Escapees March/April 2016

Tips

National Wildlife Refuges Fee-free Days for 2016 Get outside and enjoy some of the country’s most magical places. America’s national wildlife refuges will offer free admission on these days in 2016:

September 24 National Public Lands Day October 9 First Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week November 11 Veterans Day

The free holidays are scheduled each year to encourage Americans to visit their public lands and enjoy firsthand the natural and cultural experiences they have to offer. National wildlife refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the Department of the Interior. There’s at least one national wildlife refuge in every state, and one within an hour’s drive of most major metropolitan areas.

Find a national wildlife refuge close to you at www.fws.gov/refuges/index.html .

Image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Great Blue Heron.

A Smile at Dusk Before you pull up stakes and head back north, take the opportunity to enjoy one of nature’s wonders. Everyone knows about the crescent moon, but have you ever seen a very young one (less than 24 hours old)? They are nearly impossible to spot unaided. However, allow an extra day and you’ll start to notice them. The desert Southwest offers nearly everything a na- ked-eye RV astronomer could want: a view of the horizon, and decent weather, so grab the lawn chairs, snacks and binoculars. An almanac or newspaper will list the moon’s phases. The angle of our satellite’s orbit favors new-moon sightings in the spring. If you miss these, you have a chance to hunt down old moons in the fall. Young/old moon spotting is a common pastime all over the world. The hobby was all the rage in the UK at the turn of the last century. An article in a 1971 astronomy maga- zine triggered another wave of interest. Muslims use new moon sightings to calculate their calendar, which is why the image appears on many Middle Eastern À ags. Numerous claims have been made as to the youngest moon ever spotted with the naked eye. Perhaps the most famous report was one a mere 14 ½ hours old, witnessed by the sharp-eyed housemaids Nellie Collingson and Lizzie King, of Scarborough, England, on May 16, 1916. Today, using optics and photography, the moon has been captured at the exact moment of transition from old to new. For those of us with normal (or worse) eyesight, aim for days one to three at sunset for a new moon and days 25 to 27 right before dawn for an old moon. When conditions are right, some lucky individuals have caught both the old and new crescents a few days apart.

How to locate the very new moon: • Check your almanac for the moon’s age. (this year’s best dates are listed below). • Make sure the horizon is as clear as possible. • Get comfy. • Look at where the sun is setting (but not directly at it!).When it drops out of sight, stick your index and little fingers up, and fold down the thumb, ring and middle fingers). Hold your hand at arm’s length. Line up your little finger at the light of the newly set sun. Rotate your hand around so the index finger makes a half circle from horizon to horizon. Somewhere inside that circle will be your baby moon. It will look like a little white smile. The viewing window only lasts a short time. For old moons, go out close to sun- rise and do the ¿ nger-span trick. Even a thin crescent three days either side of new (often called “Artemis’ Bow,” after the Greek goddess) is a beautiful thing to behold. Earthshine (the earth’s light re À ected back on the dark part of the moon’s surface) may be visible. This sight is known as “The Old Moon lying in the New Moon’s arms.” I have been new/old moon spot- ting since 1985. Janet M. Sugino #94261

2016 SPRING NEW-MOON DATES ARE March 9, April 7, May 6 2016 FALL NEW MOON DATES ARE September 1, October 1 and 30

74 . ESCAPEES | March/April 2016 | www.escapees.com