Ran Out of Steam

 

Two severe warned storm cells were moving relentlessly east toward my home area in Iowa during the evening of Wednesday, April 23, 2025, so I quickly took up a spotting position to intercept it at the Linn Cooperative Oil Company facility on Burnett Station Road, just west of Highway 13, and about 3.3 miles east of Alburnett, Iowa. And wouldn't you know it, minutes later it weakened and the severe warning tag was dropped. The 7:27 pm CDT Radarscope image from above shows the severe warned polygon to my west (my location is the blue target icon), just before it ran out of steam.

A west facing view of the approaching storm from my location at 7:26 pm--corresponding to the radar image.

7:44 pm. Despite no longer being severe warned, this storm produced frequent lightning and prominent rain shafts (seen beneath its base). Nikon Z6ii camera.

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Jupiter, Moon, Contrail

 

Appearing prominently in the dwindling light of this image on the evening of Wednesday, April 2, 2025 was the -1.69 magnitude planet Jupiter (left), quarter-moon and a ghostly contrail from a high flying aircraft. This image looks west over Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is a 1/25 second exposure at f/4.5, ISO 400, 70mm focal length. Air temperature was 54 degrees F. Nikon Z6ii camera.

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Lunar Eclipse at the Castillo Fort In St. Augustine

 

A vacation for a family member's wedding near St. Augustine, Florida provided a more exotic foreground element setting than my Iowa location for the total lunar eclipse event early in the morning of Friday, March 14, 2025--the Castillo de San Marcos fort along the shores of St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in America. With warm overnight temperatures (60 degrees F at the time of capture), clear skies and minimal insect interference, the setting was ideal. The image above, which looks south, is a composite of the foreground element and separate shot of the moon. The foreground is a 10 second exposure at f/7.1, ISO 640, 24mm focal length. The moon, captured near totality at 2:54 am EDT, is a 1/10 second exposure at f/4.5, ISO 2500, 70mm focal length. The Castillo fort is a national monument and is illuminated at night. 

Individual shot of the moon with nearby star at 2:35 am EDT--23 minutes before totality. Image is a 1/3 second exposure at f/4.5, ISO 800, 70mm focal length. Nikon Z6ii camera.

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Ash Wednesday Snowstorm

 

Right behind a system of heavy rain (and severe weather in states to the south) on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 came heavy and blowing snow on March 5--Ash Wednesday. The wintry system in eastern Iowa produced white-out and near blizzard conditions. All Nikon Z6ii camera images posted here were 1/320 exposures at f/7.1, ISO 100 and 24mm focal length. Air temperature was 31 degrees F. The image above looks southeast at 8:40 am CST, March 5 from a parking lot in Lowe Park near Marion, Iowa.

8:46 am. Looking south from the roundabout at Tower Terrace and Alburnett roads in Marion.

8:47 am. Southbound on Alburnett Road near 29th Avenue in Marion. Despite the dangerous energy of the storm, only a few inches fell here, and the snow base began melting in 40 degree F temperatures the following day (March 6).

Radarscope image for 8:37 am, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. Snow system in progress. The white target icon is my position.

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Crescent Moon, Venus Conjunction---A Beautiful Thing

 

7:07 pm CST, Saturday, March 1, 2025. Looking west at the beautiful crescent moon and -4.72 magnitude planet Venus over the illuminated Chatham Road NE neighborhood as seen from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Earthshine on the moon is very apparent. Air temperature was 21 degrees F. 1/3 second exposure at f/4.5, ISO 1000, 49mm focal length. Nikon Z6ii camera.

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Oh, Venus---Hey Venus...

My intention during the evening of Friday, February 21, 2025 was to see Saturn and newcomer Mercury in the month's-long planetary "parade." While waiting for the duo to materialize out of the glare of the fading sunset, I trained my camera in nearly the opposite direction in a farm field bordering Lowe Park in Marion, Iowa. This was the scene across the desolate snowy field looking northeast at 6:13 pm CST. Image is a 1/8 second exposure at f/7.1, ISO 400, 24mm focal length.

As it turned out, I would not see either planet, either with the naked eye or by over-brighting captured images in post processing. What WAS visually undeniable was the presence of the striking -4.32 magnitude planet Venus in the west. This image was captured at 6:23 pm and is a 1/10 second exposure at f/5, ISO 800, 24mm focal length.

6:41 pm. Realizing opportunity was lost for a Saturn and Mercury sighting, fingers frozen, it was time to head for home. But one last vision presented itself for camera capture: this view of the internally illuminated Lowe Park greenhouse with city lights and the mighty Venus shining over it. 1.6 second exposure at f/7.1, ISO 125, 24mm focal length. Air temperature was 17 degrees F. Nikon Z6ii camera.

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February Snow Scenes

 

I hiked to an area of Boyson Park with a natural spring bubbling up from the ground during the afternoon of Wednesday, February 12, 2025. The area is located in Marion, Iowa--a place where in days gone by the town's water works was located. The spring water isn't particularly warm when emerges from the ground here, but is apparently warm enough to keep nearby submerged vegetation green all year long. The image above, which shows the bubbly spring at center, was captured at 1:28 pm CST.

Similar image captured at 1:29 pm. A winter snowfall was in progress during this time, and would eventually dump about 7.5 inches of the white stuff.

1:30 pm. Similar image. Nikon Z6ii camera.

1:53 pm CST, Friday, February 14, 2025. On a walk along Boyson Road in Marion, Iowa. This image looks west from near the intersection of Geode Street and shows advancing snow bands before another snowfall (but less potent) event. iPhone 11 camera.

Corresponding Radarscope image of the approaching snow system. The target icon is my location.

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