Thursday, February 21, 2008

Heavenly Bodies


On a recent trip West along Interstate 10 between the Alabama/Mississippi border and the Interstate 110 'spur' that heads South to the Gulf of Mexico, we were treated to a wonderful display of the interraction between sun and clouds on the tail end of a storm front that had moved through the area producing some very nasty weather including hail as large as tennis balls in some places and damaging tornados in others, including some as close as 30 to 40 miles from our current 'base' location here in Holt, Florida. Before landing here in December, like most folks we know, we were well aware of the potential for hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, but we were not at all prepared for the extent and frequency of other severe weather conditions that are common to the area. Today we are again experiencing some very heavy rain with a forecast of the possibility of T'storms, tornados, etc. later in the day and into tomorrow.

Last night it was our pleasure to witness quite a nice Lunar show; however, the approaching front was beginning to push a thin layer of high level clouds in our direction and we had to be patient to catch glimpses of the progress of the eclipse, especially during the hour or so of full umbra when we could see the crimson colored moon for only a few minutes at a time.

Use the following link to see photos of the Solar and Lunar displays. Unfortunately, the resolution and light gathering capabilities of our camera does not allow for really nice shots of the moon, but at least it will give you some sense of the show for those of you who missed it.

No comments: