The first Full Moon in 2021 is called the Wolf Moon according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The Native Americans were noticing that the wolves were howl during the winter months, when food supply was scarce. The Full Moon occurred at 14:17 EST. on the 28th of January.
I was lucky to capture the Full Moon on the 28th of January. It rained on Tuesday and Wednesday, and it was mostly cloudy on Thursday. Clear skies happen around sunset.
The Sunset and Moonrise on the 28th were minutes apart. The Moonrise was at 17:30 EST and Sunset at 17:33 EST. After I saw the sunset on Trent River, I moved to the Neuse River side of Union Point Park in New Bern, NC. to capture the moonrise. I knew it would take a while for the moon to rise above the horizon. I plan on heading to Oriental, NC. on Friday to capture the moonrise over the mouth of Neuse River around 18:36 EST, which is at the Pamlico Sound. The moon will be in a Waning Gibbous phase at 98.2% full at 18:36 EST.
Interesting fact:
The longest river in North Carolina, the Neuse River Basin stretches 248 miles from the Falls Lake Reservoir Dam in the Piedmont to its mouth at the Pamlico Sound. The mouth of the Neuse River is six miles across, which makes it the widest river in America and the nation’s second largest estuary.
A Spider Lily Sculpture located on the waterfront in New Bern, North Carolina USA.
Taken at 17:28 on 28 January Shutter Speed: 1/80 Aperture: f/4.5 ISO: 125 Focal Length: 55mm
Taken Union Point Park at 17:00 on 28 January Shutter Speed: 1/500 Aperture: f/11 ISO: 125 Focal Length: 55mm
The sculpture was taken down due Hurricane Florence in 2018 and was just put back in place at the end of 2020.
Then there was the sunset!
Taken at 17:27 on 28 January Shutter Speed: 1/320 Aperture: f/4.5 ISO: 125 Focal Length: 130mm
Taken at 17:27 on 28 January Shutter Speed: 1/320 Aperture: f/4.5 ISO: 125 Focal Length: 70mm
Taken at 17:24 on 28 January Shutter Speed: 1/500 Aperture: f/4.5 ISO: 125 Focal Length: 70mm
Taken at 17:15 on 28 January Shutter Speed: 1/160 Aperture: f/11 ISO: 062 Focal Length: 68mm
And then the Moonrise.
Unfortunately I didn’t like any of the pictures I took around the moonrise. They didn’t capture the moment. I am hoping for better results in Oriental, NC. on Friday evening.
Taken at 17:43 on 28 January Shutter Speed: 1/8 sec Aperture: f/5.6 ISO: 125 Focal Length: 300mm
Taken at 17:45 on 28 January Shutter Speed: 1/8 sec Aperture: f/5.6 ISO: 125 Focal Length: 300mm
I waited until the 10 PM to capture the Full Moon.
Taken at 22:06 on 28 January Shutter Speed: 1/250 Aperture: f/11 ISO: 250 Focal Length: 300mm
On the 29th of January, the Moon setting over the Neuse River (the New Bern side of the river).
Taken at 06:42 on 29 January Shutter Speed: 1/250 Aperture: f/8 ISO: 250 Focal Length: 300mm
Equipment Used:
Nikon D7500
Nikon DX AF-S NIkkor 55-300mm | 4.5-5.6 G ED VR
Tripod
L Bracket – 3 Legged Thing QR11-LC Universal L-Bracket
PhotoPills