Comet C/2023 A3 at Morro Bay, California

 

View of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan, Atlas) from Morro Bay, California. Rick was camped next to Morro Creek for two nights hoping to get a photo of the comet with Morro Rock, but it was foggy for those two nights. The third morning appeared mostly sunny, so Rick paid for another night hoping for clear skies that night. He was fortunate that it worked out well that time. The nearly full moon helped to light the foreground for this long exposure. The end of Morro Rock and Pillar Rock appear on the left side of the photo.

October 16, 2024, Fuji GFX100S, 20 seconds, 45 mm (36 mm equivalent), f/5.7, ISO 800

You can watch our YouTube video about this project at: https://youtu.be/j-zvldptmLc

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Aurora borealis, aka northern lights, over Borealis Base Camp, Fairbanks, Alaska, September 15, 2024

 Bob got the chance to go to Alaska in September 2024 to try and see the aurora borealis, aka northern lights. He stayed with his group at the Borealis Base Camp north of Fairbanks. Most of the days during his visit were overcast, but fortunately the second and third nights of his stay cleared up enough that he was treated to a spectacular display.

This photo is of the aurora looking like a green curtain in the sky. The igloo in the lower left corner happened to be lit by a car's headlights as it was driving in among the igloo accommodations for visitors, while the shutter on Bob's camera was open. It was a happy accident that helped light paint the scene.

Auroras occur when charged particles from the sun strike the Earth's atmosphere and are directed toward both the north and south poles by the Earth's magnetosphere. These charged particles energize oxygen and nitrogen molecules causing them to glow. Around the South Pole, the southern lights are also called aurora australis.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Alamere Falls in Point Reyes National Seashore, lit by flashlight at night

 

We attempted to determine if Point Reyes's Alamere Falls could produce a moonbow during the July full moon period. We hiked along the beach from Wildcat Camp while the tide was changing from high to low. This also was one day before the full moon, which means an earlier start to the moonbow, if it happens. We didn't find a moonbow, but we may have arrived too late. We still have hope that it can happen here. 

While near the base of the falls, we set up our cameras and tried taking moonlit images and light-painted images. Light painting involves using a source of light combined with a long exposure to artificially light up a night-time scene. This one worked out quite well.

Fuji GFX100S: 30 sec, f5.6, ISO 1600, 45mm (36mm equivalent)

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

El Capitan reflected in the Merced River, Yosemite National Park

 While visiting Yosemite National Park to photograph the "firefall effect", we stood on a bridge over the Merced River and noticed El Capitan's reflection in the still water. The sun was setting and the shadow of El Capitan's "nose" was already moving across the eastern wall towards Horsetail Fall. Unfortunately, Horsetail Fall was dry this year, 2022, so the firefall didn't have the drama that we were hoping for, but this image helped make up for it.

The image was actually two images captured with a Samsung 152 smartphone and merged together to create a larger image. ISO 100, f 2.2, 1/100 sec, 13 mm equivalent focal length

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Yosemite, Lower Falls Moonbow in June 23-24, 2024, from bridge and "the wall"

Here's an image of Yosemite's moonbow in the lower falls as viewed from the bridge over Yosemite Creek. Moonlight tends to make soft shadows and a less sharp photo. Here's the link to our YouTube video: What is a Moonbow? - https://youtu.be/S_ay06ZPjqA

ISO 3200, f4, 60 seconds

And this is an image of the moonbow in the Lower Falls of Yosemite from straight on. You can even see some of the Upper Falls at the top of the frame, along with some stars. We were up well past 3am getting these moonbow images. There is a predicted time online for viewing it from the bridge, but we found that moving to a different perspective allowed for much more time to view the moonbow. Most of the other photographers there that night had already left after the predicted time ended, but we kept at it and that action paid off.

ISO 3200, f8, 50 seconds

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

 

Upper Yosemite Falls Moonbow from Cooks Meadow, Saturday to Sunday, June 22-23, 2024

 

A second night of moonbow chasing for us (see the previous post).

This is the moonbow in the Upper Yosemite Falls as seen from Cooks Meadow during the night of Saturday into Sunday, June 22-23, 2024. 

This was part of our trip to see Yosemite moonbows from all three of the viewpoints that Brian Hawkins predicts on his website yosemitemoonbow.com.

For more info about these phenomenon, check out our YouTube video "What is a Moonbow?" Link: https://youtu.be/S_ay06ZPjqA

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Moonbow in Upper Yosemite Falls as seen from Glacier Point, Saturday, June 22, 2024

 As we have tried to do just about annually, we visited Yosemite Valley to see, photograph, and videograph moonbows in Yosemite Falls. On this trip, we made a point of visiting all three of the vantage points that Brian Hawkins predicts on his yosemitemoonbow.com web site.

We started with Glacier Point, especially since Rick hadn't seen the moonbow from that viewpoint before. Here is one of the photos that we got from there on Saturday, June 22, 2024, the night of the full moon. From this perspective, the moonbow doesn't really show up as an arc of white light like it does from the Lower Yosemite Falls viewpoint, which makes it more difficult to discern when the moonbow is actually happening.

Please check out YouTube video "What is a Moonbow?" to learn more about this phenomenon.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Saguaro bloom in Saguaro National Park, Rincon Mountain District, Tucson, Arizona, April 29, 2024

 Bob visited the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona for a couple of days near the end of April, 2024. This was still early for the saguaro cactus to be blooming, but before he left he managed to see this one bloom on a cactus right next to the loop road through the park. This was on a very tall cactus, but, since no other vehicles were coming up behind him on the one-way road, he climbed to the top of his motorhome and got this shot. This saguaro had many buds waiting to bloom.

