teetering or balance?

SO- We have passed the 1st day of Autumn, sped through the Equinox and will briefly land on the Equilux (at this latitude) tomorrow 9/25. The actual day of EQUAL LIGHT AND DARKNESS when sunrise and sunset will both be at 7:00. To discover this momentary repose where you live, enter your location into the Sun/Moon/Space portion of this link.

photo credit: https://ourplnt.com

Sunset with Invented Instruments

September 5, 2024. Sunset 7:31 PM. San Francisco, CA.
Thank you, Kathleen Maguire for your invitation to join in the Invented Instruments day at SFMOCA. What a wonderful group of artists and fun day of performances and interaction with the visitors. I wish I could have been there to celebrate with you all in person.

However, many thanks to my dear friend and fabulous musician, Jenny Holland for stepping up and ringing the sundown with everyone there at the end of the event. It looks like everyone had a great time that day.

Can we go home now?

August 31, 2024. Sunset 7:39 PM. San Francisco, CA.

Are we done with the loud bell, yet? Kiki looks ready to go home now, please.
Thanks Norman and Matt for holding down the fort.

12 pictures of the sun, each month, same place, same time

August 24, 2024. 12 pictures of the sun, each month, same place, same time.

Shenu Dissanayake. National Geographic Nature.
Thanks Joe! This is very cool.

Tropical Lake Superior

August 24, 2024. Sunset 7:53 PM. Ironwood, MI.

Looking tropical over Lake Superior?
Thank you, Kathy

a peaceful looking start to a new day...

Would that it only could continue that way

August 20, 2024. Sunrise 6:55 AM. Irving, TX.
Sunrise today in Irving TX c/o my friend Leigh
-Joe P

If a bell rings in the forest...

August 15, 2024. Sunset 7:58 PM. Jefferson, NY. Thank you, Jackson and Nancy for baptizing that acetylene tank formerly used for welding into a sunset bell for the evening. I understand it has long resided there in the forest and that tonight was the first time it was employed to accompany the sun going down. Something to add to its resume.

Upcoming Meteor Showers

August 3, 2024

Here’s the calendar for the next year for both hemispheres with information about the fullness of the moon for each event.

Due to the frequency and visibility, one of the more popular showers is the upcoming Perseids. With 50-75 “shower members” per hour – it’s a cosmic fireworks show- Visible in the Northern Hemisphere, it will peak around the 12th or 13th of August.

Exchanging places in the sky

July 16, 2024. Sunset 8:24 PM. Brooklyn, NY. My friend Ching was visiting at sunset - so here we are hanging out the front window together- watching the moon rise while ringing the sun down.

the day after the assassination attempt

July 14, 2024. Sunset 8:25 PM. Brooklyn, NY.

Getting off the subway in time for the sunset after sitting in the 6B community garden, listening to Bill Buchen and Steve Gorn's LUMINOUS RAGAS performance there. Raga is “that which colors the mind”. Thank you for an unexpected and much needed respite.
Deepest condolences to the families of the murdered and wounded people in the crowd.

Geographic Horizon- the bird doesn't care

July 14, 2024. Sunset 8:16 PM. Monhegan Island, ME.

WOW!-- Thank you, Wendy.

Wendy's photo was taken at 7:52 PM-- the sun dropping down over the hill more than 20 minutes before crossing the horizon at the what would be the Earth's surface. Why the discrepancy?? The time of sunset is based on the Geographic horizon i.e. sea level. This does not include buildings, mountains or trees.

the bird doesn't care...– BH

upside down world

July 11, 2024. Sunset 8:25 PM. Washington, NC.

“Sunset…Washington NC…c/o IUP friend Inken”
- Joe P

Wow -This water is so still -- this is almost the same rightside up as upside down!

Diving Horses?

July 9, 2024. Sunset 8:26 PM. Atlantic City, NJ.

"Bayside" - Diane Ryan
This is so dramatic- all winding, snakey waterways- I would have never guessed this was Atlantic City.
(Does anyone else remember seeing the the diving horses???

Sailing Inside the Bermuda Triangle

July 3, 2024. Sunset 8:29 PM. Bermuda, North Atlantic Ocean.

"Sunset today from the Bermuda Triangle"
- Joe P

There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the ocean...

OK so-- Then what's up? It IS real…

Renai’s Solstice Movie

June 20, 2024. Sunset 8:30 PM. East River, NYC. Special thanks to Harvestworks and the wonderful group of interns working there this summer-- Jay Reinier, Grace Schmidhauser, Liam Schoenholt and especially to Renai Heath who documented and created this terrific video of our Solstice crossing on the 20th.

(Keep an eye out for that Strawberry Moon)

Strawberry moon rising over East River Sunset Solstice--

June 20. 2024. Sunset 8:30 PM. East River, NY.

Beautiful Strawberry moon rising over Brooklyn on the 20th, nice cool breeze and sprinkling of many little bells-- It was a magical moment.

Thank you everyone who came along for either or both rides across the East River to celebrate the sunset on the Solstice and the next day as well.

