jeff….is it 18 years from Now? I went outside to receive a shower of it….for health and energy.

  10. Great shot of the very same view that I had on the beach in Woodmont near my home.

    Even though it was cool and breezy there were many of our summer walkers as well as those who drove by and saw that incredibly clear moon.

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