Saguaro cactus are the largest cacti in the United States. They frequently grow as one main trunk that eventually develop "arms." The national park with their name consists of two districts near the city of Tucson. The unit to the west is called the Tucson Mountain District and the unit to the west, the one that Bob visited, is the Rincon Mountain District.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Delicate Arch during thunderstorm, Arches National Park, Utah, October 11, 2023

 On Bob's way to Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah for the October 14th annular eclipse, he visited Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. His first closeup sighting of Delicate Arch back in the early 80s is what inflicted Bob with what he calls "spanophilia," which he defines as a condition of loving natural rock spans, which makes him a "spanophile."

During this particular visit to Delicate Arch on October 11, 2023, thunderstorms were passing overhead and the clouds were letting loose of rain periodically. During the downpours, Bob just hunkered down and waited for the rain to stop. Between downpours, he got this wide angle shot with his GoPro Hero 8 Black. This was the first time Bob visited Delicate Arch when it had been rained on.

Remember, it's just not a picture, it's a story.

Fulll Moonlight over the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, September 29, 2023

 After Bob attended the Natural Arch and Bridge Society's Fall Arch Rally at the Colorado National Monument in late September 2023, he decided to visit a number of destinations in Colorado, since he had only visited the state once before.

One of the places he wanted to visit was the Great Sand Dunes National Park in the eastern part of the state. To his surprise, the park allowed backpackers to spend the night out in the dunes. Surprising because there's no water source out there. It happened to be the night of the full moon when Bob made a point of hiking out into the dunes. He wanted to see the dunes lit up by the full moonlight. This photo is one of many he took during his overnight backpacking trip. Notice the stars in the sky as well as two tents of other backpackers in this image.

This park has the tallest sand dunes in North America, the tallest being 750 feet. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are in the background.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Western Grebe on Saguaro Lake, Arizona, February 20, 2024

 Bob attended the 2024 Spring Arch Rally of the Natural Arch and Bridge Society in Arizona in February 2024. One of the scheduled trips was to see Elephant Rock by boating over Saguaro Lake. During the trip, Bob saw a number of waterbirds swimming over the lake, including this Western Grebe.

 The white and black pattern through the neck and head, including black around the red eye and the straight yellowish bill distinguish the western grebe from other grebes.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Death Valley National Park's Telescope Peak is reflected in the temporary Lake Manley

 

California's Death Valley is America's lowest, driest, and hottest place. But this past winter season had unusually high amounts of precipitation. This caused the lowest point in Death Valley, Badwater Basin, to fill with water and form a temporary lake. Geologists know that this basin used to have a lake around the time of the last ice age and is called Lake Manley. So, this temporary lake is given that name, as well. 

This picture shows the lowest and highest points in Death Valley National Park, the lowest being Badwater Basin (with Lake Manley in it) and Telescope Peak (left of center). The lake beautifully reflects the ridge which culminates in Telescope Peak. The lake also shows salt crystals floating in it because it is totally saturated with salt and can't hold anymore. 

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Harbor Seal hauled out near Point Arena lighthouse, scratching its head

 

Aw, that's the spot! A harbor seal relaxes on the rocky coast near Point Arena lighthouse. When their bristly fur dries, they look whitish. When wet, the fur looks much darker. This one was part of a group hauled out onto the sedimentary rock layers and relaxing during a warm summer day within sight of the Point Arena lighthouse.  A couple of important differences between seals, such as this one, and sea lions, are: seals - no external ear flaps, sea lions - have external ear flaps; seals- rear feet always point backward and they can't stand on their feet, sea lions - rear feet can rotate to point forward and they can stand on their feet.

Canon PowerShot SX530 HS, 1/1000 sec. 215 mm focal length, f 6.5, ISO 800

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Fin Dome, up close, in the Kings Canyon Wilderness along the Rae Lakes Loop

 

Here is Fin Dome in the Kings Canyon Wilderness from the east looking west. It makes a very high, noticeable feature along a ridge that is in the middle of the Rae Lakes Loop, which starts in Kings Canyon and loops around passing Mist Falls and passing by the Rae Lakes on the far side of the loop. We spent 4 days backpacking around the 40-or-so-mile loop, but afterward, we wished we had taken another day. We knew that this feature has climbing routes on it and we saw climbers heading for it. It doesn't so much like a fin from this perspective, but further north or south from here, it did.

Canon EOS Rebel xSi, f19, 1/250 sec, ISO 800, 55 mm focal length

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Pelican flying in front of sun dog, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, California

 

After visiting the Big Sur coast to photograph Keyhole Arch (see some of the previous postings), we stopped by Point Lobos State Natural Reserve just south of Carmel, California. We saw many pelicans during our hike along this dramatic and rugged coastline. Late in the afternoon the sun and clouds created sun dogs, or spectra produced by ice crystals in high-altitude clouds. We happened to catch this pelican flying in front of one of the sun dogs, as there were two, one on either side of the sun.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Keyhole Arch during a cloudy sunset

We visited Pfeiffer Beach two evenings in a row to try photographing the sun through the arch. The first evening was overcast, but we wanted to look it over anyway, knowing we'd be trying again the next day. The clouds actually added an element we hadn't planned on photographing, but the texture was amazing. There was only about 4 photographers at the beach this evening.

Photo taken with Samsung a52 ISO 640, f2.2, 1/24 sec., 1.74 mm focal length

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Wild rose in bloom, with European skipper butterfly and beetle

 

In Glacier National Park, we hiked the Running Eagle Falls nature trail and saw this wild rose blooming with a couple of insects checking it out. The butterfly is a European skipper, accidentally introduced into America over a hundred years ago. The trail has signs along the way that identify bushes and trees in English and the native Pikuni (Blackfeet) people's language.

Samsung a52, f1.8, 1/1591 sec., ISO 25, 5.2 mm, cropped tighter

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!