FYI- While the sunset is holding for 16 days at 8:30, the daylight has begun shrinking by several seconds a day-- thanks to the steadily, but later creeping sunrise. For those of us who are NOT early risers, it's pretty wonderful having the sunset at the same time for over 2 weeks.

The Full Moon of June: A Special Solstice Strawberry Moon!

June 21, 2024. Brooklyn, NY.

June 21, 2024. Brooklyn, NY “This year, the Full Moon coincides with the summer solstice! On the evening of June 21 —just after sunset—look towards the southeast to watch the full Moon rise gently above the horizon. June’s full Moon will reach peak illumination at 9:08 P.M. Eastern Time. Since the Full Moon is always opposite the Sun, it uses the solstice occasion to sink to its very lowest point in the zodiac, in Sagittarius.

But there’s more.

The Moon’s tilted orbit revolves around Earth in an 18 ½ year period, like a dropped dinner plate rattling around a bit before settling flat. This year, it’s flirting with its extreme angle of wobble, which makes the Moon sink an extra 10 Moon-widths lower than the Sun ever gets to go."
quote from Bob Berman, editor Farmer's Almanac

Solstice Celebrations- COMING SOON!

This a such a short and sweet event but totally worth it! Once you purchase your ticket for the Ferry ride on the East River Ferry route from DUMBO to Wall Street, the bellringing event is free and fun. If you are in the New York City area on the Solstice this year, please join us for either or both of these events.

Here's the description and info for the event--
(This will be the 3rd summer in a row and though short it's a surprisingly magical moment ringing bells with people you know and have just met as we cross the East River together on a little Ferry)

dailybell- Sunset Cross-River Bell Ringing

Something as inarguable as the movement of the earth can be used as a point of unity and awareness among large groups of people who might otherwise find it impossible to agree. (a pleasant thought to hold onto at this moment...)

Brenda Hutchinson and dailybell are presenting 2 opportunities to celebrate the Summer Solstice this year: the actual Solstice on Thurs, June 20th and again on Fri, June 21st as it joins Make Music NY. We will board the 8:29 PM East River Ferry from DUMBO to Wall Street/ Pier 11. Arrive early to receive your complimentary bells (while they last) before boarding the Ferry and celebrate the Solstice with a lovely sprinkling of bells as we cross the East River together.

SCHEDULE:
We will be doing this on two evenings (June 20th- actual Solstice and June 21st- Make Music Day NY Solstice celebration):
8:00 PM We will be there to meet and gather with one another and to distribute bells.
8:29 PM Ferry Departs

River Crossing Time:
4 minutes! The East River is very narrow at this point.

ADDRESS:
East River Ferry – DUMBO landing- Old Fulton St And Furman St, Brooklyn

FARES
NYC Ferry (General Schedule and Ticket Info). Adult OW $4.00. Seniors $1.35 (need to register in advance for discount)
Purchase your Ferry ticket(s) from DUMBO to Wall Street/Pier 11.

Here's a link to the Make Music Day dailybell event on the 21st-- dailbell Make Music Day event info HERE.

FOR MORE GENERAL INFO ABOUT INTERNATIONAL MAKE MUSIC DAY
Click on this LINK to find an event in a city near you.
This is an amazing international celebration of the Solstice and Music) FREE events all day throughout the 5 boroughs on NYC.

Earliest summer solstice in 228 years!

This just in from Joe-- Earliest summer solstice in 228 years!

At 20:51 UTC (4:51 PM EDT) on June 20, 2024, Earth will experience its annual moment of summer solstice: when the Earth’s north pole is maximally tipped toward the Sun. (Winter solstice for the southern hemisphere.) The last time the solstice was this early in the year, George Washington was serving as the first President of the United States, and the year was 1796. The solstice, on average, will continue getting earlier and earlier every 4 years until 2096, which will be the earliest solstice of the century. Then, that pattern will end. Here’s the science of why.

Birthday wishes from the home of the first Kings of Ireland!

June 15, 2024. Sunset 10:04 PM. Dungannon, Ireland

“Happy Birthday, Brenda! I'm glad the time difference means I haven't missed it completely. I'm not sure when your sunset is now but here's a picture from just after the end of our choir concert at the beautiful "Hill of the O'Neils" - home of the first Kings of Ireland.”
- Sophia Preston

Do you Believe in Magic?

June 14, 2024. Sunset 8:13 PM.

“Sunset today from Miami c/o Ella’s coworker Ruth”
- Joe P Hi Joe-- Is there a RAINBOW in there??!?! unbelievable-- there's some heavy magic going on there.

Happy Birthday Billy

June 2, 2024. Sunset 8:21 PM. Brooklyn, NY.

Listen
Happy Birthday, Billy. Today would have been by brother’s 62nd birthday! Eligible for early Social Security. He never even made it to grey hair. I miss him and think of him every day. My first thoughts of him always include the sound of his voice and his funny little giggle. He can still make me laugh, even after all of these years.

