Tag: nature is lit

Aurora Borealis

Megh and I enjoyed a collective life goal tonight: seeing the Aurora Borealis with our own eyes.  I’ve wanted to see this for nearly my entire life, ever since I saw the movie Antarctica.

The sun is at a peak of the current solar cycle. A CME was detected the other day, and it’s arrival tonight was predicted by the Space Weather Prediction Center.

Megh, Beta, and I found a dark spot near Rockport, arrived as dusk approached, and waited for the fireworks. Nature did not disappoint.

It started before the sky was completely dark, and initially appeared to be a whitish haze across the northern part of the sky. We started to despair that high clouds were going to interfere, until we realized… the show had actually started.

aurora borealis reflection
I really like this one because the Big Dipper constellation is visible behind the aurora.
aurora borealis spires
The camera’s “night sight” mode not only brought out the colors, but also enabled us to see the reflection off the water.
red and green aurora borealis
You can really see the classic undulations and spires
red aurora borealis
The colors were so strong in this shot, the camera didn’t really add much to this photo. I really enjoy the strong break between color and night sky.
aurora borealis apex
The aurora climbed the northern sky until it was overhead, which is when I caught this photo.

These photos are color-accurate, but a little brighter than what we actually saw.

Nature Is Metal

Driving home, down by the lake, we spotted a bald eagle at the water’s edge of the beach, with… something.  We thought it was a fish.

Pull into the parking lot to snap a picture.  Before we could get a camera on the bird, she took off with her lunch in her talons.

Her lunch was a seagull.

We’re not that far from the sea, seagulls like to come hang out on the lake during the winter for some reason.  There were hundreds yesterday, while Megh and I sat and watched them during our lunch.

There were none today.

Winter, New England Style

Ah, winter in New England. Go home, winter, you’re already drunk and it’s barely December.

Last week we had a snowstorm and we were home-bound for three days.  School was cancelled on Monday and Tuesday.  I worked from home both days and slowly dug out in the afternoons.

Snow on the back deck
We finally leveled out with over a foot of snow

A week later, temperatures reached 60° F.  I was walking around in shorts and flip-flops.  (I might be weird, but you have to admit that it wasn’t weather-inappropriate.)  The clouds dropped two inches of water on us.  With nowhere for the water to go, there are puddles and ponds everywhere.

Last night, the temperature rapidly dropped, the rain turned to snow, and we got a couple or more inches.  At least the end of the day cleared up with some sun.  The snowmelt, which became treacherous as night fell, was downright beautiful for a while.

Ice caught in mid-freeze
This water on the back of my car hadn’t finished freezing when I walked by.

Tonight, as I left the house to take the dog for an icy, slippery walk, I saw signs that we had some visitors during the day.  A hawk snatched a meal from our front yard.  Meghan left our Thanksgiving bundle of corn out for the birds and squirrels; it seems that we’re feeding the whole neighborhood instead.

Imprint of hawk wing in snow
Some small animal and a hawk came to our front yard expecting a meal. Only one of them was disappointed.

By this weekend we’re expecting to be back in the 50s with more rain.  The rollercoaster that is our local weather continues.  Whee!