Full Blue Moon with Solar Eclipse

Blue moon lunar eclipse on December 31, 2009
Next Blue Moon New Years Eve will be in 29 years from today
Ecliptic conjunction occurs at 19:12:45 GMT and eclipse occurs at 19:22:39 GMT

FULL MOON on New Years Eve 2009//10 has extra significance

Depending on where you live worldwide, the full moon will fall on either December 31, 2009, or January 1, 2010. The full moon falls on December 31 in the Americas, Europe and Africa and is a Blue Moon, or the second full moon in December.

For New Zealand, Australia and most of Asia the full moon will fall on January 1. For that part of the globe, January of 2010 will have two full moons – and the second full moon in January will be their full moon. In the Americas, it is the first of two full moons to occur in December 2009. The full Blue Moon will occur at 19h13 Universtal Time (GMT).

Tonight’s moon will be out all night long, lighting up the nighttime from dusk till dawn. The big full moon will rise around sunset, climb up highest in the sky around midnight, and will set tomorrow around sunrise. As seen from the northern hemisphere, the moon will follow the lofty path of the June sun across the sky tonight. In the southern hemisphere, the moon will lurk close to the horizon, like the winter sun.

This will be the 13th Full Moon of 2009.
It’s a Blue Full Moon the same night it turns a new decade.
The next Blue Moon NYE will be in 29 years on December 31, 2028.

Big, Bigger, and Biggest Waves

What’s the biggest wave ever recorded?

The biggest wave on record occurred in Lituya Bay on the southern coast of Alaska in 1958. An earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale hit the area and shook loose an estimated 40 million cubic yards of dirt and glacier from a mountainside at the head of the bay. When the debris hit the water, a massive 1,720-foot wave was created and washed over the headland.

How did the scientists know the wave was so incredibly enormous? Simple. To measure the height of the wave, scientists found the high-water mark -- the line where the water reached its highest point on land. This probably is not the biggest wave ever, just the biggest documented. Three fishing boats witnessed the Lituya Bay event. Unfortunately, two people on one of the boats were killed. Incredibly, the other two boats rode the waves and their occupants survived.

Technically this wave is described as a "Splash Wave" The photo above shows the headland beside the Lituya Glacier that was swept clean of soil and trees to a height of 1740 feet by the giant splash wave. The icebergs seen in the water of Lituya Bay, foreground, were knocked off the glacier by the landslide falling into the bay from a slope to the right of the photograph.

Rogue wave approaches in a scene from the movie "Poseidon."

Rogue Waves &/or Freak Waves:

"We believe that refinements to the shape of today's modern surfboard can only produce incremental performance benefits. Exponential improvements in performance can only be achieved through new materials and construction methods which in turn will open up new design opportunities"

In a little under 4 years, Firewire has had a significant impact on surfboard design, materials and the overall conversations surrounding performance. With various innovative flex technologies at its core, and with Taj Burrow proving the validity at the highest levels of competition, Firewire enjoys the support of a broad cross section of surfers around the world today and we are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of surfboard construction and performance as far as possible.

Our boards are designed by Nev Hyman and Dan Mann. Nev has a successful 35+ year history in the surf industry and is recognized as one of the best shapers in the world. Working closely with Taj over the past 4+ years, Nev has been instrumental in developing Future Shapes Technology and designing equipment perfectly suited to Taj's needs. Taj's results on the 2007 WCT were his best in years and speak volumes about Nev's understanding of surfboard design and the pure performance potential of Firewire Surfboards.

Dan is a respected Dan Diego shaper who, like Nev, recognized the benefits of CAD design and new methods of construction early on. An ex Pro longboarder and accomplished short boarder, Dan has been instrumental in the design of a number of our most popular Series. The Dominator comes immediately to mind.