Riding the Ecliptic Train

8:04 pm CDT, Friday, October 15, 2021. The ecliptic line of a waxing gibbous moon (partially hidden behind the trees) followed by the -2.61 magnitude planet Jupiter and 0.54 magnitude planet Saturn are seen in this southern sky capture from Brentwood Drive NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Air temperature was 49 degrees F. The moon and planets always stay near the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the sun across the sky. 3 second exposure at f/3.5, ISO 250, 20mm focal length. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Foggy Sunrise Along the River

The following five images are captures from along the Wapsipinicon River in Wapsipinicon State Park, located in Jones County, Iowa. The rising sun was beginning to burn off the fog that had hung low along the river. The range of time for the five pics was from 7:51 am to 8:02 am CDT, Saturday, October 9, 2021. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Lilac Lunacy

Wait, what? Lilac blooms in late September and early October? I had witnessed this phenomenon on this same bush in our front yard a few years ago and in my disbelief researched it. The answer is the weather. Lilacs can occasionally be "tricked" into blooming again in the fall when subjected to unusual or stressful conditions (i.e. dry weather or cool conditions followed by lengthy warm ones). The blooms are shown on the bush on Thursday, September 30, 2021, and as cuttings in a glass the day after. Note the scattered few but vibrant green leaves on the bush near the blooms. iPhone 11 camera.

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