Sun Haloes 'n' Sundogs

There was parhelia in a couple of forms in the icy air of Eastern Iowa on Tuesday, January 21, 2014.
The top image shows a beautiful sun halo seen from Progress Drive at Martha's Way in Hiawatha, Iowa. A frigid aircraft contrail runs through the circle. Ground air temperature at this time--11:44 AM CST--was -1 degree F. The bottom image shows a sundog in the southwest sky as seen from the entrance of Echo Hill Presbyterian Church along C Avenue near Marion, Iowa around 3:53 PM. Air temperature at this moment was 2 degrees F. Parhelia are created by sunlight refracted through a 22-degree angle by horizontally oriented hexagonal ice-crystal plates.

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Sunrise, Moonset

The sun was climbing into the sky while a waning gibbous moon was dipping. This image of the moon looks toward the west sky as seen from the parking lot at Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 7:50 AM, Sunday, January 19, 2014. Sunrise, which occurred about 20 minutes earlier, is illuminating rooftops of houses in the nearby White Ivy Place neighborhood. Air temperature was 20 degrees F.

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Cold Cold Contrail

An aircraft contrail passes over the moon in 9 degree F (surface air temperature) seen in the southeast sky from Brentwood Drive NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 4:20 PM CST, Wednesday, January 8, 2014. The contrail was drifting from right-to-left.

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No Dog Days Here

This sundog was formed out of clear skies and temperatures that at this moment were -8F, with -30F wind chills--dangerous to prolonged exposure of the skin. The location was on Archer Drive in the new Bowman Meadows housing development in Marion, Iowa, just east of Cedar Rapids. Though the sky was clear as a bell, a wind-borne steam plume from the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo, Iowa can be seen drifting low (right-to-left) across the sun. The image was captured at 3:54 PM CST, Monday, January 6, 2014. I did not venture far from my warm vehicle for this photo opportunity!

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Moon Light, Street Lights

A much better picture prospect the night before as the sky was crystal clear, this night on Friday, January 3, 2014 still allowed for this hazy crescent moon to hold its own against the ambient light of Collins Road NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The previous night had the moon with a ghostly earthshine glow; here haze picks up an aura-like surrounding. This view, near Lindale Drive, looks southwest. At left in background is Lindale Mall. Air temperature was a decent 20 degrees F, but wind chills were in frigid single digits, not conducive for outdoor activity--including photography! This image is a 2.3-second exposure at f/18, 1250 ISO and 26mm focal length.

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Thin Moon And Venus

An ultra-thin waxing crescent moon sets along with the -4.29 magnitude planet Venus (center, just above treetops) as seen in the southwest sky from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 5:09 PM CST on Thursday, January 2, 2014. My toes were getting a little chilly from standing in the snow in 3-degree F air temperature for more than 20 minutes!

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White Christmas Assured

A snow storm that occurred over the night of Saturday, December 21-Sunday, December 22, 2013, dumped four-plus inches of snow on this location at Boyson Park in Marion, Iowa, near its border with Cedar Rapids. The images show the sky beginning to clear as the snow fall petered out. The top image shows a footbridge over Dry Run Creek around 9:18 AM CST on December 22. The bottom image shows a nearby trail a little over ten minutes later. Air temperature was 23 degrees F.

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