6-minute read, including photo captions

2020-05-07 Super Flower Moon D810-0600.JPG

May’s full moon was the last super moon of 2020. Called the “Flower Moon” since flowers begin blooming around this time of year, it was either the 3rd or 4th super moon of the year, depending on whose parameters you subscribe to. I was lucky enough to document the March, April, and May super moons this year.

In case you missed them, here are the posts for the two previous super moons that I caught:

March 8th and 9th - the Super Worm Moon - this post includes stills and a timelapse sequence of both evenings, plus an overview of the differences in opinion about the number of super moons this year
April 6th and 7th - the Super Pink Moon - this post includes stills and timelapses from the moonrise on April 6th and the moonset on April 7th

I always have a problem with superlatives - the word “best” is so subjective and tends to morph over time as memory and subsequent experiences intervene - but I will admit that, from my current perspective, May’s Flower Moon was the most spectacular of the year. The conditions were just right - clear skies, no haze, sunset (at 20:07) a half hour before moonrise (at 20:36) so the skies were sufficiently dark to be a good backdrop for the moon’s magnificent glow.

It was so amazing that a group of fishermen on a nearby pier began to spontaneously cheer as the moon rose. I felt privileged to witness such a breathtaking event, even if I hadn’t had two cameras firing away feverishly to capture the moment.

I’m sure some of you have come to this page specifically to see my timelapse, so without further ado, here it is:

I’m glad I had two cameras to work with (so once can run on “auto” while I focus on “manual” with the other one) since I often get so caught up in the excitement of the moment that I forget to keep an eye on the technical details…. : -)

And by the way, I do mean “moment”. Most people - including me, it seems - forget just how fast the Earth spins (1,000 miles an hour), and how that translates to the moon positively leaping above the horizon and zipping its way up into the sky. To give you some perspective, since it had to rise above the hill across the way, the first hint of color through the spokes of the Ferris Wheel appeared at 20:44. A minute later, a quarter of the sphere was already visible. By 21:03 - 19 minutes later - it had left the frame of the 120mm lens on my Nikon D810. Since I was zoomed out a bit more on the D5300 that was running the timelapse, that sequence spans the time from 20:44 to 21:11 - a total of 27 minutes (compressed to about 15 seconds of video).

Here are some stills from the D810 with timestamps to show how quickly the scene unfolded….

The first hint of orange moonlight peeking through the spokes of the Ferris Wheel - timestamp: 20:44:31

Timestamp: 20:45:51 - a minute and 20 seconds later - a partial crescent is visible, blocked by the trees

Timestamp: 20:47:41 - a minute and 50 seconds later (and 3min : 10sec from the first sighting) - the entire moon is visible, having almost cleared the Ferris Wheel and the buildings, the scene leaving gorgeous reflective stripes on the water

Timestamp: 20:50:52 - 3 mins 11 secs later (and 6min : 21sec from the first sighting) - the moon is now well above the Wheel and the buildings - and that small boat just HAS to drift into the frame! : -)

Timestamp: 20:51:41 - 49 seconds later (and 7min : 10sec from the first sighting) - everyone that had been cheering and chattering before is now stunned into silence by the sheer perfection of the sight before us - and that boat might actually be le… — Timestamp: 20:51:41 - 49 seconds later (and 7min : 10sec from the first sighting) - everyone that had been cheering and chattering before is now stunned into silence by the sheer perfection of the sight before us - and that boat might actually be lending some foreground interest after all….

A tight crop of the previous shot to give you an idea of the level of detail visible in the moon - this would a lot less fuzzy had I had a longer lens, but one makes do with what one has - and I’m not unhappy with this shot, even knowing how much be… — A tight crop of the previous shot to give you an idea of the level of detail visible in the moon - this would a lot less fuzzy had I had a longer lens, but one makes do with what one has - and I’m not unhappy with this shot, even knowing how much better it could have been with about $3000 worth of high-end glass on my camera…. : -)

There are a few more shots in the Gallery for this post, so I’ll leave off here for the moon.

I would be remiss, however, by not taking a virtual step back for a moment to share the amazing beauty of the location. You came here to see the super moon, so I led with that, but if you have a moment, check out the stunning surroundings of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which spans a portion of Jones Point Park, where these photos were taken. The state line between Virginia and Maryland runs down the middle of the Potomac, and you can walk across the bridge into Maryland - all the way to the harbor on the opposite shore - but all these shots (except for the first) were taken on the Virginia side of the river. I got to the site about 90 minutes before sunset, and spent about a half hour capturing the golden glow of a perfect evening.

The bridge in its current form, partially completed and open to traffic in 2006, but not fully completed - with all 12 lanes of I-95/I-495 flowing - until 2013 (at a cost of $2.36 billion), is one of only a handful of drawbridges in the Interstate Highway System. The original bridge - built in the late 1950’s and early 60’s, was lower and opened on an average of 260 times a year. The new bridge is higher and has to open on a fraction of that number of times. In fact, I don’t recall ever having seen it open, but I don’t cross it that often either.

If nothing else, though, it is a visual feast for the eyes, especially against a nice sunset….

Just to give you some perspective of the scale, this shot was taken the day before the others from my Galaxy S8 phone - good thing the clouds cleared up by the next night!

I had never been to Jones Point Park - or under the bridge before - before the previous evening, and was impressed by its massive size, ponderous scale, and graceful arches

A curvaceous concrete pillar illuminated by a solar flare

Stanchions dwindling off into the distance toward the Maryland side, with basketball courts and bike riders on the Virginia side

Impromptu sign post left by a passing wanderer

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Under different conditions, I’m sure there would be hundreds of people walking, riding bikes/skateboards and playing basketball on one of the many courts under the bridge