The Rise of the SuperMoon

This weekend we will see the moon at its closest point to Earth for 2012. This perigee-full moon is also considered a ‘SuperMoon’, a term coined by astrologer Richard Nolle. Whilst this is not the one of the extreme supermoons in the 21st century, it is still one of the many supermoons occurrences. By definition, a SuperMoon is a perigee-syzygy, a new or full moon (syzygy) which occurs when the Moon is at 90% or greater of its mean closest approach to Earth (perigee). An extreme SuperMoon is when the moon is at 100% or greater than 100% of its mean perigee.

The rising moon on the evening of 4^th of May 2012.

The moon reaches its closest distance to Earth (perigee) at about 03.34 AM GMT on May 6 and two minutes later, syzygy occurs at 3.36AM GMT. At perigee, the moon will only be 356953 km from Earth, the closest for this year. Unfortunately for us in Malaysia, the full perigee-syzygy will occur during daylight (11.36 AM on Sunday 6 May). However, the moon would already look somewhat bigger a day before and after the perigee syzygy, and this is especially noticeable when the moon is close to the horizon at moonrise and moonset.

Happy Wesak 2012

In conjunction with Wesak day today, I went to the Maha Vihara at Brickfields yesterday evening to light some lamps. The place is all set for Wesak today. There were flags and banners all along Jalan Berhala leading to the temple. The main shrine hall is also all spic-and-span. Some of the monks were putting on a huge flower garland, offered by a devotee.

Flags and banners at the Maha Vihara, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.

Monks getting busy with putting on a huge garland on the image of Buddha in the main shrine hall.

A bit to the left...a bit more...

More flags strung to the main shrine hall.

A stage was set for the Malaysian PM who is supposedly there today. There was a trickle of devotees at the vihara yesterday, but most of the crowd were made up of volunteers getting things set up for events that start in the evening and goes on until tomorrow.

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Flowers for sale from stalls set along Jalan Berhala.

Hmm, I wonder if I can get a ride in this bike...Monks walking towards the Maha Vihara.

There were many stalls selling flowers and small arrangements to be used as offerings. Besides those stalls, there were a few food and drink stalls already up and operating, plus a few more that was being set up in the evening. Happy Wesak and may all be well and happy!

Click here to see pictures of Wesak Day at Brickfields and the procession through KL at night.

The Paradise Palm - Licuala mattanensis cv. ‘Mapu’

Licuala are palm trees (family Arecaceae) that are more commonly known as fan palms that have leaves which are mostly circular in outline, with sometimes undivided but more commonly divided wedge-shaped frond segments. Locally known as palas, the fronds are used for thatching and also as a food wrapper/container (think of ketupat daun palas). Examples of commonly planted Licuala include Licuala grandis - the Ruffled Fan Palm/Vanuatu Fan Palm and Licuala orbicularis – the Sarawak Palas Palm.

The genus name Licuala is the Latinised derivative of the local name for the palm in Celebes (Sulawesi), i.e. leko wala. There are about 145 species of Licuala, ranging from Bhutan and right down to Australia. The stems can be solitary or clustered, and in some species, subterranean.

Licuala mattanensis cv. ‘Mapu’

One of the lesser known members of this genus is Licuala mattanensis. Licuala mattanensis is an understory forest palm found in Borneo rainforest (Sarawak and Kalimantan). The strikingly tessellated foliage cultivar/variety called Mapu is sought after in cultivation. This palm is sometimes referred to as the Mapu palm or the Paradise Palm Mapu. The Mapu palm is slow growing and likes dappled light especially when they are still young. This palm is a dwarf when compared to the other Malaysian Licuala palms, and will only reach a height of 3 meters after decades of growth.

The Paradise palm 'Mapu' after many years of growth.

I got this Licuala mattanensis cv. ‘Mapu’ from Fauzi (4zeplant – http://www.dapat.net/4zeplant) years ago. I then passed it to J & A who stays at the penthouse on the other block and it has been there since. After 5 years or so, the plant is still less than 15cm in height! The leaves have sort of a mottled appearance when young but now look more like tessellations. Though slow growing, the foliage is striking and the light requirements make it more suitable as an indoor plant.