sky
All posts tagged sky
A gust front rolls over open farm land ushering in a cold air mass and heavy rain.
On a visit to Northwest Ohio yesterday (May 30) I stepped outdoors, looked to the west and spied a beautiful sight… the ragged edge of a line of clouds in the distance.
I strolled out, beyond a treeline to get a better look and saw an impressive gust front running ahead of cold air rolling over the area! I quickly shot a series of photos of the scene using my iPhone but realized my big Canon DSLR camera was in the car. I quickly retrieved the Canon and returned to my vantage point.
Seeing how quickly the line was moving, I race-walked seeking a different view and shot a few more photos before rain drops warned me I’d better get to shelter.
Normally I drive miles to intercept phenomena such as this gust front but this time it came to me — a surprise but a convenience — saving me the trip!
A gust front rushes closer ushering in a cold air mass and heavy rain.
Stairway to Heaven
~1882~
Cyclone
Broadcasters: Church Steeple and Radio Tower in North Royalton, Ohio.
The night before last, the humidity of the past week finally blew away. The air is clear and light again and, when the clouds part, we can see lovely, deep blue sky in place of a hazy mess. This morning that deep blue sky played host to a nice display of whispy cirrus clouds. Taking an opportunity to pull into a park on during my commute, I spent a few minutes enjoying and photographing the sky with cirrus for decoration.
I received a fine treat from Mother Nature as I finished my lunch break this afternoon. A brilliant arc from a would-be solar halo skimmed the trees outside the office windows. There was briefly a fainter, apparently complete, halo of much smaller diameter closer to the Sun. Icy cirrus clouds –natural or spawned by aircraft vapor trails– made interesting colors and textures within the arc. A few minutes between two exposures made a big difference in the appearance of the colored arc… a band of clouds passing in or through the effect gave it added dimension.
Addendum: An interesting photo was posted to the Palomar Skies blog… yes, the historic and world-famous Palomar Observatory! See: Palomar Flies its Colors! It turns out the technical name for this phenomenon is "circumhorizon arc." More on this may be found at: Atmospheric Optics.
The day dawned clear and bright. We were blessed yesterday and again this morning with achingly beautiful cloudless expanses. I had the morning off –I must work tonight– so after seeing off She Who Must Be Obeyed, I headed to Hinckley Lake.
How could I stay indoors?
The woods were full of bird songs. Leaf litter is broken now with signs of new life, and old life reasserting itself with fresh green. Tiny trees make their bid for a spot of sunlight.
Great Blue Herons have returned to again fish the lake while ducks and geese, seemingly having never left, thrash about on the smooth waters. Meanwhile, at the lake's margins, wet-footed plants lap up sunlight preparing to bloom.
It was a good morning.
PhotonStopper 