This six second exposure at f/3.5, 800 ISO and 18mm focal length caught the bright planet Venus (center), planet Jupiter (below Venus), the Pleiades star cluster (above Venus) and the constellation Taurus (left of Pleiades) in the western sky around 9:16 PM, Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Imaged from the grounds at Echo Hill Presbyterian Church near Marion, Iowa. The slight glow above Taurus was from the Moon.
Parading across the west sky from left to right in this image taken around 9:40 PM, Wednesday, March 28, 2012 from the grounds at Echo Hill Presbyterian Church near Marion, Iowa were: the constellation Orion, the Moon, the constellation Taurus (below and right of the moon), Pleiades star cluster (M45, right of Taurus) and the bright planets Venus and Jupiter. This image is a 25 second exposure at f/3.5, 320 ISO and 18mm focal length.
A waxing crescent moon, the planet Venus (right of the moon) and the planet Jupiter (below) form a near-isosceles triangle in the western sky around 8:11 PM, Monday, March 26, 2012 as seen from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Within a half hour or so, clouds would move in obscuring most of the celestial display. Here, Venus shines at a brilliant -4.35 magnitude, while Jupiter weighs in at -2.07 magnitude. This image is a 1.5-second exposure at f/11, 2000 ISO and 24mm focal length.
Clouds had begun to move in, somewhat obscuring this striking triangle formation of celestial bodies in this view of the west sky around 8:38 PM, Monday, March 26, 2012. Just right and slightly below the waxing crescent moon is the -4.35 magnitude planet Venus and below Venus is the -2.07 magnitude planet Jupiter. Just above the moon is the Pleiades star cluster. Standing tall in the foreground is the 1,000-foot KCRG TV9 transmitter tower, located along North Center Point Road, just .15-mile south of Tower Terrace Road in Hiawatha, Iowa.
Iowa State University meteorology student and storm chaser Bryce Link observes a turbulent area of the sky that moments before contained a possible anticyclonic (clockwise) RFD spin-up. The spin-up was located on the backside of a mesocyclone that was moving away toward the upper right of this image. The spin-up was not making an audible sound to our chase group. The main vortex, later rated at EF3, was positioned over the town of Mapleton, Iowa about 4.7 miles northwest of this location at Sumac Avenue (foreground) and 170th Street. Shot at 7:32 PM, Saturday, April 9, 2011.
A tornado (left) forms about a mile SW of the town of Mapleton, Iowa around 7:22 PM, Saturday, April 9, 2011. This view of the storm--which includes an inflow band at far right--looks north along Sumac Avenue, a gravel road just under seven miles SE of town. The tornado, which would later be rated EF3, did damage to about 60% of the town. At this point and partially because of the lateness of the day our chase team was not fully convinced of what we were seeing. The camera, as validated here, did a much better job of resolving its structure. Our chase team then proceeded north until we reached a point about 5.5 miles SE of Mapleton, before moving NE to follow the storm system. Two and a half hours and a half dozen or more tornadoes later, we concluded our chase.
Lightning stabs from beneath the edge of a supercell in this view of the northeast sky along County Road D15 near the intersection of County Road N33 about 1.5 west of Knoke, Iowa around 9:42 PM, Saturday, April 9, 2011. Strong RFD winds made it difficult to keep the camera steady on its tripod. The storm system, which at this time was beginning to weaken, was continuing northeast after having wrought numerous tornadoes in the northwest part of the state. A moderate risk for tornadoes on this day by the SPC (Storm Prediction Center) escalated into a full-fledged outbreak. This was the last observation site for our two-vehicle chase group, finally calling it a weary but exhilarating evening of chase. Our vehicle would not return home to Cedar Rapids until 1:45 early the next morning, about 670 miles distance from our departure. The lights in the background of this image belong to a large wind farm.
The brilliant planets Jupiter (lower) and Venus set in the west as seen from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 9:36 PM, Saturday, March 17, 2012. Venus dominates the duo, shining at magnitude -4.30, while Jupiter competes at -2.10. The bright lights at lower right emanate from Bowman Woods Elementary School. This image is a ten second exposure at f/7.1, 800 ISO and 24mm focal length. The planets are beginning to separate after having recently spent three days just three degrees from one another.
A solitary tree stands out in silhouette as twilight fades in the western sky as seen from the grounds at Echo Hill Presbyterian Church in Marion, Iowa around 7:54 PM, Monday, March 12, 2012. Above and right of the tree are the planets Jupiter (left) and Venus, just three degrees apart as seen from our perspective. Jupiter shone at magnitude -2.12 and Venus at -4.27. This is a five second exposure at f/8, 250 ISO and 18mm focal length. Just below the tree line at bottom is C Avenue.
