Four Minutes of Magic

I set the alarm to wake up early on Monday, Nov. 30. The full moon would set @6:51 AM. Ideally, I wanted to be at a view location about 30 minutes before moonset. Sunrise would be at 6:40 AM, so if I got really lucky, I might be able to get some good moon shots and sunrise captures on the same outing. All photos were taken using a 100-400mm telephoto lens and tripod.

6:35 AM

I had wanted to hike up the hillside (parallel to the fence in the photo) to a viewpoint, but the access gate was locked! Oh well, the moon was pretty and visible between the clouds, so I just started shooting from this spot next to my parked car. Follow along as we watch it drop down to the fence. 

6:38 AM:  Nestled in the clouds!

6:38 AM (zoom in and crop)

6:39 AM

6:40 AM

6:41 AM (convert to BW, zoom in and crop)

6:44 AM

6:52 AM

That's about it for capturing this very pretty moonset. Let's look the other direction at the beautiful sunrise.

Saddleback Mountain

This had been a great outing, with beautiful skies. As I started to pack up to leave, I wondered if the moon would still be visible from the viewpoint location where I had originally intended to go. I went back to the gate that was locked earlier and it was now unlocked. Nice!!!

7:01 AM

WOW!! And to think I almost missed this shot! I didn't have to walk far up the hill before I saw this beautiful view of the moon setting over downtown LA. Astute readers may have noticed I said moonset was 6:51 AM, yet I took the above photo at 7:01. I even went back to the website to double-check (https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/usa). Yup, I had the correct location entered and the moonset time says 6:51 AM. Certainly angle of view must play a role, and perhaps there is some wiggle room in these numbers. That's a good lesson to remember!

7:08 AM

At about 7:08 AM, something magical happened. The light from the sunrise hit the City of Angels at just the right angle, reflecting light off the metal and glass buildings. For a brief couple minutes, LA looked like a "city of gold", shimmering brightly on the horizon. It's an image I don't think I will ever forget. Two hikers walking by looked in the direction my camera was pointed and stopped in their tracks to take in the sight.

7:09 AM

7:12 AM

It had been exactly 4 minutes that the magical golden light reflected off the buildings of downtown LA, and then it was gone. As was the moon. What an amazing morning. I should do this more often! I wonder if the "magical light" reflects off the city every morning??

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Stay safe and stay healthy!!