Cool Moon!!!!

If you get a chance this evening, check out the moon. It has a HUGE circle around it. Not the normal ring around the moon. This is one BIG circle. If you live in the city or have a lot of lights around, you may not be able to see it. I don't think I've ever seen this before. Really Cool!

Last night my 12 year old grandson was visiting and he and a friend went down the street to visit and have dinner with another friend. They came in on the run wanting us to come outside and see the ring around the moon. They had gotten scared that something was wrong. I thought it might be caused by a cloud cover of some kind. Probable not if it is all around. I don't remember seeing it before either.

Up North it means SNOW!

'Ring around the moon means rain real soon' -- old Yankee saying *the mad trivia-ist strikes again

This isn't a normal ring that the old timers talk about. It's a ring away from the moon even though it's around it. Does that make sense of have I been looking at the moon too long?

It's caused by ice crystals in the upper atmosphere,like a rainbow,only at night.You see the whole ring instead of the bow,because the horizon isn't in the way.Usually,it indicates a weather change in about 3 days.

In this corner, the challengeh for Cham-peeeeeen Trivialist of the CENT-tureeeee, MEL-OH-DEE! And in this corner, defending her title, LUPIN-LOVAH!

Ding

I think it's gonna be a dual knockout - those answers were pretty darned close, but Mel edges Lupy out by one punch for technobabble! =D

Hey, that ref's a geek - biased! Biased!

And back in the ring...

We had sundogs this afternoon. They are small rainbows out away from the sun. They are the same ring you see around the moon. Very pretty, but indicate colder weather.
Bernie

Yes,CG,they are caused by upper atmosphere ice crystals too.I forget which king it was,but in ancient England,one had 3 suns on his crest.He was getting ready for a big battle with some other guy.The evening before,what we call sun dogs were seen in the sky.This looked like 2 smaller suns on either side of the regular one.Well,when The first King's army got up at daybreak to go to battle,the other army had left the scene and scattered.They figured it was a sign from God that they weren't going to win...so cut bait and ran.

One can learn so much on this site, can't one...or two...or three....LOL Jo

I just knew SOMEONE would let me know what was up...Jim, what is really weird is that your grandson saw it the night before I did. We didn't have that circle on Saturday night. And you're right...it's not the usual "ring around the moom"...It's a huge circle - far away from the moon, but definitely around it. It was really cool though, huh?

It is caused by extremely high crystals.The beginnings of a front were coming in ,even though no clouds were covering the atmosphere.Really,at that height,it was frozen water vapor.As the frozen vapor moved across the country,people saw the ring on different nights.The finer the crystals and the higher they are,the farther the ring will be from the moon.

That is awesome. So all those ice crystals are refracting light. That's cool. :)

I never did understand how people know these things without going up there. I guess some folks just know stuff.

Isn't it called a "moon dog" when there is a ring of crystals around the moon? I remember talking about something like this in college geography class. It looks like a halo, but normally it's fairly close to the moon. I don't think we ever get those in FL really.

You all get the pretty moon and we get the subzero temperatures. Not fair! :) I've been looking here and can't see a ring from this part of the country.

JoanJ,
How cold has it been lately?
Bernie

I feel for you Joan...it's supposed to get down to 20 tonight and people think they're gonna freeze to death...bet you'd feel like it was swimsuit weather!

Normally the moon with a circle(ring) around
predicts real WIND is coming in the next few days.
Last night(not the same night as yours)
I observed of the scene in my location.

Getting cold here for a few nights, so maybe I will see it. It might compensate a little for the meteorites I never could see.

We had 6 below last night, and it's 7 below right now. The predicted low for tonight is 10 below. What have your temps been there Bernie? Can you see the ring around the moon?

Mel, 20 degrees at night would be most welcome, because that would mean the days were warmer yet. Our daytime temps aren't reaching 20 right now. The high for tomorrow is only 12 degrees. I wish it would warm up a bit though, because I hate having to plug the vehicles in every night and I despise heavy coats.

Joan, I have never experienced that kind of cold. I honestly wonder how people survive one winter of it. Okay, I confess to being a wimp when it comes to cold. I wouldn't last a week. We are getting down into the 20s sometime this week or weekend, and I dread it. Knowing myself, I will probably try to curl up into a ball and sleep like a hibernating bear until it passes. Oops, Lillian is coming and we are supposed to spread 12 yards of dirt and paint her jeep. Can't paint if it's too cold, and the dirt won't go anywhere before warmer days return. I think I will lay in supplies for making hot chocolate and cookies.

Experience proved my words.
Today we did meet with a wuthering wind
which made the bare trunks and twigs
swaying back and forth in the cold.
Here we have another saying which goes,
When there is a sunrise glow(color clouds),
you should better stay at home;
(soon it will be raining)
When there is a sunset glow,
it will be sunny continuously half a month.
(set your mind at rest to travel far)

It's 8 degrees below zero right now. Supposed to be a balmy 10 above today!
Back in about 1961, I lived at Brainerd, MN. My job (DHIA tester), took me all over that area. In mid January I was at a farm north of Pine River, MN. When the farmers father woke me in the morning it was -47 degrees. You nearly could not breath in that cold. Everything was froze up. Cows didn't milk very good either. They were in a cold loose housing set up.
Guess where the farmer was? He gad to take is wife to the hospital in Brainerd during the night. Their new baby decided that was the night it should be born. They made it OK so all was fine!
Bernie

Oh, my gosh...-47 degrees? I can't IMAGINE!! Woah.

Jianhua, that sounds a little reminiscent of the saying,

Red sky at night, sailors delight
Red sky at morning, sailors take warning

It's been c-c-c-cold here, to me at least. Right now it is 17 degrees, but it feels like 4 degrees with the windchill. It's supposed to get down to 8 degrees tonight. Brrrrrr!

* Edited and corrected punctuation. :)

This message was edited Thursday, Jan 16th 2:43 PM

I saw the huge circle too, thought it was from all the limbs I've been burning trying to clean up from the ice storm. lol
Guess we will get some snow Thurs and Fri.

Donna

Luckily, I went out early enough to see it tonight. Later, the clouds and fog changed character and the circle was gone. It's been 20 degrees warmer than the forecast every night this week. This fog is acting like a blanket and holding in the heat. Peas soup fog set in Tuesday night, and everything is wet as if it rained.

Gardenwife,
Good!
I have wirtten down.):