Aurora Borealis

I was walking my dog one night just before we went to sleeping, but I decided to filter some fresh air before I went to sleep and I noticed this faint glow in the sky and I wasn't sure if it was just clouds moving or was it Aurora Borealis. 

I grabbed my phone and took a picture and low and behold: It sure was Aurora Borealis. 

Even though I live in kind of a rural part of the county, but I have a street light right next to my house and I have LED-strings around my house and garage.

In both of these photos, you can observe the blueish coloring in the corner of the LED-strings.

Although those weren't so bright as the photos show, since human eye can't "extend exposure" to gather all the small hints of light in the sky, it is marvelous nightscape to look at. 

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

Sun dogs and Circumzenithal arc

It was a bit cold morning and I noticed how wonderful Sun dogs in the southern sky. Then I looked up.

I can't remember when I have ever seen that arc on top of the sky. It is Circumzenithal arc.

I posted this to couple site, and there people recognized these also:

• 22° halo 
• 22° upper tangent arc
• Parhelic circle
• 46° supralateral arc 

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

So, it has been a while. Anyways, here is a couple of short time-lapses from last month:

When I shot this, I forgot the camera out there for a day or two. Then about week later I deliberately set up the camera to shoot night time time-lapse:

Managed to get nice moon travel through the sky. And I again forgot the camera there for two days.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

Magical blue hour

The "blue hour" is a term used in photography and art to describe a period of twilight when the sun is far enough below the horizon to produce a diffuse blue light in the sky.

The blue hour occurs when the Sun is far enough below the horizon so that the sunlight's blue wavelengths dominate due to the Chappuis absorption caused by ozone. Since the term is colloquial, it lacks an official definition such as dawn, dusk, or the three stages of twilight. Rather, blue hour refers to the state of natural lighting that usually occurs around the nautical stage of the twilight period (at dawn or dusk).

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

Last day of the last year

The day started as well as it could, a bit cloudy and not too chilly. 

Later on the day we were driving home and saw this huge cumulus cloud and it was snowing so hard, that you couldn't see the horizon at all.

And the same thing in our home. Well, this actually passed our home by few kilometers, but there were few of those cumulus clouds that snowed hard.

Last sunset of the year 2024.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

Overcast over lake

Overcast weather occurs when the sky is completely covered by clouds, often leading to a gray and gloomy appearance. This weather condition is typically associated with stratiform clouds, which are extensive, uniform layers of clouds that can cover large areas of the sky. These clouds form when moist air rises gradually, condensing into water droplets or ice crystals that spread out horizontally, creating a thick, even cloud cover. Overcast skies can occur at any altitude, from low-lying stratus clouds to higher altocumulus and cirrostratus clouds, but they most commonly involve low to mid-level clouds.

Overcast conditions can have several effects on the environment and daily life. The thick cloud cover blocks direct sunlight, which can lead to cooler temperatures and a more stable atmospheric condition. This type of weather often results in subdued lighting, which can affect visibility and the overall mood of people. Prolonged overcast periods can sometimes lead to feelings of melancholy or depression for some individuals. Additionally, overcast skies are frequently associated with precipitation, such as drizzle, light rain, or snow, although not all overcast conditions result in wet weather.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

Moon Halo in the pitch dark

A moon halo is this enchanting optical phenomenon caused by the refraction and reflection of light, mostly through ice crystals in thin, cirrus or cirrostratus clouds high in the atmosphere. It results in a ring of light around the moon that looks almost supernatural. It’s pretty special when you catch one! You get to see a glimpse of how light and ice play together in our atmosphere.

To see a moon halo, you need three main ingredients: a bright moon (usually a full moon), clear skies, and those high, thin cirrus or cirrostratus clouds with ice crystals way up in the atmosphere. When the light of the moon hits those ice crystals, it bends and creates that mystical ring. It's like nature’s own little light show! 

It is quite fascinating now days to photograph night skies with your cellular phone. I mean it was almost pitch dark, but pointing phone on the sky and press the shutter button and 3 seconds later you get this.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish