(meteorobs) Re: An Explosion on the Moon - moonrise over water

[-----c-HArlie]

November 2004, I spent the weekend at the Padre Island National Seashore 
with friends.  On friday night, we watched a fire on the water and with 
our naked eyes could not determine wHAt we were seeing. It looked like a 
ship on fire to me.  After a few minutes of being entranced by this 
unknown object I remembered I HAd binoculars in the truck.  It was the 
4th quarter moon rising in the east over the water, a fascinating image.
Charlie

YoungBob2 at aol.com wrote:

>...
>Also in the Marine Observer (31: 68, 1961) the rising moon was
>described as being distorted and exhibiting a brilliant red flash which lasted
>for 1-1/2 seconds.  This phenoomenon is similar to the green flash seen at
>sunset.  Another Marine Observer report (27: 83-4, 1957) notes the crew of
>the Motor Vessel Tyrone reported on June 28, 1956, seeing, just prior to 
>moonrise, a bright red glow on the bearing on which the moon was expected
>to rise, "A red light suddenly appeared and at first was taken to be a 
>hurricane lamp, lit  by a small boat about 2 miles away ... The light spread
>to 2 degrees in width and was obviously in, not on, the water (an inferior
>mirage?) as it did not lift with swell; it had the appearance of a flaming
>log, but the 'flame' was motionless.  hree minutes later a line of white
>appeared over an arc of 10 degrees ... the moon then rose and the red,
>flame-like light disappeared, to be replaced by two half-moon glows in the
>water.  As the moon rose, the irregularities on its upper limb were plainly
>visible to the naked eye, and when just clear of the horizion the lower limb
>appeared to have a Dent in the edge at about five o'clock."  Another report
>from the Marine Observer from 1958 mentions several distinctly separate
>lunar crescents visible close together.
>  
>