The Harvest Moon and DeValk Windmill
September 29, 2010
Photographer: Kosmas Gazeas
Summary Author: Kosmas Gazeas; Jim Foster
The photo above shows the creamy Harvest Moon juxtaposed with the De Valk Windmill in Leiden, Netherlands. It was taken 15 hours before the occurrence of the "true" full Moon, when the Moon, Earth and Sun are all in alignment. The Harvest Moon is the full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere). It just so happens that this year, and for the first time since 1991, the Harvest Moon occured on the actual date of the equinox -- September 23. Because the Harvest Moon rises at or near the time of the equinox, there’s a short period of time between sunset and moonrise on successive evenings (less than 30 minutes) as compared to other times of the year (approximately 50 minutes).
The De Valk Windmill was constructed in 1743 and now houses a museum that offers a unique birds-eye view of scenic Leiden. It's the only remaining windmill of 19 that formerly graced the Leiden landscape. Photo taken on September 22, 2010.
Photo details: Canon PowerShot SD870 camera; Focal Length of 105 mm (35 mm equivalent); Aperture of f/2.8; Exposure time of 1/4 second; ISO 100.