A long period of cold weather and a heavy snow or two have produced persistently covered ground, making winter foraging more challenging for resident birds. Our feeders have been busy. Here are a few photos of some of this year’s guests, representing only a small sample of species dining with us. We have also hosted: House Finches, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Crows, Dark Eyed Juncos (Snowbirds), Northern Cardinals, Bluejays, Nuthatches, Sparrows, Caroline Wrens. As I said, our feeders have been busy.
Tufted TitmouseA male Eastern Bluebird, puffed up against the cold, along with four others, perches on the edge of a platform feeding station.European Starlings fill the platform feeder to capacity as they devour the seed within.Not all visitors to the bird feeders were birds.
Our neighborhood star: The Sun. Photographed in hydrogen-alpha light, this image shows the roiling chromosphere of our star with a large filament parallel with the left-hand edge of the picture, sunspots strung vertically across the center, and a good number of prominences along the rim, glowing against the dark background of space. Image has been rotated; east is up, north is right. Imaged 2024-10-26. 18:43 UTC. Credit: James Guilford
For some time now, as weather permits, I do a little daytime astronomy as in viewing and photographing our neighborhood star: The Sun. Of course I practice vision safety; observations and imaging employ a range of filters and equipment that protect both eyes and cameras from blinding, concentrated sunlight. Equipment ranges from simple white light solar filters, to a Herschel wedge prism-type device, and a more recent addition, a dedicated hydrogen-alpha (Ha) telescope.
White light allows viewing Sun as if we could stare directly at it without the resulting blindness. The Herschel wedge does much the same thing but with, perhaps, a bit more contrast and detail. Both of those white light views allow us to see a layer of the solar atmosphere called the photosphere. In the photosphere the most apparent details are sunspots, standing black against a white background. With enough resolution we can also see granulation — enormous convective bubbles of searing solar plasma.
One layer above the photosphere — yes, above — is the chromosphere. Shining in the wavelength of hydrogen-alpha, the chromosphere is not visible to us without light filters that exclude all light but Ha. A wholly different view of our Sun is available in that wavelength. Swirling seas of plasma form curves and hash as they are moved by magnetic fields, long filaments float over those seas, as fountains of glowing gas arc from the solar disk contrasted against the blackness of space. On closer examination, the solar limb appears rough, a bit like a fine-toothed saw blade, as innumerable spicules, jets of glowing gas, are seen in contrast. Yes, sunspots are visible but are no longer the primary interest.
After many tries and failures at processing images to best show the chromosphere complete with prominences, I finally learned what some other imagers were using to process their images: Solar Toolbox — a package of programming scripts used with the PixInsight imaging application. I still have much to learn about Toolbox but it has already been enormously helpful to me in the challenging world of solar imaging! Thus, the image above is from very good data recorded about seven months ago, now reprocessed using Toolbox.
I had just finished setting up for some solar astronomy and tapped the button to begin a video sequence when something flashed across the computer screen. A jet appeared for less than a second, contrails briefly persisting, silhouetted against the roiling solar disk! I’ve only seen this twice while observing Sun, this being the second time, and I only captured this image by shear luck. The first time I witnessed a solar “photo-bombing” was under similar circumstances. Previously, I had completed setup, was refining focus, and just about to begin recording exposures. I missed imaging that encounter by about the same interval as I succeeded this time!
Clouds move across the face of the moon, two minutes ahead of maximum eclipse, lending color and mystery to the scene.
Tuesday, September 17 brought the opportunity to see a partial lunar eclipse without staying up all night. That’s the sort I call a prime-time event. The skies were partly to mostly cloudy through the evening but, as the time for maximum eclipse approached, breaks were appearing in the cloud cover. I set up my camera and tripod and, with about 15 minutes’ lead time, headed out to the patio. I made a few test shots using the Canon EOS 7D Mk. 2 camera, and then a few more to keep. One shot was made at 10:44 PM EDT simply to record maximum. My favorite images, and by-eye views for that matter, were of Moon as thin clouds passed across and near the glowing orb, lending color and mystery to the scene.
Partial lunar eclipse at maximum, September 17, 2024, at 10:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time, by James Guilford, Photographer.
That same night I made a copy of my “maximum eclipse” digital image and sent it off to the local newspaper. Too late for the next day’s edition, my photo showed up today (Thursday), not only on Page 1 but at three columns, huge! The paper’s rendering of the image lost a bit in the translation but still represented what was seen.
A male Eastern Bluebird strikes an unusual pose atop the bend of a shepherd’s hook bird feeder hanger. Photo by James Guilford.
I glanced out the window this morning and spied this male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) looking all…. broken. The bird was perched atop the shepherd’s hook hanger for the bird feeder six feet off the ground, head cocked to one side, wings disheveled, and totally still. Sick? Injured? A little birdie weirdo? I don’t know! After what seemed a long time, he righted himself, shook himself back into shape, preened a bit, then briefly repeated the pose before flying off. Mrs. Bluebird paid a brief visit shortly after the mister left and she behaved normally. Thank goodness Mr. Bluebird stayed in place just long enough for me to capture a few frames through the window.
Sunspots AR3716, AR3713, and AR3712 are nearing the sun’s western limb or horizon to disappear for at least a couple of weeks or possibly forever. Vixen VC200L Cassegrain telescope with white light solar filter. Image Credit: James Guilford
Braving the already hot and humid morning today, I set up my telescope and made photos of three large sunspots. I’ve been checking on them daily since they made their appearance and wanted to bid them a fond farewell before they disappear to Sun’s far side. The close-up view is via my telescope while the full disk image is from my Canon 400mm telephoto lens; both images recorded using my Canon EOS 7D Mk. 2 DSLR camera body.
