Aloha,
Every Christmas Eve, my family treks to the top of Haleakala to feel the chill and look for Santa’s Sleigh. This year we went to the 10,000 el to find it a cold 36*, wet, and blowing rain. After a few minutes we jumped back into the car a bit disappointed, to descend the mountain. Right before the park exit the sky had mostly cleared and the winds calmed. There we hiked under the “smiling” Hawaiian crescent. Chilled cheeks and fingers, it was perhaps one of the nicest Christmas Eves ever. This sketch was drawn from my memory of the evening.
In the winter months the path of the Moon is more parallel with the horizon giving the lunar crescent in Hawaii a bowl or smile like appearance when lit from the already set sun. Ancient Hawaiian’s called this the “wet moon” because it looks like a bowl that could be filled up with rain. As the winter moves into Spring & Summer the crescent shifts to “pour” water onto the land, empties and becomes a “dry moon” once more. Wet moons occur routinely in the tropics where the sun and moon rise and set nearly vertically.
3.5 day old Crescent Moon & Mars
12/24/14 1930 HST
Haleakala National Park, Hosmers Grove
Black Canson paper with colored Conte’ Crayon and watercolor pencils
Cindy (Thia) Krach
Webmaster’s note: Wishing all astrosketchers a Very Happy New Year and looking forward to another year hosting all your wonderful observational sketches!
Richard Handy
Jeremy Perez
This is a nice story Cindy, and a beautiful sketch.
Here in Provence, this moon view is called “la lune est dans l’eau” (the moon is in the water). And, while the moon croissant is horizontal we says that it is “la barque lunaire” (the moon small boat) a strange similitude with your story from the other side of our small planet.
I wish you and all the ASOD sketchers a lot of artistic observations all around this year.
And for the webmasters I wish the best with ASOD 2015
Michel
What a nice Christmas gift for you and for us.
Thank you for sharing this magic providence.
Jean-Marc (astroclub APAM – Fr)
Cindy,
Another Stunning sketch of the Moon and Mars from your creative hand.
Happy New year.
Frank 🙂
Thank you Michel for sharing your Provence story of la lune. Such a small world it is and to hear another story associated with this phenomonon is fascinating.
Thank you Jean-Marc & Frank for you kind words. Looking forward to seeing and sharing beautiful views of the heavens in 2015 with everyone here on ASOD.
Warmest Aloha to webmasters Richard & Jeremy for this wonderful site.
Happy New Year!
Cindy
Hola, un dibujo muy bonito.
Feliz año nuevo a todos
Fran Caleya
Mahalo Cindy for beautiful sketches all year from your creative heart.
Merle Kalikimaka Haole Makahiki Hou
From Maui Hawaii planet Earth
ALOHA
Thank you Francisco & Maui Stargazing!