Churning Clouds After Volatile Day

Churning storm clouds pass overhead in this view looking southeast from the parking lot at Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 12:25 AM on June 18, 2010. This line of storms was a southern extension of a system that produced a very large tornado outbreak in southern Minnesota (around the Albert Lea area) hours earlier. The clouds are illuminated by the ambient light below. This capture was a 10-second exposure at f/6.3, 18mm focal length and an ISO rating of 200.

Read more...

Moon Math

Aircraft contrails form an isosceles triangle amid cirrus clouds and near a half-moon in the southwest sky as seen from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This shot was taken around 8:40 AM on Saturday, October 30, 2010. The moon was in its waning stage.

Read more...

Forked Lightning

Cloud-to-cloud (CTC) lightning that has the appearance of retracing its path at upper left continues outward ending in many forks around 8:55 PM on Monday, September 6, 2010. The approaching thunderstorm (SW sky, directly ahead) was only minutes away. Note the small black cloud between the camera and the lightning bolt at top center. The building below is one of several units for Colton Circle Condominiums in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The tower in the background, owned by Century Communications LLC, appears to have been nearly struck by the bolt but in reality it was much closer to the observer than the lightning. This was a 10-second exposure at f/10, focal length of 18mm and an ISO of 200.

Read more...

Constellations On Parade

Several constellations appear on parade as they wheel across the northeast sky on Tuesday, October 26, 2010. At far left with bright star Capella is the constellation Auriga. Above and to the right of Auriga is Perseus. The two bright stars at upper right are part of Aries and the group of stars at far right make up part of Pisces. The tight cluster of stars at lower center is the Pleiades and the large bright spot behind the tree still bearing its leaves at lower left is a rising waning gibbous moon. The vividly recognizable Pleiades (Seven Sisters) was mentioned in Chinese literature around 2350 BC. It was also mentioned in the Bible three times and in Homer's Odyssey (circa 800 BC). This image was shot from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It is a 30-second exposure at f/4, 18mm focal length and 400 ISO.

Read more...

Parking Not Advised

Rising flood waters on the Cedar River in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa had nearly reached the lowest ramp level at the First Street Parkade (right) when this photo was taken just after noon on Wednesday, June 11, 2008. The Third Avenue bridge, where this photo was taken from, was closed less than an hour later. The Second Avenue bridge and City Hall are seen in the immediate background. Floods devastated much of the downtown area including the parkade. In September, 2010, plans by the city to demolish the parkade (citing high repair costs and structural obsolescence) were put on hold as FEMA and the State Historical Society concluded the parkade was eligible for a listing on the National Register of Historical Places.

Read more...

Moon 'n' Meteorology

A full moon shines through a small opening in the clouds at 9:20 PM on Friday, October 22, 2010. A formerly clear sky this night had only just been transformed to cloud cover. Standing out ghostly below the moon is a roof-mounted weather station. A flash provided its visual effect. The brightness of the moon was strong enough to still shine through much of the veil of clouds. This composite view looks east over Brentwood Drive NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Read more...

Summer In Autumn

A cumulonimbus cloud billows from behind trees that have already dropped most of their leaves around 5:30 PM on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. The approaching thundershower, fueled by a cold front overrunning low-80-degree temperatures, created high winds, rain and some lightning. The radar signature of a long diagonal line of storms moving across the state of Iowa--of which this was a part--appeared very much summer-like. This view looks northwest from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids.

Read more...