99.5% waxing gibbous. I needed to be out there like five minutes earlier. Not the coolest foreground, but when you are rushing around at the last minute, you take what you can get. The #fomo took hold! 😂 #almostfullmoon . . . . . #grizzlypeak #berkeleyhills #supermoon #sanfrancisco #california #igerssf #alwayssf #wildbayarea #wildcalifornia_ #rawcalifornia #liveauthentic #california_igers #abc7now #sfgate #visitcalifornia #optoutside #nothingisordinary_

A photo posted by Trina (@pixelmama) on Nov 13, 2016 at 7:06pm PST

Last night's supermoon, which will continue to put on a dramatic show Monday evening after hitting peak fullness early Monday morning, made for some very pretty photos.

As noted yesterday, this is the second to last supermoon of the year, and the closest one we'll see for the next two decades — the moon won't be as close to the Earth as it is now again until 2034.

If you've got a stunner of a photo you'd like us to add, feel free to send it to tips@sfist.com.

The moonset early Monday morning. Photo: David Yu

Previously: Check Out The Biggest Supermoon In Decades Tonight

Just like Elon Musk, a Mountain View-based tech company is looking to take you to space, everybody. CBS 5 reports that Moon Express has plans to send a ship to the extraterrestrial body as early as next year, and that the US government has signed off on the project.

But that goal, lofty as it is, is only the beginning — a moon base is in the works. Yes, a moon base.

“Our goal is not only to bring back the resources for the benefit of humanity on planet earth, but also to be able to create a colony on the moon, and that will become a stepping stone to deeper space,” explained Moon Express co-founder and chairman Naveen Jain.

The FAA announced its approval of the mission yesterday, paving the way for Moon Express to do its thing. "On July 20, 2016, the FAA made a favorable payload determination for the Moon Express MX-1E mission," reads a FAA fact sheet on the decision. "The FAA has determined that the launch of the payload does not jeopardize public health and safety, safety of property, U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, or international obligations of the United States."

But just how, exactly, does Moon Express intend to get there? Some sort of partnership with SpaceX, or perhaps Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin? Not quite. Instead, it appears the company is using a ship of its own design.

"The MX-1E is a spacecraft/lander capable of transfer from Earth orbit to the Moon, making a soft landing on the lunar surface, and performing post-landing relocations through propulsive 'hops,' ” the FAA fact sheet tells us.

And the company doesn't plan to stop there. Rather, the intention is to use water mined on the moon as fuel for future space exploration. “The sky is not the limit for Moon Express — it is the launchpad," explained Jain via a press release. "This breakthrough ruling is another giant leap for humanity. Space travel is our only path forward to ensure our survival and create a limitless future for our children."

And, of course, Moon Express isn't alone in these straight-out-of-science-fiction goals. Elon Musk has announced plans to take people to Mars by 2024.

Unfortunately for all you would-be astronauts out there, the first mission will be unmanned. Jain, however, thinks his company will be sending people up soon enough. "In 15 years, the moon will be an important part of earth's economy, and potentially our second home. Imagine that."

Indeed.

Related: SpaceX Vertically Lands Its Falcon 9 Rocket, Geeks Everywhere Rejoice

Point of information: The phrase "once in a blue moon" should convey something that happens not that often, but also often enough that it's not ultra-rare, like a blue moon, which is most commonly defined as the second full moon to fall in a calendar month. We're having our first blue moon since 2012 tonight, and the next one won't be until January 2018, so all across the internet people are defining the above idiom for anyone left on earth who doesn't know — even though the actual etymology is a little more complicated.

And no, the moon won't be blue. As ABC News, KRON 4, and The Guardian all tell us, the moon only ever takes on a visibly blueish tinge when a volcanic eruption or large forest fire has sent ash into the atmosphere.

So, the phrase "once in a blue moon" can be a misnomer when used simply to mean "very rarely," as it often is, because blue moons as defined above do occur about every 32 months — with the moon's orbit lasting 29.5 days and months being 30-31 days long, this stands to reason.

