The Starry Skies: A Sea of Clouds Under the Moonlight, and the Rise of Scorpius

Reporter/Provider - TaiwanPlus
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What does a sea of clouds look like under the moonlight? This was taken one day in May, when fair skies were forecast, and the date fell between a crescent moon and a first-quarter moon. On such days, the moonlight is not strong enough to overpower the stars, allowing for a moon- and star-adorned sky. You don’t have to wait long for the view, which starts just after dusk. And there is a strong contrast between the light and the darkness of the sky. The shining moon lights up the Earth’s scenery during the first half of the night. Then, after the moon sets, the glittering stars appear in the darkened sky, as though glistening diamonds strewn across a piece of velvet! The best location to see this is in a U-shaped valley, the higher the better. From the Cross-Island Highway in Yushan National Park, there is a drop of 2,000 meters down the valley. The spot faces Yushan’s peaks; moonlight bathes the mountains, and can be precisely documented in time-lapse photos. After nightfall, the three stars of Scorpius’ head rise above Yushan’s peaks! Next is the fire-red “Second Star of the Heart”, representing the “Dragon of the East” of Ancient China’s Four Directions. It is also known as “Great Fire” because of its bright red color. It is one of the seven Chinese constellations of the Spring, and is an important bright star that marks the season, so important that an official astronomer with the title “The Fire Officer” was in charge of observing it. In the West, this star is Antares, the heart of Scorpius!

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