Last Tuesday was back-to-school day for TLA*. On that day we got up early for the first time in a long time, prepped her, and with remarkably little fuss got her sent out the door.
… only to have her banging on the door literally ten seconds later. Figuring we had forgotten something, Mrs. BA† and I opened the door, whereupon TLA said "Come see this!"
We went outside, and this is what we saw:
[Click to hotairinflatenate.]
I ran back inside to grab my camera, and there ya go. We get lots of hot air balloons around here — the view of the foothills and Rockies must be stunning from up there — but I’ve never had such a perfectly framed shot like this one before.
Sometimes I like to use pictures like this as an excuse to talk about science — adiabatic expansion would fit here, or perspective and distance — but you know what? I think this is fine pretty much as it is.
* The Little Astronomer, who’s not so little anymore.
† Decidedly not her real name, either.
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August 21st, 2011 at 7:03 am
I’d actually think that the obvious science to talk about is how bad humans are at estimating size without strong contextual clues.
But yes, it is very pretty.
August 21st, 2011 at 8:27 am
A gibbous moon and a gibbous balloon!
August 21st, 2011 at 9:06 am
I’d like to be like these people who have time to hot air baloon on a weekday morning.
August 21st, 2011 at 9:35 am
I’m not sure what that white thing in the lower left is, but it looks like they’re trying to land on it.
August 21st, 2011 at 10:14 am
That’s no moon…
August 21st, 2011 at 10:26 am
If they’re planning to fly that thing all the way to the moon, I hope they packed extra propane for the hot air…. Or Rick Perry.
August 21st, 2011 at 11:13 am
Ah, but is the balloon carrying a Judoon platoon in front of the moon?
August 21st, 2011 at 12:24 pm
You can’t see the rope, but the “moon” in this pic is a pendulum hanging from the balloon basket.
August 21st, 2011 at 1:52 pm
“I ran back inside to grab my camera”
A nice thing to do on the first day of school every year is to take pictures on the front porch. That way you can create a montage showing them on the first day of school every year and show how much they’ve grown. Usually the door, the bricks, or whatever provide a nice visual reference for the sequence.
August 21st, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Simple, yet elegant. Nice find by the (not-so) Little Astronomer.
August 21st, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Actually for daytime that moon shot is very bright.
Is there a cow in the balloon.
August 21st, 2011 at 6:13 pm
who knows if the moon’s
a balloon,coming out of a keen city
in the sky–filled with pretty people?
(and if you and i should
get into it,if they
should take me and take you into their balloon,
why then
we’d go up higher with all the pretty people
than houses and steeples and clouds:
go sailing
away and away sailing into a keen
city which nobody’s ever visited,where
always
it’s
Spring)and everyone’s
in love and flowers pick themselves
August 21st, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Title makes me think of this Dr. Who quote: “Judoon platoon upon the moon.”
August 21st, 2011 at 7:44 pm
I like how you had “enflatenate” when enflate is a type of enlarging, so you know, it works.
(laughs monotonously)
August 21st, 2011 at 11:03 pm
….Who’s not so little anymore.
Still, Phil, hang on to time she’ll still be there. Both of mine are out of college and have left the nest.
August 22nd, 2011 at 5:40 am
It can’t be the moon – it’s daytime. (:-))
August 22nd, 2011 at 7:22 am
How old is TLA now, if you don’t mind my asking, Phil? And nice photo!
CJSF
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:40 am
David Niven wrote an autobiography titled “The Moon’s a Balloon”.
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:44 am
If you look carefully, I think Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo are up there getting ready to start a movie.
August 22nd, 2011 at 11:42 am
This is so obviously a fake picture. The balloon is higher in the sky than the moon is! We’ve never been to the moon with our fancy rocketships so a balloon certainly can’t do it!
(yes sarcasm)
August 22nd, 2011 at 12:35 pm
@ 14, Noel…
Funny how in some words, the meaning can seem to be the opposite to what is intended, when the word is extended, ie, flammable v inflammable. They actually mean the same, and, due to the risk involved, one of them has been consigned to the trash, so that there can be no confusion.
Enflatenate v enflate (inflate, surely), is another example, except that the pronunciation would suggest the opposite, ie, with the emphasis on the “flat” bit in the former. So it can’t be inflated and flat at the same time.
English is sometimes so illogical, but what can we expect when for hundreds of years we have been borrowing and using second-hand and foreign words, but the meanings have changed.
Just observing, but wish I was not in the Word Police.
@18 Doug…
You beat me to the David Niven Book, “The Moon’s a Balloon”.
Now I’m just waiting for “TLA” to come up with an example that could be entitled, “Bring on the Empty Horses”!
But I appreciate that Balloon/Moon shot, right place/right time. And an observant child who knows the importance of the occasion.
Serendipity at its Best.
Ivan.
August 22nd, 2011 at 5:20 pm
That picture really makes a fine desktop background, thanks Phil!
August 23rd, 2011 at 7:35 am
It’s only a paper moon…
or
It’s only a model … Shhh!