Ahoy there,
The next sunset/moonrise picnic will be Wed July 9 from 8:30 - 10:30 PM. Sunset around 9:40, pale moonrise about 9:50 pm. (The full moon is officially July 10, but with a very late moonrise.) Sorry not to join you for this picnic (nor the next one in August) due to my travel schedule, but you will be warmly welcomed by my charming co-host Catherine. Thank you Catherine.
July was known to American Indians known as Full Thunder Moon, because of the frequency of thunderstorms (hopefully not next Wednesday.) It was also known as the Full Buck Moon, because this is the month buck deer get new antlers.
WHAT: Everyone brings food and drinks to share.
WHERE: Pont des Arts. We'll gather a bench near the center of the bridge. Nearest metros: Pont Neuf and Louvre-Rivoli.
WHEN: Wed July 9 from 8:30 - 10:30 PM
WHY: Share one of the most memorable sights in Paris with some of the nicest people around.
WHO: You and your friends
HOW to find us: no telescope this time.
THEME: Inter-Independence Day (between 4th of July 4th and 14th of July). Wear colors, or bring food that’s red, white and blue or blue, white and red depending on your which country you are less ashamed of.
PUZZLER: Why can’t you see any stars during daylight? Where do they go? Or could you see them looking up from the bottom of a deep well?
PUZZLER ANSWER: Actually you can see one star during daylight. And that’s the reason you can’t see any others. The sun, our nearest star, brightens the sky so much that the light from other stars is too faint to show up against the bright sky. That’s the same reason the moonrise is usually more striking the day after the full moon. The full moon rises close to sunset, but the next night it rises well after sunset when the sky is darker (and it looks just as full). That’s also the reason you see fewer stars when the moon is full, making the sky lighter, "washing out" the fainter stars.
Many people believe (I was one of them) that if you were at the bottom of a deep well, the sky be dark enough because much less skylight would find its way to your eyes. False myth. Not only would the sky not be dark enough, the contrast would be even greater and your angle of view would be so narrow that you’d be lucky if it happened to point to a star at all. On the other hand, if you fell into a deep well and landed on your head, well then yes you would see stars! 🤣
ciao for niao,
Captain Bob