Try this if you are ever on a plane at sunrise or sunset.

May 29, 2024. Sunset 9:04 PM. Flint, MI?
This is my best guess for the location of the plane at sunset since I could only guess about the usual factors- i.e. What time is it? Where are we? Where/what is the horizon.

Plus, it turns out we were flying off route because of storms on the East Coast. (We eventually detoured and landed in Pittsburgh, PA to refuel as we were circling around and around up there somewhere and needed to gas up).

I chose Flint because of its proximity to Detroit which had briefly shown up on the back of the seat screen a few minutes earlier and the sunset time there was pretty close. I could still see sunlight color on the seat across the aisle, but not on the wing of the plane.

Where are the rocket scientists when you need them?!

Old Friends Thinking of Bill

May 26, 2024. 6:36 AM. Clearwater, Fl

“Clearwater sunrise yesterday c/o IUP friend Fowlgeeze (George Filges). He and Bill were good friends too” – Joe P.

Thanks, Joe I love how this activity connects us to Bill, too.

yo yo & joe

May 24, 2024. Sunset 8:03 PM.

"Sunset last night…c/o our friend Yo-Yo…Cadillac Mountain, Bar Harbor, ME"
- JoeP Thanks Joe and Yo-Yo!

volleyball nets standing by…

May 16, 2024. Sunset 7:49 PM. Hermosa Beach, CA.

"sun hitting the marine layer at Hermosa Beach just now"
- Elisabeth Beaird and Richard Marriott.

Thanks Joe for another beautiful morning!

May 7, 2024. Sunrise 6:11 AM.

"Sunrise today in Munhall, PA - c/o my sister Cindy Kacin"
-Joe P

ringing from a new roof

May 1, 2024. Sunset 8:26 PM. Seattle, WA.

from my niece Hannah
"ringing keys for sunset!... On the roof ...just moved in today"
WOW and welcome!

passing over

April 22, 2024. Sunset 7:52 PM. San Francisco, CA.

Solemn Passover sunset in honor of everyone who has died and in solidarity with all the loved ones who mourn them.

ahhhhhh

April 10, 2024. Sunset 7:41 PM. Albany, CA.

"thinking of you" - Rae Diamond
Thank you, Rae for this peaceful peek of the sun from over there on the other side of the bay-

colander pinhole eclipses

April 8, 2024. 11:11- 11:17 AM. San Francisco, CA.

Best we could do from here-- Solar eclipse as viewed through the pinhole images of the sun from my colander and the spaces between the leaves of the tree out front.
(The birds also got very noisy for a moment)

Ides of March and St. Patrick's Day Sandwich

March 16, 2024. Sunrise and Sunset 7:18. San Francisco, CA.
Happy Equilux 2024! Allow me to be the bearer of some good news :)

Today is the day- Equal time for light and darkness- (unlike the Equinox) We will be accelerating towards the Summer Solstice from here--

Normally the Spring Equilux falls tomorrow on the 17th of March. However, with the extra day inserted for the leap year-- IT'S TODAY- the 16th of March- sandwiched between the Ides of March and St. Patrick's Day-

You may notice that I identified the date for the sunrise this morning as March 18th. I am not at my most reliable in the morning but none-the-less enthusiastic-- I apologize for spreading the confusion.

DID YOU SEE THE FLARE?!? (0:25 already lit up - 0:32 shrinks)

one eyed flare??

March 15, 2024. Sunset 7:01 PM. Hermosa Beach, CA.

I see a flare above that "eyeball"

"Sun ball going down on Hermosa Pier-- You can even see Catalina tonight. It rained here this afternoon" on the Ides of March!!
- Elisabeth Beaird and Richard Marriott

the ides have it

March 15, 2024. Sunset 7:17 PM. San Francisco Bay.

with Liz at Pier 1 1/2 on the Ides of March.

in the room where it happened...

March 14, 2024. Sunset 7:16 PM. San Mateo, CA.

Remembering Larry Shaw who founded Pi Day from a hotel room on an Exploratorium retreat at Asilomar in 1988.

Pi Day- leaving the grocery store. And yes, I got a slice of pie :)

END OF STANDARD TIME

Sunset March 9, 2024. Sunset 6:11 PM. San Francisco, CA.
Already running behind!! The year has leapt and the clocks will be running ahead in the morning-

FYI and pleasure - This is the 5th Leap Year for the dailybell. We are still at it every sunrise and sunset-- Though a bit behind in the posting, here's our recent multi-site sunset observance from the leap day- Our neighbor Tony leaping upon request out front on the sidewalk as I drive home still several miles away-
Counting our blessings

LEAP DAY!!

February 29, 2024.
Sunset 6:01 PM. San Mateo, CA.

Driving into the leap day sunset at rush hour with the bells onboard. Looks like a little leaf has leapt into the fray. Happy Leap Day!

Sunset 6:02 PM. San Francisco, CA.

Just up the road a piece- upon request-- Tony does the leaping! (It's not raining here yet)…