Got Milky Way?

This very dark sky looking southwest allowed the Milky Way to appear almost like a line of prominent clouds around 10:30 PM, Sunday, September 9, 2012. These two perspectives look the opposite direction of the nearby Duane Arnold Energy Center about .4-mile distant, and about 2 miles northeast of Palo, Iowa. The hillock in the foreground is illuminated by the power plant. The top image is a 15-second exposure at f/3.5, 1000 ISO and 18mm focal length; the bottom image is a 20 second exposure with the same settings. A same view of the sky from nearby Cedar Rapids would render the Milky Way almost invisible due to light pollution.

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Two Conflicting Weather Conditions

If you think this is a shot of a completely clear night sky, look again. An isolated severe storm cell was producing a lightning show even though it was located about 65 miles to north. Photo was taken from just west of the grounds at Christ Community United Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa; the storm was located near the town of Monona, in northern Clayton County in northeast Iowa. Image is a 13 second exposure at f/3.5, 1000 ISO and 18mm focal length.

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Atmospheric Awe

I observed these magnificent high-based cumulonimbus clouds from ideal weather conditions north of Center Point, Iowa on the evening of Tuesday, September 4, 2012. All was clear and quiet here, but not there! Both were severe-warned. The closer cloud was located about 65 miles away in southern Allamakee County in Iowa and was exhibiting a strong central updraft (lightest area at top). The more distant cloud (left) was located in extreme southeastern Minnesota.  The small water tower in the background belongs to the nearby town of Walker. Weather conditions at this hour was 89 degrees F with a dew point of 66 degrees.

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Night Flashes

It was one of those situations where, from our house--with all the tree, house and other obstructions--it appeared that lightning was flashing from a clear night sky.  It wasn't. These images captured a distant severe storm cell low on the northern horizon with clouds illuminated by the continuous flicker of lightning. The cell was located about 65 miles away--near the town of Monona, Iowa in northern Clayton County. The camera here was located just west of the grounds at Christ Community United Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa. In the background of each shot is East Robins Road. The top image was a 15 second exposure at f/5, 1600 ISO and 18mm focal length and shot around 9:40 PM; the bottom image is a 30-second exposure at f/4.5, 320 ISO and 18mm focal length, and shot around 9:50 PM. Note the stars surrounding the isolated spectacle.

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In Harm's Way A Long Way Away

This severe-warned storm cell on Tuesday evening, September 4, 2012 in northeast Iowa was unusual in that it was by itself. Completely isolated. Elsewhere there was clear and sunny skies as far as the eye could see. The top two images here look northeast from Wileys Road, a gravel road just west of North Center Point Road, located about four miles north of Center Point, Iowa. The top image was shot at 5:52 PM with a focal length of 200mm. The middle image was shot at 5:50 PM with a focal length of 22mm. The storm was about 65 miles to the northeast and about 10 miles southeast of the town of Waukon in Allamakee County. The bottom image is a DVN radar image capture from 5:48 PM, showing the storm cell's position on the map.

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Filament Cloud

This cirrus cloud appears to

be made up of interwoven 

filament strands. The cloud

was seen in the north sky

as observed from Bowman

Woods Park in Cedar Rapids

around 7:00 PM, Saturday,

September 2, 2012.

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Peeking Sun Halo

A setting sun produced this partial halo effect looking west from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 7:00 PM, Saturday, September 1, 2012. The sun was 6 degrees above the horizon at this moment and sunset was at 7:37 PM CDT. When conditions are right water vapor in the frozen upper atmosphere condenses into tiny hexagonal ice crystals which catch the sunlight and bend it, like tiny prisms. Because of the sun's low position in the sky and a cover of trees, only the upper part of the halo was visible.

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