Full disk image of our nearest star via Canon EF 400mm 1:5.6 L lens with 2X extended and a white light solar filter used to prevent severe damage to the camera and to the photographer’s vision. Image Credit: James Guilford.
Detail copied from the whole-disk image of Sun, showing sunspots AR3713 and 3712 as they appeared June 14, 2024.
We have not been taking nature walks the way we used to so most photos of animals have been very close to home. I have been photographing the sun lately — maybe especially since the April total solar eclipse. I’ve been interested in Sun at one level or other since my youth. Though I hope to develop the ability to photograph old Sol in Ha or hydrogen-alpha (look it up) exposing chromospheric details in the plasma maelstrom of our nearest star, I remain fascinated with sunspots and the solar photosphere.
Today was another day featuring a cloudy morning and sunny afternoon. This time, however, we experienced excellent seeing for a while — just long enough to record today’s solar portrait. I’m so pleased with the “inset” image that we’re featuring it first — it’s cropped directly from the whole-disk picture. Obviously sunspots AR3713 and AR3712 are dominant features but there is a parade of features visible.
Annotated whole-disk image of the sun as it appeared the afternoon of June 14, 2024.
Doing this the “old-fashioned” way, this image was a single exposure manually selected as best of a larger group of shots. The chosen image is edited to produce the best available picture from the data gathered. Today’s excellent seeing made for an unusually good photo. I’m pretty pleased.
I saved a number of “also-good” exposures and may some day use them in the modern process of stacking sub-frames to create an even better view. Today, however, I’ll just sit back and enjoy what I got.
My first DSLR shot of the night turned out to be the most spectacular. This is a view looking northward from the city of Medina, Ohio.
It turned out to be a stronger impact than forecast, and the strongest thus far of this solar activity cycle; the geomagnetic storm of May 10 – 11, 2024 produced auroras (Northern and Southern Lights) visible at night from locations nearly pole to pole.
The forecast of possible aurora prompted me to step outside at about 10 PM (EDT), when twilight had faded, to check the skies. At first I saw what I thought might be clouds but knowing auroras can be feeble, I watched. Sure enough, there was movement in those “clouds”.
To the unaided eye, the great aurora of May 10 looked like this — streaks of “cloud” with a bit of color. Watching the streaks closely, however, the observer could see them changing in size and shape more rapidly than simple cirrus.
Glancing overhead I saw what I found hard believe — aurora ray features directly overhead … at 41º latitude, a rare sight, indeed! Rushing back indoors, I pulled together camera, fisheye lens, and tripod and headed back out.
My first image of the night was from my iPhone 13. So little effort to see and record such an amazing view! It was exciting to be able to share this with the world in real time via social media!
The aurora still presented itself as cloudy streaks with, perhaps, hints of color. Now also armed with my smartphone, I activated its camera and aimed it at the sky. There on the screen, light amplified by the phone’s electronics, glorious, eye-popping colors filled the sky! I’d never before experienced an aurora like it.
A rare sight indeed is an aurora borealis streaking down from directly overhead at 41 degrees latitude! I’ve never before witnessed such a display.
Only occasionally, during the time I was out, did the aurora’s color become visible to me; apparently being just below the limits of my, and others’ visual perception. Another local observer noted color was more visible shortly before I stepped outside to check on things — the actual peak of the display must have happened as twilight was ending and before 10 p.m.
Colorful curtains lit the northeastern sky as the aurora re-surged from a quieter moment.
I observed and photographed the aurora from shortly after 10:00 until about 11:30 EDT and in that hour or so, the intensity faded and then re-surged before fading away which was my signal to shut down.. I might have stayed out longer but had a commitment for the next day — sleep was needed — so, satisfied I’d seen the phenomenon at its best, I put away the camera gear.
Looking north, find the “Big Dipper” tipped over as if pouring watercolors down on the land. The single dot visible near the center of this picture is the North Star, Polaris. Note how one can find Polaris by looking where the two stars of the dipper’s bowl point.
Knowing it would be all over the news, I submitted my most spectacular shot of the night to the local newspaper — a daily that publishes on Saturday but not Sunday. It was too late for the Saturday edition but the editor gave my photo a three-column, Page 1 spot on Monday.
Our Sun is still in its peak activity period, by some accounts it won’t hit solar maximum until some time in 2025, so there may be more auroras in our near future but this was one for the history books!
Portrait of Cleveland radio personality “Count” John Manolesco, made in the 1970s. Photo by James Guilford
“Cleveland radio has had more than its share of characters. Take “Count” John Manolesco, for example, who hosted a show on news/talk WERE. Manolesco, who claimed to be a physic from Romania, went so far as to perform a live, on-air exorcism.” — Kabir Bhatia, Ideastream.org
I was assigned by a local magazine to shoot photos of Manolesco for a feature article on the Cleveland talk radio personality. I did make the usual photos of him but shot one or two using a low-angle flash — a proven technique to introduce a spooky mood to an image. This is my favorite shot from the job.
John Manolesco was born December 3, 1918 in Timisoaka, Romania, and died January 10, 1983 in Cleveland, Ohio at 65 years of age.
Honorable Mention for my entry entitled “Northward” in the September/October issue of Weatherwise, a respected meteorological journal.
Well would you look at that! One of my pictures received an Honorable Mention in the 2023 Weatherwise Photo Contest! I found out about the honor when the September/October issue arrived today. Weatherwise is the respected meteorological journal featuring “The Power, The Beauty, The Excitement” of weather. You may know I don’t generally enter photo contests. To be selected for even honorable mention from among thousands of entries is, yes, an honor.
PhotonStopper 