Ihope you got to see the recent big, bright full moon. If you were up later that night you may have noticed how high the moon had climbed. Around midnight its light was so brilliant it took little effort to recognize the colors of homes, signs and vegetation. Typically, we don't see colors at night because the darkened landscape is too dim to activate our eyes' color-sensing cone cells. Instead we rely on the rod cells, which excel in low light but turn the world black and white.

We're now in "high moon" season, when the sun rides low and the full moon rides high. As winter approaches the sun sinks lower in the sky. You can't help but notice its shallow path. If you take a drive around town in mid-afternoon, it's always in your face, shining annoyingly just under your sun visor. The full

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