The moon that smiles back
Did you get a glimpse at the early morning moon this fine day?
It was smiling at you .. waiting for you to wink back.
While the phases of the moon website I went to muddied the waters, I clearly saw the well-defined Cheshire Moon this morning. Despite the indications from all scientific observers stating that we were going to see a waning crescent moon, we saw the famed ‘Wet moon.’
Some ancient skywatchers spoke of the crescent Moon when the bottom seems to be lit as the “wet moon”. They thought it looked like a bowl which could fill up with the rain and snow of the winter season. In Hawaiian astrology, Kaelo the Water Bearer rules from January 20 – February 18. According to the Hawaiian Calendar, Kaelo is the “Dripping Wet Moon” month. However, many other cultures have defined the Moon when lit on the bottom as the “dry moon” since in that configuration, the Moon is “holding in the water”.
The best photograph I could snag of the moon phase this morning comes courtesy of my soon to be ancient iPhone 6:
….iPhones indeed take some of the worst photos of night skies known to man. I hope you can at least see how, minus the blur, the moon appears to have a Cheshire cat face that would just need two eyes to stare back..?
Some more science behind the phase:
If you have been reading this site for any given time, you know me well enough by now that you’ll realize most of my conversations may include references to professional wrestling, horror movies, or the Mandela Effect. And here’s my Mandela Effect of the day: A lot of people don’t believe they grew up knowing anything about a wet moon. They don’t recall Cheshire moons in the moon phases calendar. And yes, I had the same confusion today when I looked up what phase of the moon we were actually in…
That said, I do recall this happening from time to time. It just so happens that a few days ago someone on YouTube was proudly boasting his ‘Mandela Effect find’ when suddenly today I saw the same thing he saw just a week ago.
Making matters more intense: This morning before my commute I purchased gasoline at a local 24/7 enterprise and the amount of money it cost was $11.11…. Making a wish upon a star, Cheshire Moon shining on my car.