But here's where the history of the idiom gets tricky: Defining "blue moon" as the second moon in a calendar month appears to date back to 1946 when amateur astronomer James Hugh Pruett defined it as such in an issue of Sky & Telescope magazine. Prior to that, there was a different definition altogether, traceable to the Maine Farmers' Almanac sometime after 1800, that also relates to the discrepancy in the lunar cycle and calendar year that allows for 13 full moons in a year every couple of years. The Almanac defined a blue moon as the third full moon in a season in which there are four — and this was not to be confused with the Native American-derived names for the monthly full moons such as the Pink Moon (April), the Buck Moon (July), and the Harvest Moon (October).

The first use of the term "blue moon" to refer something very rare actually dates back much further than that, to 1528 according to the Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins. And that meaning could, indeed, refer to seeing a moon that appears blue which is as rare as major volcanic eruptions are.

And, if you put any stock in astrology, you should know that this blue moon is in Aquarius, and it's "unprecedented" for other reasons, according to Elephant Journal.

The energies of this moon are only being magnified by Venus turning retrograde on the 25th, which is just one of seven planets slowing and turning retrograde the week prior to this lunar event.

This cosmic event is unprecedented — it’s truly a month of transitions.

Because of Venus, the planet of love, going retrograde a week prior to this moon, there will be a heavy connection to romantic relationships. This isn’t about just any sort of love though — it’s about the kind of love that comes around only once in a blue moon.

I hope everyone falls in love tonight. The end.

If you can't wait until 2026 — the year SpaceX founder Elon Musk says he'll have humans on Mars (or won't be able to afford it when the time comes) — take a trip now via Google Maps.

As TechCrunch explains, you can zoom out of the Earth view in the latest version of Google Maps into a frame of stars that clicks into shots of the moon and Mars.

Here are the instructions via TechCrunch:

1. Go to Google Maps.

2. Click the Google Earth option.

3. Wait for the map to load in 3D and start zooming out as far as you can.

4. Make sure the Explore tab is open.

5. Once you've zoomed out, options for the moon and Mars should appear at the bottom of your screen.

You can also check out an annotated version of the map complete with Apollo missions here.

[TechCrunch]

Photo by Ariel Dovas.

Photo by Gerard Livernois.

Well, Gerard Livernois did. He snapped this shot of it this morning, in fact. Beauty, isn't it?

Here it is in all its glory: last night's blue moon, as snapped by Gerard Livernois.

The term "blue moon" typically refers to a second full moon in a month; however, the U.S. Naval Observatory describes the technical definition as " ...the third full moon to in an astronomical season in which four full moons fall." This kind of moo appears once every three years.

Last night's moon. Crazy gorgeous, eh? Well, here it is setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge, captured by local noted photographer, David Yu.

"Beginning of the Lunar Eclipse" by David Weitzberg.

According to the rocket scientists at NASA, tomorrow December 10th includes the second lunar eclipse of 2011. Meaning the Moon will look bloody and reddish-brown and generally radder than usual at some odd hour in the morning. It's also the last total lunar eclipse until 2014, which is as good a reason as any to get up at 5 a.m. to go look at a giant floating spacerock behind a shadow.

A quick look at the radar suggests there won't be a cloud in the sky, so visibility should be ideal if you're not the sort of person who gets unreasonable about light pollution. The Moon should start looking a curious shade of brownish-red around 4:45 a.m. local time, with the full eclipse phase happening around 6 a.m. There's also a slight chance that we lucky West Coasters will get to see a rare sight called a "selenelion", which is when both the sun and the eclipsed Moon can be seen in the sky at the same time.

Photographers, if you're heading out to get a shot of the red moon behind the international orange of the Golden Gate Bridge, it sounds like Fort Baker will be your best vantage point to get the angle right. Don't forget your tripod.

[NASA]
[io9]

Tonight, on this unreasonably cloudy Monday night, you will be able to, um, sense the total lunar eclipse happening in the sky above. See, while the eclipse starts at 10 p.m.-ish and ends around 2 a.m., the pregnant clouds above will most likely prevent you from seeing the moon's vanish act. Drats.

However, if skies are clear, Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland (10000 Skyline Boulevard) will be open from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. The Chronicle points out: "If the sky is clear, visitors can watch the eclipse from the observatory's deck. A simulated eclipse will also be shown in the planetarium while astronomers explain the event."

Also, the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley (1 Centennial Drive) will be open from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. and will also host an indoor show / outdoor viewing.

[Chron]