Overcoming cloud cover that earlier brought rain at this location at Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the planets Jupiter (left) and Venus--just three degrees from one another--still provide a fascinating twilight view in the western sky. This image was shot around 7:55 PM, Wednesday, March 14, 2012.
Dazzling planets at top Jupiter (left) and Venus provided a spectacle of close formation in the western sky around 8:56 PM, Monday, March 12, 2012 in this image seen from grounds just west of Christ Community United Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa. The display was one of three consecutive days the planetary pair was situated just three degrees from one another. This image, a 20-second exposure at f/9, 1600 ISO and 26mm focal length, looks toward the neighboring city of Cedar Rapids. The water tower located near the intersection of Boyson Road and C Avenue NE is seen at extreme left. Jupiter shone at magnitude -2.12, and Venus at -4.27.
This image of star trails in the western sky includes the brilliant planets Jupiter and Venus at center. The image is a stacked collection of 77 30-second exposures, taken from 9:40-10:24 PM on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. Created using StarStaX software. The houses in the foreground are located on White Ivy Place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as seen from the grounds at Noelridge Christian Church. Each 30 second exposure was shot at f/7.1, 200 ISO and 32mm focal length. The horizon glow at left is the result of lights from the neighboring city of Hiawatha. The planets Jupiter (left bright streak) and Venus were within three degrees of each other in our skies. A temperature of 60 degrees F with a light wind made for good photography at this hour!
Appearing as a giant pair of celestial headlights in the twilight, Jupiter (left) and Venus shone side by side in this view of the west sky around 8:04 PM CDT, Monday, March 12, 2012. The magnitude of the brilliant planets was -2.12 and -4.27 respectively. The silhouetted building in the foreground is Echo Hill Presbyterian Church north at 9000 C Avenue near Marion, Iowa. The image is a 15-second exposure at f/8, 250 ISO and 18mm focal length.
The brilliant planets Jupiter (upper) and Venus flank the Hiawatha, Iowa water tower in this view of the west sky around 8:17 PM, Friday, March 9, 2012. This image was shot from the parking lot of Pratt Audio-Visual & Video business along North 20th Avenue and was a two-second exposure at f/8, 1600 ISO and 26mm focal length. Jupiter sported a magnitude of -2.13 and Venus of -4.26, and were within just a few degrees of each other as seen from our view. The two other stars in the upper right belong to the constellation Aries.
Although strong moonlight did nothing to help potential Northern Lights observation on this
A faint and distant auroral display makes a brief appearance along the northern horizon as seen from the grounds at Echo Hill Presbyterian Church just north of Marion, Iowa around 9:28 PM, Thursday, March 8, 2012. Observation of the Northern Lights was made even more difficult with the extreme saturation of light from the moon just one day removed from being full. The brightness of the ground at bottom is from the moon's illumination. This image is a seven second exposure at f/5, 1600 ISO and 18mm focal length. Air temperature was about 36 degrees F.
The planets Jupiter (upper) and Venus, situated just a few degrees from one another, set in
A crocus shoot peeks above ground
The planet Mars (left), shining at magnitude -1.21--the brightest and largest its been since February, 2010--does not lose its brilliance even in the wash of a nearly full moon. This image, a 9-second exposure at f/5.6, 250 ISO, 45mm focal length looks east over the roof of our house on Brentwood Drive NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 8:08 PM, Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Two +3 magnitude stars in the constellation Leo on either side of Mars are barely visible in the glare. Temperature at this hour was a balmy 62 degrees F.
The -2.16 magnitude planet Jupiter (upper) and -4.22 magnitude Venus (lower, in trees) make a magnificent pair as they set in the west sky as seen here from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa just after 9:00 PM, Saturday, March 3, 2012. This is a ten second exposure at f/6.3, 800 ISO and 45mm focal length. At lower left and upper right are fast moving clouds.
The planet Mars, the bright object seen here at center and rising in the east, shone the brightest (magnitude -1.23) and appeared the largest than at any time since February, 2010. This image was photographed around 9:03 PM, Saturday, March 3, 2012, and was a 20 second exposure at f/6.3, 800 ISO and 18mm focal length. The location was Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The smudges at right are fast moving clouds that were moving east (from top to bottom in image). Air temperature at this time was 28 degrees F. Mars is situated in the constellation Leo, and the brighter star above and right of Mars is the 1.34 magnitude Regulus.
A heavy flocking of snow clings to all outdoor surfaces as seen from the eastern border of Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 6:56 AM, Friday February 24, 2012. A wet three inches of snow fell through the night converting shrubs and trees into this fantasyland look.
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