Monday, 25 September 2023

Autumn has arrived

 Some views off Muley Point Road taken last Thursday September 21.







The great weather continues - WOB

Tuesday, 5 September 2023

What a complex web is woven

 Many decades ago I saw a spider's web, back-lit, with rainbow raindrops - yes! - but maybe via diffraction and not refraction. So a couple of days ago I paddled under some branches looking for that tangled web we weave.





I don't know why but these images remind me of music? An orchestral arrangement? I must ask my composer-conductor friends how they feel - what vibs they sense.


I moved the kayak ever so slightly -





All creatures, great and small.


WOB

Sunday, 3 September 2023

East side Simcoe

 I was looking south when I crossed the road - why did WOB cross the RD?


(To get to the other side!)

Now I am heading north on the east side of the forest road which means I am "shooting" east-

A series of total to close up:

1)







2)





3)






4)




And at the north I crossed the road again - why?



To get back to the car, @?!#*+,

WOB


Go West young man, into the Forest

 Looking south with "west" in the right:


The next photos will be taken over this side and cover some 40m.






The growth in this ditch was cut at water level and maybe a meter of ditch cover was reached.


There is a bug here that I noticed_




The grass cutter appears to have reached the far bank:






WOB

Tuesday, 15 August 2023

An Umbrella of Meteors or a Summary of Perseids

This blog started here

 Although the Perseid shower is not completely over as of this writing, the maximum has passed.

The "live" shower:


 The above was at the time of writing. Cut and paste the following for your "current" value:

https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=PER&year=2023

Click on "Peak" when the link comes up to see some structure:

There is an option I used, Screenshot, and then Download.

One can see gaps in the data, in the coverage of the shower, usually caused by lack of land and hence observers over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This can be exaggerated by volcanic activity in Iceland and Hawaii, bad weather, but also wildfires in Hawaii/Maui

 Looking ahead for the rest of this year, there are several more major meteor showers The guide lists phases of the Moon. While these showers may be mosquito-free, remember that windchill and tiredness may be factors  - so dress warmly.


Looking ahead to next year the Moon will be a factor with 1st quarter on Mon Aug 12, 2024
(Dial in the month and the year and then click "Go".)

Moon Phases Calendar

 
I wish everyone a safe and great arrival in August 2024 - W O B

Sunday, 13 August 2023

Field Notes from Afar Alvar

This links to the Perseid Meteor shower page 

Always depend on luck! (Then you don't have to be modest about your skills?)


So we were skunked  on Friday evening - heavy cloud, some rain on our way home.

Still we had a party of 10 and that company was quite good and entertaining. We reassembled last night for a better "show" - which I am now going to "tell".


The light show started after the heavy rains stopped:





The rainbows were in the East, the mist over the pasture to the West, and the tree looking North over Bluebird Ranch.


The clouds were lit at first by sunlight:





The group appeared and agreed to be seen looking for the first Perseid of the night:



The cloud at right then put on its own show for us:





I did not record any meteors last night but saw lots. Here is one photo extending from Cass to Peg and includes Messier's 31st entry in his catalogue of comet-like objects:



Maybe I was "lucky" and did record a meteor?


WOB