Riding the Ecliptic Train

8:04 pm CDT, Friday, October 15, 2021. The ecliptic line of a waxing gibbous moon (partially hidden behind the trees) followed by the -2.61 magnitude planet Jupiter and 0.54 magnitude planet Saturn are seen in this southern sky capture from Brentwood Drive NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Air temperature was 49 degrees F. The moon and planets always stay near the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the sun across the sky. 3 second exposure at f/3.5, ISO 250, 20mm focal length. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Read more...

Foggy Sunrise Along the River

The following five images are captures from along the Wapsipinicon River in Wapsipinicon State Park, located in Jones County, Iowa. The rising sun was beginning to burn off the fog that had hung low along the river. The range of time for the five pics was from 7:51 am to 8:02 am CDT, Saturday, October 9, 2021. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Read more...

Lilac Lunacy

Wait, what? Lilac blooms in late September and early October? I had witnessed this phenomenon on this same bush in our front yard a few years ago and in my disbelief researched it. The answer is the weather. Lilacs can occasionally be "tricked" into blooming again in the fall when subjected to unusual or stressful conditions (i.e. dry weather or cool conditions followed by lengthy warm ones). The blooms are shown on the bush on Thursday, September 30, 2021, and as cuttings in a glass the day after. Note the scattered few but vibrant green leaves on the bush near the blooms. iPhone 11 camera.

Read more...

Peaceful Easy Feeling

A colorful sunset sky provided a serene mood on Friday evening, September 24, 2021. This image looks northwest at 7:31 pm CDT from Bowstring Drive in the Bowman Meadows housing development in Marion, Iowa.

Similar view at 7:34 pm from Bowstring Drive at Bowman Meadows Drive. Air temperature was 60 degrees F. iPhone 11 camera.

Read more...

I See Spots Before My Eyes

Alerted by spaceweather.com that large sunspots, big enough to engulf a planet, were rotating into view from Earth on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, so I captured this image of the sun from my back deck in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 4:12 pm CDT. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera with a Seymour Solar 62mm threaded filter. Image is a 1/500 second exposure at f/5.6, ISO 400, 300mm focal length.

Read more...

Storms, Storms and More Storms

Several August 2021 storms, three in the area and one in Minnesota are posted here. Above, a line of storms approaches 33rd Avenue at 12th Street SW in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from the southwest in this panorama shot captured at 6:24 am CDT on Monday August 23. 

Similar shot taken at same time. iPhone 11 camera.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch #461, posted at 1:50 pm CDT, Tuesday, August 24. 

2:14 pm. Storm cell looking southwest as seen from 33rd Avenue at 12th Street SW in Cedar Rapids.

2:31 pm. Zoomed-in capture.

Radarscope image corresponding to the photograph above it.

3:01 pm. Storm cell panorama. The most intense areas of this severe-warned storm were located about 40 miles distant. Visual distance from left-to-right of this cell was about 70 miles.

Radarscope image corresponding to the photograph above it.

5:45 pm. Incoming shelf cloud to the west, as seen from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids.

Radarscope image, corresponding to the photograph above it.

4:58 pm CDT, Thursday, August 26. Looking southwest at mammatus formations, as seen from the Interstate 380 truck stop at Center Point, Iowa. 

5:27 pm. Approaching shelf cloud from the west at the Center Point truck stop.

5:33 pm. Looking west. Rain shafts at left, shelf cloud at right.

5:36 pm. Similar capture.

5:38 pm. Shelf cloud panorama looking north.

5:40 pm. Similar shot.

5:43 pm. Looking northeast at the leading edge of shelf cloud about to overtake the truck stop in Center Point.

3:13 pm CDT, Friday, August 27. Shelf cloud seen while northbound on US Highway 52 near the Miracle Mile mall area of Rochester, Minnesota. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Read more...

Field Of Dreams Sunset

The sun sets beyond left field at the Field of Dreams movie set near Dyersville, Iowa at 6:46 pm CDT, Friday, August 20, 2021. Our visitation here was eight days after the memorable first Major League baseball game ever played in the state of Iowa, and saw the Chicago White Sox defeat the New York Yankees, 9-8. Part of the stadium where the game was played can be seen in the background at left. Sections of it were being dismantled at that moment. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Read more...